Countries with the lowest amount of daily in-person contact, including India and Indonesia, are among those in the Asia-Pacific region embracing global remote work. Within the region, India leads in terms of remote hiring. Meanwhile, Indonesia is one of around 60 countries that offers "digital nomad" visas in an effort to attract more remote workers to its shores.

Across cultures, communication methods and practices vary tremendously. People in Egypt are the most likely among countries surveyed to make phone or voice calls, but 2 in 5 also communicate through social media every day. Egyptian citizens are the least likely among the surveyed countries to use SMS or text messaging.

By contrast, most French and American citizens favor text messaging but commonly interact using other forms of communication, such as phone or voice calls and social media. 

With the largest share of Latin American internet users, people in Brazil prefer communicating over social media apps—and use instant messengers more than any other type of social media platform.

The convenience of video conferencing in business is unmatched, so it comes as no surprise that it is growing globally—and especially so in countries that outsource business processes or embrace remote work. By the end of 2027, the global video conferencing market is projected to reach $19.1 billion, up from $10.6 billion in 2022. As it stands now, Indonesia tops the list in both video call frequency and duration: a report by MarketsandMarkets found that Indonesian citizens make video calls that are 10% longer than the global average.

A 2024 study from Research and Markets found that the video conferencing industry is poised to reach $22.21 billion by 2030. Growth in the rapidly evolving market is being fueled by ongoing remote work trends and cutting-edge advancements in tech, among other factors.

Story editing by Jeff Inglis and Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.