Remote working statistics: How many Brits work abroad?

Not all workers are satisfied with working from home, with a growing number of Brits planning to take advantage of flexible work arrangements by working overseas.

A Finder survey of 2,000 British adults reveals 1 in 5 Brits (21%) plan to work remotely from another country this year, up from 11% last year.

Remote working statistics: Highlights

Over a third of British adults worked remotely in 2022.
11% worked overseas in 2022 and 21% plan to work overseas in 2023.
Gen Z are driving the overseas remote working trend, followed by gen Y or millennials.
The most popular countries for British remote workers are the US (13%), France (12%) and Germany (11%).

How many British adults worked remotely in 2022?

37% of British adults worked remotely in 2022 – the equivalent of nearly 20 million people.
32% worked remotely within the UK while 11% of Brits worked overseas (5% did both).
In 2022, Brits worked from another country for an average of 5 and a half weeks.
Men were slightly more likely to work remotely either domestically or overseas compared to women (40% vs 35%)
Gen Z were the most likely to work remotely (28%), followed by gen Y (18%) and gen X (8%).
The most popular countries for Brits to work from include the US (13%), France (12%), Germany (11%), Pakistan (10%) and Spain (9%).

Remote working abroad to jump in 2023

21% of British adults plan to work remotely in 2023, up from 11% in 2022.
However, they plan to work overseas for less time than in 2022, with the mean time spent working remotely overseas dropping from 5 and a half weeks in 2022 to around 2 weeks in 2023.
1 in 4 British men plan to work from another country this year compared to just under 1 in 5 for women (24% vs (18%).
Gen Z are the most likely to work abroad in 2023 (39%), followed by gen Y (35%) and gen X (21%), with just 4% of baby boomers saying the same.

What to consider when planning to work abroad

Review your employer’s remote working policy to make sure you can work overseas before you make non-refundable purchases.
Compare travel card options to international money transfer providers so you don’t pay unnecessary fees and exchange markups.
Understand any visa requirements for working in another country.
Consider purchasing travel insurance to give you peace of mind in case something goes wrong.
Book your flight, train or bus early to help you secure a cheaper rate, especially if you plan with enough time to take advantage of sales events.

Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact –

Matt Mckenna
UK Head of Communications
T: +44 20 8191 8806

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Written by

Susannah Binsted

Consumer advocate

Susannah Binsted is the international PR manager at Finder. Susannah has a Bachelor of Communication and a Bachelor of International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney. See full bio

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