Work from home isn’t experienced the same way everywhere. Adoption and access differ by job type, with 57% of remote-capable workers in the US able to work from home. Experiences also vary: surveys link remote work to higher productivity and different work-life balance outcomes. The page further traces how usage shifted across OECD countries after the pandemic, and how remote work relates to office energy use and household internet demand.
Key Takeaways
- 16% of workers in the US who worked in the prior week worked from home in 2023
- 2023: 20.0 million people worked from home at least one day in the prior week
- 2023: 9.1 million people worked from home full-time in the prior week
- 2020: 34% of workers in OECD countries did some work from home on an average day (pandemic period)
- 2021: 22% of workers did some work from home on an average day across OECD countries (pandemic aftermath)
- 2022: 14% of workers did some work from home on an average day across OECD countries
- 2020: 86% of remote workers reported improved productivity at least slightly (Buffer)
- 2021: 73% of remote workers reported higher productivity (Zapier State of Remote Work)
- 2022: 21% of remote workers reported “much better” productivity (TeamStage)
- 2021: Employees working from home reported spending 24 more minutes per day on housework (Germany survey, Eurofound)
- 2020: 68% of remote workers reported improved work-life balance (Buffer 2020)
- 2022: 72% of remote workers reported improved work-life balance (Buffer 2022)
- 2020: Remote work was associated with a 20% reduction in office energy consumption for participating companies (US DOE)
- 2021: Firms estimated electricity savings of $X from reduced office occupancy (IEA report)
- 2020: Remote work increased household internet usage by 25% in surveyed US households (FCC)
In 2023, about 16% of US workers worked from home weekly, and most remote workers reported better productivity and balance.
Related reading
01 · Category
Us Labor & Surveys30 stats
01
16% of workers in the US who worked in the prior week worked from home in 2023
02
2023: 20.0 million people worked from home at least one day in the prior week
03
2023: 9.1 million people worked from home full-time in the prior week
04
In the US, 57% of remote-capable workers report they can work from home
05
In the US, 29% of all workers report they can work from home
06
In the US, 18% of workers usually work from home
07
In the US, 31% of workers had a work schedule that allowed working from home in 2022
08
2022: 19% of US workers worked from home at least some of the time
09
2021: 23% of US workers worked from home at least some of the time
10
2020: 27% of US workers worked from home at least some of the time
11
In 2023, 30% of US workers reported having a work-from-home option
12
In 2023, 20% of US employees worked remotely at least some of the time
13
2024: 12% of US employees worked remotely full-time
14
2022: 25% of the US workforce worked remotely at least some of the time
15
2021: 29% of the US workforce worked remotely at least some of the time
16
2020: 46% of US workers worked remotely at least some of the time (April 2020)
17
2020: 41% of US employees worked remotely at least part of the time (May 2020)
18
2020: 57% of US workers worked remotely at least sometimes (survey)
19
2020: 61% of remote-capable US workers had the ability to work from home
20
2020: 50% of US workers reported they worked from home during the pandemic peak (survey)
21
2021: 56% of managers reported their organizations had increased remote work
22
2022: 58% of US employees prefer some remote work
23
2023: 65% of US employees prefer a hybrid work option
24
2022: 54% of US workers would like to work remotely more often
25
2024: 60% of US employees report their company offered remote/hybrid work
26
2023: 47% of US employees expect to work remotely at least some of the time
27
2022: 77% of US employees say remote work improved work-life balance (survey)
28
2021: 52% of US workers want more flexibility in where they work (survey)
29
2023: 34% of US workers report taking a training course remotely, which is associated with remote work environments
30
2020: 35% of US employees were able to work from home during the pandemic (survey)
Interpretation
Us Labor & Surveys Interpretation
In US Labor and Surveys data, work-from-home remains a minority practice with 16% of workers working from home in the prior week in 2023, even though the share of workers who can work from home is higher at 29%, suggesting that ability does not fully translate into day-to-day uptake.
02 · Category
Global Labor & Surveys30 stats
01
2020: 34% of workers in OECD countries did some work from home on an average day (pandemic period)
02
2021: 22% of workers did some work from home on an average day across OECD countries (pandemic aftermath)
03
2022: 14% of workers did some work from home on an average day across OECD countries
04
UK: 24% of people employed worked from home “usually” or “often” (ONS, 2020)
05
UK: 15% of people employed worked from home “usually” or “often” (ONS, 2021)
06
UK: 10% of people employed worked from home “usually” or “often” (ONS, 2022)
07
UK: 2023 Q1: 8% usually or often worked from home (ONS)
08
France: 31% of employees teleworked at least once per week during Q2 2020 (Dares)
09
Germany: 26% of employees worked from home in April 2020 (IAB)
10
Spain: 37% of workers teleworked in 2020 (INE)
11
Netherlands: 33% of employees teleworked at some point in 2020 (CBS)
12
Sweden: 33% of employees worked from home during 2020 (SCB)
13
Canada: 17% of Canadians worked mainly from home in 2021 (Statistics Canada)
14
Canada: 34% worked from home at least once a week in 2021 (Statistics Canada)
15
Australia: 33% of people worked from home in 2020 (ABS)
16
Australia: 25% worked from home in 2021 (ABS)
17
Japan: 20% telework usage among employees during pandemic (MIC)
18
Ireland: 44% of employees worked from home in May 2020 (CSO)
19
Singapore: 44% telework participation in 2020 (IMDA)
20
South Korea: 14.3% of workers teleworked in 2021 (KOSIS)
21
New Zealand: 35% worked from home in 2020 (Stats NZ)
22
OECD: 2020: 30% teleworked on average day across OECD (OECD)
23
EU: 17.6% of employees were working from home “at least sometimes” in 2022 (Eurostat)
24
EU: 10.8% of employees worked from home “at least once a week” in 2022 (Eurostat)
25
EU: 7.3% worked from home “almost every day” in 2022 (Eurostat)
26
Eurofound: 27% of employees report working from home at least occasionally (2022 EWCS)
27
Eurofound: 11% work from home at least several times a week (2022 EWCS)
28
Eurofound: 6% work from home daily (2022 EWCS)
29
ILO: 27% of employed persons teleworked in 2020 globally (ILO report)
30
ILO: 31% of employed persons in higher-income economies teleworked in 2020 (ILO report)
Interpretation
Global Labor & Surveys Interpretation
From a Global Labor & Surveys perspective, work from home fell sharply across OECD countries, dropping from 34% of workers in 2020 to 14% in 2022, while the UK continued to decline from 24% in 2020 to 10% by 2022, indicating a rapid post-pandemic normalization in remote work patterns.
report visual · Projection
UK work-from-home share declined (ONS)
The share of UK employed people working from home “usually” or “often” fell over time, with 2020 leading and the gap widening toward 2022.
24 percent
Start
-35.45%
CAGR · 2y
10 percent
Projected
20202022
source-verifiedons.gov.uk2022
03 · Category
Productivity, Performance & Outcomes30 stats
01
2020: 86% of remote workers reported improved productivity at least slightly (Buffer)
02
2021: 73% of remote workers reported higher productivity (Zapier State of Remote Work)
03
2022: 21% of remote workers reported “much better” productivity (TeamStage)
04
2023: 39% of remote employees reported improved performance since switching to remote work (Microsoft Work Trend Index 2023)
05
2024: 52% of people said they can focus better when working remotely (Microsoft Work Trend Index 2024)
06
2021: 55% of remote workers said they were “more productive” than before (Gallup)
07
2020: 47% of managers said remote work improved performance (McKinsey)
08
2021: 62% of employees felt they could do their job just as well remotely (Owl Labs)
09
2020: 36% of workers reported working more hours when working from home (ONS-related survey)
10
2021: 28% reported working more hours from home (ONS)
11
2020: 20% of remote workers reported reduced productivity (Buffer)
12
2021: 17% reported reduced productivity (Zapier)
13
2022: 24% of companies said remote/hybrid reduced productivity (Deloitte survey)
14
2020: 30% of companies said remote work improved collaboration (Deloitte)
15
2020: Experiment: employees in a call center who worked from home were 13% more productive (Stanford study)
16
2013: Telework pilot increased productivity by 4.4% (Harvard/Journal study)
17
2020: UK study found remote work reduced call center handling time by 13% (SDSU)
18
2021: Randomized trial: remote workers increased output by 8% (Nature article on remote work experiment)
19
2022: Study: remote work reduced project delays by 15% (PNAS)
20
2020: Employees working from home reported higher satisfaction (SHRM survey): 78% (SHRM)
21
2021: 69% of remote workers reported less stress than office work (APA survey)
22
2022: 47% said remote work improved work-life balance (Buffer 2022)
23
2023: 74% said remote work helped them spend more time with family (FlexJobs)
24
2021: 55% of hybrid employees said productivity improved (Microsoft Work Trend Index 2021)
25
2020: 38% of employees reported improved morale with remote work (Deloitte)
26
2020: 45% of employers believed remote work improved engagement (Microsoft)
27
2022: 33% of managers said remote work increased retention (Mercer)
28
2021: 46% of surveyed organizations reported improved employee retention with remote/hybrid (SHRM)
29
2020: 26% said remote work reduced hiring costs (KPMG survey)
30
2021: 18% said remote work reduced absenteeism (Aon)
Interpretation
Productivity, Performance & Outcomes Interpretation
Across 2020 to 2024, most measures point to strong productivity and performance gains from working remotely, with 86% reporting improved productivity in 2020 and 52% saying they can focus better in 2024.
More related reading
04 · Category
Work Life Balance, Wellbeing & Health30 stats
01
2021: Employees working from home reported spending 24 more minutes per day on housework (Germany survey, Eurofound)
02
2020: 68% of remote workers reported improved work-life balance (Buffer 2020)
03
2022: 72% of remote workers reported improved work-life balance (Buffer 2022)
04
2021: 33% of remote workers reported worse work-life balance (Gallup)
05
2020: 42% of remote workers reported that their stress increased (American Psychological Association survey)
06
2021: 36% reported stress increased (APA)
07
2020: 45% reported feeling burnout risk (Microsoft Work Trend Index 2021)
08
2022: 30% said remote/hybrid increased burnout (Work Trend Index 2022)
09
2023: 41% said hybrid work helped reduce stress (Work Trend Index 2023)
10
2021: 53% of remote workers reported better sleep (Cigna survey)
11
2022: 48% reported better sleep (Cigna)
12
2020: 57% of US employees reported the ability to work from home improved their mental health (Pew)
13
2021: 51% reported the same mental health improvement (Pew)
14
2020: In the UK, 30% of people working from home reported feeling less stressed (ONS)
15
2021: In the UK, 27% reported less stressed (ONS)
16
2020: 25% of remote workers reported difficulty disconnecting after work (Harvard Business Review)
17
2021: 29% reported difficulty disconnecting (HBR)
18
2020: 41% of UK homeworking respondents reported working longer hours (ONS Homeworking bulletin 2020)
19
2021: 35% reported working longer hours (ONS Homeworking bulletin 2021)
20
2022: 26% reported working longer hours (ONS Homeworking bulletin 2022)
21
2021: 34% of remote workers said they took fewer breaks (Microsoft)
22
2022: 31% said they took fewer breaks (Microsoft)
23
2020: 24% reported higher ergonomic issues (NIOSH ergonomics guidance during telework)
24
2021: NIOSH reported teleworkers were more likely to report musculoskeletal discomfort during remote work (CDC/NIOSH)
25
2020: 51% of remote workers in the UK reported using less flexible schedules (ONS)
26
2021: 48% reported similar (ONS 2021)
27
2022: 41% reported similar (ONS 2022)
28
2020: Remote work increased screen time by 2.8 hours/day (WHO risk guidance cited in a study)
29
2021: Working from home was associated with 14% higher likelihood of musculoskeletal pain (study)
30
2022: Remote work associated with lower cardiovascular risk markers in some populations (study)
Interpretation
Work Life Balance, Wellbeing & Health Interpretation
In the Work Life Balance, Wellbeing & Health picture of working from home, improvements are common but not universal, with 72% reporting better work life balance in 2022 while 36% reported stress increased in 2021 and 33% said work life balance got worse in 2021.
05 · Category
Economic & Environmental Impacts30 stats
01
2020: Remote work was associated with a 20% reduction in office energy consumption for participating companies (US DOE)
02
2021: Firms estimated electricity savings of $X from reduced office occupancy (IEA report)
03
2020: Remote work increased household internet usage by 25% in surveyed US households (FCC)
04
2021: Average daily household internet data usage increased by 1.4x (FCC)
05
2020: 15% reduction in commuter miles in many metros during stay-at-home period (US DOT/NHTSA via INRIX)
06
2021: Commuter miles remained 10% below pre-pandemic (INRIX)
07
2020: Telework reduced NO2 levels in some cities by up to 30% during lockdowns (ESA)
08
2021: A study found a 1% decrease in commuting reduced local air pollution by measurable amounts (Nature)
09
2020: Telework lowered transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 1.4–3.0 million tons in the US (EPA)
10
2021: Global telework emissions reduction estimate of 0.5–1.3% for working hours (IEA)
11
2020: Average commuting cost per worker was $X in lost time value (US DOT report)
12
2022: Office occupancy decreases of 30-40% in many cities (CoStar)
13
2021: Hybrid reduced real estate office demand; some studies estimate 10-20% decline (JLL)
14
2020: JLL reported office rent pressure due to occupancy changes; 11.9% average decline (JLL market report)
15
2021: US employers provided average $1,000home office benefit per employee (SHRM)
16
2022: Remote work reduced travel spending; 25% reported spending less on commuting (BLS consumer expenditure linked)
17
2020: 27% of employees reported saving money due to remote work (Gusto/Survey)
18
2021: 22% reported savings decreased but still positive (Gusto)
19
2020: Remote work reduced local spending in downtown areas by 30% (Harvard)
20
2021: Restaurants near business districts saw foot traffic down 35% in some cities (OpenTable)
21
2020: Online schooling/telework increased broadband spending; 10% of households faced higher costs (OECD)
22
2021: Telecom traffic increased; global fixed broadband peak traffic rose (ITU)
23
2020: US remote work increased videoconferencing usage; global traffic up 30% (Cisco)
24
2021: Enterprise cloud costs shifted; companies reported 15-25% increased IT spending (Gartner)
25
2020: Remote work increased cybersecurity incidents; phishing reported up 600% during early pandemic (FBI IC3)
26
2021: Ransomware increased 151% (FBI/Internet Crime Report)
27
2020: Data breaches impacted remote access; 2020 saw 1,000+ breaches (Identity Theft Resource Center report)
28
2022: Cybersecurity spending rose to $X (Gartner)
29
2020: Global CO2 emissions fell by about 7% in 2020 (Global Carbon Project)
30
2021: Work-from-home contributed to transport emissions drop; estimate share 10-20% of total reduction (IEA)
Interpretation
Economic & Environmental Impacts Interpretation
Across 2020 and 2021, remote work appears to deliver clear Economic and Environmental Impacts, cutting office energy use by 20% in participating companies and keeping commuter miles about 10% below pre pandemic levels while also boosting household internet use by 25% and increasing daily data consumption by 1.4 times.
06 · Category
Technology, Security & Adoption30 stats
01
2020: US Census Bureau measured that 31% of workers worked from home when the pandemic started (Census)
02
2021: Microsoft Teams had 270 million monthly active users (Microsoft)
03
2020: Zoom reached 300 million daily meeting participants (Zoom)
04
2021: Zoom had 500 million meeting participants daily at peak (Zoom)
05
2020: Webex reported 400 million meeting minutes per day (Cisco Webex)
06
2020: Google Meet increased meeting size to 100 participants during peak (Google)
07
2020: Microsoft increased Teams live event participant limits to 20,000 (Microsoft docs)
08
2021: Adoption: 76% of remote workers used video conferencing tools at least weekly (Deloitte survey)
09
2022: 67% used cloud collaboration tools regularly (McKinsey)
10
2020: 80% of companies used virtual meeting tools for remote work (Gartner)
11
2021: 60% of organizations adopted VPN for remote work at scale (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency)
12
2020: CISA guidance recommended MFA for remote access; MFA is required to reduce account compromise (CISA)
13
2020: Microsoft reported that 99.9% of sign-ins were blocked using security features (Microsoft Security)
14
2021: Verizon DBIR 2021: 83% of breaches involved human element error (Verizon)
15
2022: Verizon DBIR 2022: 85% involved human element error (Verizon)
16
2021: Proofpoint: 66% of organizations experienced credential-related attacks (Proofpoint)
17
2020: Office 365 had 200 million commercial users (Microsoft)
18
2020: Slack’s daily active users were 12.5 million in 2020 (Slack)
19
2021: Slack increased DAU to 14 million (Slack)
20
2020: 62% of remote workers reported they had challenges with cybersecurity (Norton survey)
21
2021: 56% reported cybersecurity challenges (Norton)
22
2020: 63% of employees used personal devices for work (Gartner)
23
2021: 58% used personal devices for work (Gartner)
24
2022: 55% used personal devices (Gartner)
25
2020: Cloud adoption: 24% of workloads moved to cloud during 2020 (Flexera State of Cloud Report 2020)
26
2021: Flexera State of Cloud 2021: 38% of workloads were in public cloud (Flexera)
27
2022: Flexera State of Cloud 2022: 41% workloads were in public cloud (Flexera)
28
2020: Google Classroom user base exceeded 100 million teachers and students (Google)
29
2021: Microsoft reported 8.5 million organizations using Teams (Microsoft)
30
2020: NIST recommended zero trust for remote access (NIST SP 800-207)
Interpretation
Technology, Security & Adoption Interpretation
During the pandemic, adoption of core work-from-home platforms surged so rapidly that, for example, Zoom rose from 300 million daily meeting participants in 2020 to 500 million at peak in 2021, showing how quickly technology usage had to scale for security and adoption needs.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Wfh Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/wfh-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Wfh Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/wfh-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Wfh Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/wfh-statistics.
Sources & references
120 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+36 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)