Ranked: Average Working Hours by Country

Related stories

Thailand’s PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended over leaked Hun Sen call

Thailand’s constitutional court has suspended the prime minister, Paetongtarn...

2027: Atiku, David Mark, Secondus, Tambuwal, Others Hold Crucial Meeting, Weigh Options

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, alongside former Senate President...

Ranked: 40 Best Countries in the World, According to People

Key Takeaways Switzerland tops the 2024 “Best Countries” ranking from U.S....

OPEC Tensions Build as Kazakhstan’s Oil Production Hits All-Time High

Kazakhstan’s crude oil output jumped 7.5% in June to...

Drama as Lagos Monarch Strips Six Chiefs of Titles Over Labour Party Rally Attendance

By Abiola Olawale The Ojora of Ijora and Iganmu Kingdom,...

In this graphic, we’ve ranked OECD countries based on average working hours per year, as of 2023. It reveals a wide gap between the longest and shortest-working countries, to the tune of 864 hours (36 days).

Note that this data is based on the average number of people in employment in each country, meaning it includes full- and part-time workers.

Data and Key Takeaways

All figures were sourced from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), an international organization that promotes policies to improve economic and social well-being. It has 38 member countries, though in this instance, data for all of them was not available.

For additional context, hourly figures were also converted to the number of eight-hour workdays.

At the top of this ranking are three countries from the Americas: MexicoCosta Rica, and Chile.

This could be due to several reasons, including:

  • Economic structure: Labor-intensive industries like agriculture play a large role in their economies
  • Social policies: These countries may have less extensive social safety nets, meaning workers work more to compensate for the lack of government support
  • Lower wages: Lower average wages in these countries can lead people to work longer hours to improve their living standards

At the lower end of this ranking are a large number of European countries, particularly those with advanced economies. It should be noted that in the European Union (EU), all employees are entitled to at least four weeks paid holiday per year.

This is a stark contrast from the U.S., which is the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee paid holiday for workers.

One major outlier in this dataset is Greece, which ranked fourth at 1,897 average annual hours. The country has been struggling to boost economic growth, and more than 500,000 people have left the country since its debt crisis in 2009.

It was recently announced that Greece would be allowing certain employers to introduce a six-day work week.

Source: Visual Capitalist

The New Diplomat
The New Diplomathttps://newdiplomatng.com/
At The New Diplomat, we stand for ethical journalism, press freedom, accountable Republic, and gender equity. That is why at The New Diplomat, we are committed to speaking truth to power, fostering a robust community of responsible journalism, and using high-quality polls, data, and surveys to engage the public with compelling narratives about political, business, socio-economic, environmental, and situational dynamics in Nigeria, Africa, and globally.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

[tds_leads input_placeholder="Your email address" btn_horiz_align="content-horiz-center" pp_msg="SSd2ZSUyMHJlYWQlMjBhbmQlMjBhY2NlcHQlMjB0aGUlMjAlM0NhJTIwaHJlZiUzRCUyMiUyMyUyMiUzRVByaXZhY3klMjBQb2xpY3klM0MlMkZhJTNFLg==" pp_checkbox="yes" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXRvcCI6IjMwIiwibWFyZ2luLWJvdHRvbSI6IjQwIiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMTUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBvcnRyYWl0X21heF93aWR0aCI6MTAxOCwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWluX3dpZHRoIjo3NjgsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMjAiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMzAiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sImxhbmRzY2FwZV9tYXhfd2lkdGgiOjExNDAsImxhbmRzY2FwZV9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjEwMTksInBob25lIjp7Im1hcmdpbi10b3AiOiIyMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicGhvbmVfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjo3Njd9" display="column" gap="eyJhbGwiOiIyMCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNSJ9" f_msg_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_input_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_btn_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_family="downtown-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_weight="700" f_btn_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_transform="uppercase" btn_text="Unlock All" btn_bg="#000000" btn_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxOCIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjE0IiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxNCJ9" input_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjEyIiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxMCJ9" pp_check_color_a="#000000" f_pp_font_weight="600" pp_check_square="#000000" msg_composer="" pp_check_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.56)" msg_succ_radius="0" msg_err_radius="0" input_border="1" f_unsub_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_msg_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_weight="500" f_msg_font_weight="500" f_unsub_font_weight="500"]

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Thailand’s PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended over leaked Hun Sen call2027: Atiku, David Mark, Secondus, Tambuwal, Others Hold Crucial Meeting, Weigh OptionsRanked: 40 Best Countries in the World, According to PeopleOPEC Tensions Build as Kazakhstan's Oil Production Hits All-Time HighDrama as Lagos Monarch Strips Six Chiefs of Titles Over Labour Party Rally AttendanceAnxieties as Ondo Govt Launches Probe into Akeredolu’s Death, Puts Widow Under ScrutinyTrump Blasts Elon Musk Over Renewed Criticism of US Spending BillIn Saint Lucia, Tinubu Receives Highest National HonourOil Prices Dip as OPEC+ Boosts SupplyRanked: The Biggest Currency Drops So Far in 2025Our Officers Deployed To Maintain Order Not To Prevent PDP NEC Meeting -- PoliceDon't Let Ganduje's Resignation Divide Us, Dalori Appeals To APC NWC Members, OthersAPC To Hold NEC Meeting On July 24Bode George Warns Tinubu, Decries Police Occupation Of PDP SecretariatClosing Ogoni wounds, opening old ones
X whatsapp