Where you live in Europe dramatically shapes your chances of working from home. New data from Eurostat shows that in 2025, workers in Finland are roughly 16 times more likely to work remotely than those in Romania, underscoring a persistent continental divide.
According to the EU statistics agency, 20.5% of Finnish employees usually worked from home—defined as doing productive work at home for at least half of the days in a four-week period—compared with just 1.3% in Romania. Ireland follows closely at 19.2%, more than double the EU average of 8.8%.
Northern and Western Europe Lead
Finland and Ireland stand apart, with no other country exceeding 14%. Belgium ranks third at 13.2%, followed by Germany (13%) and Malta (12.5%). Several northern and western European nations—including Sweden, Estonia, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and Austria—also report rates above 10%.
At the other end, remote work remains rare across much of southern and eastern Europe. Romania (1.3%), Bulgaria (1.4%), North Macedonia (1.9%), Greece (2.3%), and Italy (2.7%) all fall below 3%. Rates stay under 5% in Serbia, Turkey, Hungary, Cyprus, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Among the EU's four largest economies, the gap is striking. Germany ranks fourth overall at 13%, while Italy languishes at 2.7%. France (11%) sits above the EU average, and Spain (7.9%) is just below it. The UK, not included in Eurostat data, is believed to have the highest remote work rate in Europe based on separate research.
Three Key Drivers
Cevat Giray Aksoy, deputy director of research at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), told Euronews Business that the disparities stem from three main factors. First, economic structure: countries with more employment in ICT, finance, professional services, and public administration naturally have higher remote work rates. In contrast, nations with larger shares of manufacturing, agriculture, construction, tourism, and retail see lower adoption because many jobs cannot be done remotely.
Second, workplace culture matters. “Countries where work is organised around more autonomy and trust tend to have higher remote-work adoption, while countries with stronger norms of in-person supervision and face-to-face coordination tend to have lower adoption,” Aksoy explained.
Third, worker demand plays a role. Remote work saves commuting time—an average of 72 minutes per day across countries—and offers flexibility, especially for parents and those with long commutes. Aksoy noted that workers allocate much of this saved time to work and caregiving.
Jorge Cabrita, senior research manager at Eurofound, highlighted the importance of digital infrastructure. Faster, more accessible internet correlates with higher remote work rates, while poor connectivity acts as a deterrent. This is particularly relevant as plug-in solar panels surge across Europe, reflecting broader shifts in energy and digital adoption.
Aksoy cautioned against viewing the gaps as a simple ranking of modern versus traditional labour markets. “The cross-country gaps should not be seen as a simple ranking of ‘modern’ versus ‘traditional’ labour markets, but as the result of differences in occupational structure, digital readiness, management culture, commuting costs, and the pandemic experience,” he said.
These patterns also echo broader labour market trends, such as the working week divide across Europe, where hours vary from 31.9 in the Netherlands to 42.4 in Turkey. As remote work becomes a permanent feature of European labour markets, understanding these regional differences is crucial for policymakers and businesses alike.
