Germany ranks 3rd in cybersecurity. In economic and social conditions, the country ranks 5th.
● The country lags behind in digital and physical infrastructure (17th place).
● Germany has poorer internet quality (27th place) and e-infrastructure (25th place) than most other countries.
● As one of the most popular travel destinations, it ranks only 29th in overall safety.
According to NordLayer's Global Remote Work Index, Germany is the best country for remote workers - followed by Denmark, the US, Spain, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia, Singapore and France in the top 10.
Countries score differently in each category. A country that is ahead in cybersecurity may be behind in digital and physical infrastructure, and vice versa. The cybersecurity category is dominated by smaller European countries such as Slovakia, the Baltic states of Lithuania and Estonia, and Greece. EU Member States ranked in the top 18 in the cybersecurity category.
Slow to adopt new technologies
Germany is ahead in cybersecurity, ranking 3rd. In terms of economic and social conditions, the country ranks 5th, making it a popular place to work. However, Germany still lags behind in digital and physical infrastructure, ranking only 17th, mainly due to poorer internet quality (27th) and e-infrastructure (25th), reflecting Germany's slowness in adopting new technologies. Although it scored well in other categories, Germany ranks 42nd in cost of living. These aspects can be seen as a challenge for remote working. Nevertheless, the general economic and social conditions combined with the high cybersecurity standards make Germany the top performer.
There is a lack of general security
Germany is extremely popular with tourists, ranking first along with Japan, France and Spain, but it only ranks 29th in terms of general security. Many countries in the top 10 of the overall index are safer than Germany, including Estonia, Lithuania, Spain, Denmark and Singapore.
Poor scores in English
The population's English skills are one of the factors that determine the overall economic and social ranking. If remote workers are looking for a place outside Germany to avoid language barriers, all English-speaking countries are of course worth considering. But the Netherlands, Slovenia, Austria, Denmark, Singapore, Norway, Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Finland and Croatia also come into question as destination countries, as they all rank above Germany in terms of English proficiency (13th place). The USA, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Singapore are in the top 10 of the overall index, so these countries are also a good choice in terms of language requirements.
Alternative: Spain
Spain shares many similarities with Germany in terms of the quality of remote work, ranking 4th. Both countries rank in the top 10 in terms of cybersecurity, as the countries have good infrastructure and ensure an adequate level of cybersecurity overall. Economic and social conditions are also quite similar in both countries. While both are ranked 1st as a destination, Spain (26th) and Germany (29th) have similar levels of overall security.
When comparing digital and physical infrastructure, both countries perform similarly, with Germany ranking 17th and Spain 19th. Spain's 19th place comes from better internet quality - here Germany is a distant 27th. On the other hand, it is cheaper to get an internet connection in Germany. The physical infrastructure is excellent in both countries. Moreover, Spain and Germany have similarly good Covid 19 management.
"NordLayer collected this detailed analysis taking into account the increased desire to work from anywhere in the world after the epidemic," explains Juta Gurinaviciute, Chief Technology Officer at NordLayer.
She adds, "We have taken into account all the basic parameters that countries need to meet for the ranking by thoroughly analysing a range of data. The Global Remote Work Index focuses on the security and reliability of both the physical and digital environments. Particular attention was also paid to cyber security. In this respect, the index is a good benchmark for workers who want to relocate or work from another country."
Ranking by category
Cybersecurity:
1. Slovakia
2nd Lithuania
3rd Germany
4. Estonia
5. Greece
Economic and social conditions:
1. Canada
2. united kingdom
3. portugal
4. United States of America
5. Germany
Digital and physical infrastructure:
1. South Korea
2. Singapore
3. United Arab Emirates
4. Denmark
5. Switzerland
Dealing with COVID:
1. United States of America
2. Thailand
3. Australia
4. Finland
5. South Korea
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