India among world’s worst countries to work remotely: Global Remote Work Index

India has been ranked 64th out of 108 countries for remote work, marking a significant drop of 15 places compared to the previous year, according to a report released on Wednesday. This decline can be attributed primarily to India's subpar digital and physical infrastructure and social safety.

The Global Remote Work Index (GRWI), published by cybersecurity firm NordLayer, assessed countries based on four key criteria: cyber safety, economic safety, digital and physical infrastructure, and social safety.

Donatas Tamelis, the managing director at NordLayer said, “Even though some of the big tech companies recently brought their employees back to the office or introduced a hybrid work model, remote work is here to stay. It’s not just a trend -- it is a fundamental shift in how we approach productivity and work-life balance.”

India's low ranking is a consequence of poor performance across all four dimensions, particularly in the realms of digital and physical infrastructure (77) and social safety (74). The report highlighted that India's e-infrastructure is among the least developed in the world, earning it the 95th position. Furthermore, India's internet connection is both expensive (78th) and lacking in quality (70th).

In the context of social safety, India appears to be one of the most isolating countries globally, with a low personal rights index (88) and an environment that lacks inclusiveness (65). As for cyber and economic safety, India's performance is considered average, with rankings of 56 and 55, respectively.

While India is recognised as one of the most cost-effective destinations with the third-lowest cost of living, its healthcare system is rated poorly at 93. However, the country boasts a reasonably robust cyber infrastructure (13) and a decent response capacity (19).

Meanwhile, The top 10 countries which scored the highest on the Global Remote Work Index (GRWI) are Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Estonia, Lithuania, Ireland, and Slovakia.

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