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Hours per Employed Person

26

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54

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Hardest Working Countries 2024

In the United States, we often consider "9-to-5" (9am to 5pm) to be the typical office day. Most U.S. workers work an average of 34.4 hours per week. Around the world, however, many people work longer hours. Cultural attitudes, workplace laws and conventions, and socio-economic factors, among other influences, determine the number of hours employees are expected to work. Additionally, some people need to work longer hours to provide for their personal or familial needs. The hardest working countries in the world are not necessarily the wealthiest countries.

Employees who work longer hours do not necessarily earn highger annual wages than those who work shorter hours. For example, the average worker in the Netherlands makes $54,262 annually, working 37.3 hours per week, but the average worker in Portugal earns $25,487 working 40.7 hours per week. In terms of sheer hours worked, developing countries tend to outpace developed countries. In fact, several developed countries are experimenting with a 4-day work week with the goal of enabling their citizens to enjoy a healthier work/life balance and avoid becoming overworked.

Top 12 Hardest Working Countries in the World (by actual weekly hours worked per employee, ILOSTAT):

While several European countries work less than 40 hours per week on average, that is not the case or feasible in other countries worldwide. In the United States, many full-time employees struggle with work-life balance and often pass up vacation time to get more done in the office. However, American workers may be surprised at the average number of hours workers put in in other countries every week.

Top 10 Hardest Working Countries in the OECD:

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental collective of 38 developed and mostly high-income countries, whose collective Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $57.9 trillion USD comprised just over 60% of the global GDP of $96.1 trillion USD in 2021.

RankCountryAverage hours worked in 2021:
1Mexico2,128
2Costa Rica2,073
3Chile1,916
4South Korea1,915
5Greece1,872
6Poland1,830
7United States1,791
8Ireland1,775
9Estonia1,767
10Czech Republic1,753

1. Mexico

The people of Mexico work much harder than any of their fellow OECD members, clocking in an average of 2,148 hours per year at work. Although Mexico has labor laws that limit the workweek to 48 hours per week, it is rarely enforced because of high unemployment and low pay. Mexico is one of only two countries in the OECD (along with Turkey) that is considered a middle-income country.

2. Costa Rica

Costa Rica is the second-hardest-working country in the OECD, working an average of 2,073 hours in 2021. Because of a high poverty rate and a relatively high unemployment rate, Costa Ricans must often work very long hours to provide for themselves and their families. However, the number of hours worked had decreased from 2016, when workers clocked in 2,204.7 hours in a year—the highest number of any OECD country in recent years.

3. Chile

On average, Chilean workers clocked in 1,916 hours in 2021, about 155 more than American workers. Despite a legal limit of 45 hours per week, roughly 16% of all workers work more than 50 hours a week. Chile suffers from very high social inequality, with the wealthiest 20% of the population bringing in approximately $31,000 per year and the bottom 20% taking home barely $2,400 per year.

4. South Korea

South Koreans worked an average of 1,915 hours in 2021. Since 2015, this number has gradually decreased from 2,083 hours, partially thanks to the government passing a law requiring workers to take time off. The law is a response to the country's declining birth rates and productivity and is intended to give people time to start families, improve living standards, and create more jobs.

5. Greece

Greece is the second-hardest working country in Europe, logging an average of 1,872 hours in 2021 (the non-OECD country Russia was first in Europe with 1,874). The Greek economy was heavily impacted by the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. Greece's high budget deficit and public debt, combined with huge losses of tax revenues due to systematic tax evasion, caused the country's debt-to-GDP ratio to skyrocket. This, in turn, wreaked havoc on the country's national debt level and credit terms and (among other effects) caused the unemployment rate to rise very quickly. While Greece now appears to be on much more stable financial footing, the unemployment rate is still relatively high, at 16.3% in 2020, which often forces those who are employed to work longer hours to make up for unemployed family members' lost wages.

6. Poland

The Polish people worked an average of 1,830 hours in 2021. While the average workweek is under 40 hours, about 10% of working men work over 50 hours per week. Annual wages are relatively low in Poland, around $29,109 per year.

7. United States

The United States was the seventh-hardest-working country in the world in 2021. The U.S. worker averaged 1,791 hours, just below Poland. Unlike their European counterparts, American workers are not guaranteed paid sick leave or paid maternity leave. Workers in the mining and logging industries work the longest hours in the U.S., often averaging 44 hours per week or more.

8. Ireland

Not only did the Irish average 1,775 hours worked in 2021, a record 2.55 million people in Ireland were employed as of Q2 of 2022, which set a new national high. The largest job growth—39.2% year-on-year—came from the accommodation/hospitality and food service sectors, which were recovering from COVID-19-related restrictions. Early numbers indicate the weekly hours worked may rise by as much as 9% nationally once 2022 totals are tallied.

9. Estonia

In 2019, Estonia was one of the top performing countries in the European Union in terms of labor market participation and employment. The 2020 COVID-19 lockdown had a detrimental effect on employment rates (as it did everywhere in the world) and economic performance, but Estonia seems to be recovering quite quickly compared to the field. Estonians worked an average of 1,767 hours in 2021.

10. Czech Republic

Workers in the Czech Republic work an average of 1,753 hours in 2021. While this number computes to an average work week of just over 33 hours, some 5.7% of employees work mor than 50 hours per week. The average annual wages in the Czech Republic are about $26,962.

11. Israel

Israeli workers put 1,753 hours into their jobs in 2021. Israel has a large number of very skilled people in employment who work hard at their jobs. As one of the most innovative countries globally, Israel ranks second globally in intensity of R&D and has a deep pool of talent in the fields of STEM, research and development, and entrepreneurship.

Note: "Hours per employee" includes full and part-time employees in traditional employment agreements, while "hours per employed person" also includes self-employed workers. All data were downloaded from the International Labour Organization statistics portal (ILOSTAT), most recently updated on 18 Sep. 2022. Each country's data is taken from its most recent available year and displays actual hours worked.

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Country
Hours per Employed Person
Data Year
Hours per Employee
Data Year
Mauritania542017
Egypt532015402020
Gambia512012502018
Burkina Faso502018
Qatar502015492014
Lesotho502019
Bangladesh492017512017
Kenya482019472019
Lebanon482019472019
Mongolia482021432021
Myanmar472020452020
Jordan472020482020
Botswana472020462020
Guyana472019432019
Iran462020432020
Sri Lanka462019442019
Cambodia462019492019
Tunisia462014
Serbia462021392021
Eswatini462016482016
Macau462015
Mexico452021442021
Turkey452021442021
Tanzania452020542020
Peru452015
Malaysia452015442020
Namibia452018
Samoa452017452017
Thailand442019422020
Colombia442021462021
South Korea442015382021
Nepal442017
Guatemala442019462016
Senegal442018512019
Benin442018
Togo442017
Singapore442015
Jamaica442020422014
Montenegro442020432020
Brunei442020452020
Seychelles442016402020
Afghanistan432021392021
Saudi Arabia432020
Yemen432014442010
Liberia432016492017
Palestine432015382021
Georgia432020432020
South Africa422021
Iraq422021302021
Algeria422014
Mozambique422015442015
Zambia422020452020
Dominican Republic422021392021
Laos422017412017
Nicaragua422014
Costa Rica422021422021
Bosnia and Herzegovina422021422021
Albania422019432019
Belize422019402020
Chile412021382021
Israel412017342020
Paraguay412021412021
Guinea Bissau412018
North Macedonia412021382021
Cayman Islands412014422015
Palau412014432014
Romania402015402021
Zimbabwe402019442019
Hungary402015382021
Slovakia402015372021
Croatia402015382021
Armenia402020392020
Timor Leste402013382016
Mauritius402019382019
Cape Verde402015442019
Saint Lucia402021382021
Indonesia392021392021
Brazil392021392021
Russia392020362020
Japan392015372020
Uganda392017462017
Ukraine392015402019
Venezuela392017392020
Bolivia392021402021
Greece392015382021
Portugal392015382021
Belarus392020352020
Kyrgyzstan392020372020
Montserrat392020382020
Nigeria382019
Spain382015352021
Poland382015392021
Honduras382020432020
Panama382014402021
Moldova382015392021
Lithuania382015392021
Malta382015372021
United Kingdom372015332020
Italy372015352021
Mali372014472020
Rwanda372020312020
Burundi372020
New Zealand372014
Uruguay372021442018
Luxembourg372015362021
Canada362021
Madagascar362015422015
Niger362014402017
Tonga362018362018
Germany352015342021
Chad352018
Ecuador352021382020
Switzerland352015362021
Ghana342015412017
Malawi342013322013
Norway342015332021
Djibouti322017
Kazakhstan312015382017
Somalia312019
Micronesia302014392014
Australia292020322020
United States372021
Pakistan492021
Ethiopia422021
Philippines362020
DR Congo422012
France352021
Argentina342021
Ivory Coast402019
Netherlands302021
Belgium342021
Sweden352021
Azerbaijan342021
Sierra Leone452018
Austria332021
Hong Kong442016
Bulgaria392021
El Salvador452021
Denmark342021
Finland352021
Ireland352021
Slovenia392021
Latvia392021
Estonia372021
Cyprus382021
Comoros442014
Bhutan482020
Solomon Islands422013
Maldives482019
Iceland362021
Vanuatu372019
Aruba402010
Marshall Islands402019
Cook Islands372019
Nauru402013
Tuvalu382016
showing: 156 rows

Which country works the hardest in the world?

Mauritania has the hardest working population in the world, with an average work week of 54 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

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