This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti, ranks over 150 countries by the typical number of hours worked per week in 2025.

While global labor averages hover around 38.7 hours per week, the gap between the hardest- and lightest-working nations stretches nearly 30 hours.

The data for this visualization comes from the World Population Review. It compiles national estimates of average weekly working hours across formal and informal labor sectors.

Bhutan Leads the World in Working Hours

In 2025, Bhutan stands out as the world’s hardest-working nation, with employees clocking an average of 54.5 hours per week. Many South and Southeast Asian economies also appear near the top, including the UAE (48.4 hours), Pakistan (47.5 hours), and India (45.8 hours).

Extended workweeks in these regions often reflect labor-intensive industries, fewer part-time roles, and smaller social safety nets—factors that drive longer hours for both employees and self-employed workers.

Country	Region	Weekly Hours Worked
🇧🇹 Bhutan	Asia	54.5
🇸🇩 Sudan	Africa	50.8
🇱🇸 Lesotho	Africa	50.2
🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	Africa	48.7
🇦🇪 UAE	Asia	48.4
🇸🇹 Sao Tome & Principe	Africa	48.2
🇯🇴 Jordan	Asia	47.8
🇱🇷 Liberia	Africa	47.5
🇵🇰 Pakistan	Asia	47.5
🇶🇦 Qatar	Asia	46.8
🇱🇧 Lebanon	Asia	46.4
🇰🇭 Cambodia	Asia	45.9
🇲🇻 Maldives	Asia	45.9
🇧🇩 Bangladesh	Asia	45.8
🇮🇳 India	Asia	45.8
🇲🇳 Mongolia	Asia	45.7
🇲🇴 Macau	Asia	45.7
🇪🇬 Egypt	Africa	45.6
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	Africa	45.3
🇨🇻 Cape Verde	Africa	45.3
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Africa	45.0
🇸🇳 Senegal	Africa	44.9
🇧🇳 Brunei	Asia	44.8
🇨🇳 China	Asia	44.8
🇸🇬 Singapore	Asia	44.6
🇰🇼 Kuwait	Asia	44.6
🇲🇾 Malaysia	Asia	44.6
🇼🇸 Samoa	Oceania	44.5
🇲🇪 Montenegro	Europe	44.2
🇲🇦 Morocco	Africa	44.1
🇹🇳 Tunisia	Africa	44.0
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	Africa	43.9
🇹🇷 Turkey	Asia	43.8
🇴🇲 Oman	Asia	43.6
🇯🇲 Jamaica	North America	43.5
🇧🇼 Botswana	Africa	43.4
🇵🇪 Peru	South America	43.2
🇮🇷 Iran	Asia	43.2
🇲🇱 Mali	Africa	43.1
🇱🇾 Libya	Africa	43.1
🇭🇰 Hong Kong	Asia	43.1
🇸🇻 El Salvador	North America	43.0
🇩🇿 Algeria	Africa	42.9
🇭🇳 Honduras	North America	42.8
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	Africa	42.7
🇬🇾 Guyana	South America	42.6
🇧🇯 Benin	Africa	42.5
🇪🇭 Western Sahara	Africa	42.4
🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	Africa	42.3
🇿🇲 Zambia	Africa	42.3
🇿🇦 South Africa	Africa	42.2
🇲🇽 Mexico	North America	42.1
🇨🇴 Colombia	South America	42.1
🇳🇦 Namibia	Africa	42.0
🇨🇲 Cameroon	Africa	41.9
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	Asia	41.9
🇬🇦 Gabon	Africa	41.8
🇨🇷 Costa Rica	North America	41.8
🇹🇭 Thailand	Asia	41.6
🇻🇳 Vietnam	Asia	41.5
🇲🇲 Myanmar	Asia	41.5
🇭🇹 Haiti	North America	41.4
🇦🇱 Albania	Europe	41.4
🇬🇹 Guatemala	North America	41.4
🇱🇦 Laos	Asia	41.3
🇸🇿 Eswatini	Africa	41.2
🇹🇯 Tajikistan	Asia	41.0
🇧🇮 Burundi	Africa	41.0
🇹🇿 Tanzania	Africa	40.9
🇺🇬 Uganda	Africa	40.9
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	Asia	40.9
🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina	Europe	40.8
🇨🇺 Cuba	North America	40.8
🇰🇵 North Korea	Asia	40.8
🇵🇾 Paraguay	South America	40.7
🇳🇵 Nepal	Asia	40.7
🇦🇴 Angola	Africa	40.7
🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	Africa	40.4
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	Oceania	40.4
🇧🇿 Belize	North America	40.4
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	Asia	40.4
🇵🇭 Philippines	Asia	40.3
🇻🇨 Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	North America	39.8
🇳🇪 Niger	Africa	39.8
🇸🇷 Suriname	South America	39.7
🇳🇬 Nigeria	Africa	39.6
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia	North America	39.6
🇵🇸 Palestine	Asia	39.5
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	Asia	39.5
🇧🇭 Bahrain	Asia	39.5
🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago	North America	39.4
🇺🇦 Ukraine	Europe	39.3
🇰🇪 Kenya	Africa	39.1
🇬🇳 Guinea	Africa	39.1
🇹🇼 Taiwan	Asia	39.1
🇲🇷 Mauritania	Africa	38.8
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	North America	38.7
🇷🇴 Romania	Europe	38.6
🇪🇷 Eritrea	Africa	38.4
🇷🇸 Serbia	Europe	38.4
🇻🇪 Venezuela	South America	38.3
🇲🇺 Mauritius	Africa	38.3
🇧🇬 Bulgaria	Europe	38.2
🇷🇺 Russia	Europe	38.2
🇸🇸 South Sudan	Africa	38.2
🇨🇫 Central African Republic	Africa	38.1
🇦🇲 Armenia	Asia	38.0
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico	North America	38.0
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	Asia	38.0
🇪🇨 Ecuador	South America	37.9
🇧🇴 Bolivia	South America	37.8
🇬🇷 Greece	Europe	37.8
🇬🇲 Gambia	Africa	37.8
🇮🇩 Indonesia	Asia	37.7
🇲🇰 North Macedonia	Europe	37.5
🇰🇲 Comoros	Africa	37.4
🇹🇬 Togo	Africa	37.4
🇧🇷 Brazil	South America	37.3
🇬🇪 Georgia	Asia	37.1
🇲🇩 Moldova	Europe	37.0
🇬🇺 Guam	Oceania	36.9
🇧🇸 Bahamas	North America	36.9
🇨🇱 Chile	South America	36.9
🇰🇷 South Korea	Asia	36.8
🇵🇱 Poland	Europe	36.7
🇵🇦 Panama	North America	36.2
🇧🇧 Barbados	North America	36.1
🇳🇮 Nicaragua	North America	36.1
🇺🇸 U.S.	North America	36.1
🇧🇾 Belarus	Europe	36.1
🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands	North America	35.9
🇫🇯 Fiji	Oceania	35.7
🇳🇨 New Caledonia	Oceania	35.6
🇦🇫 Afghanistan	Asia	35.6
🇨🇩 DR Congo	Africa	35.4
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	Oceania	35.3
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	Asia	35.2
🇭🇺 Hungary	Europe	35.1
🇮🇱 Israel	Asia	35.0
🇵🇫 French Polynesia	Oceania	35.0
🇱🇻 Latvia	Europe	35.0
🇱🇹 Lithuania	Europe	34.9
🇨🇭 Switzerland	Europe	34.9
🇺🇾 Uruguay	South America	34.7
🇦🇷 Argentina	South America	34.7
🇲🇬 Madagascar	Africa	34.6
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	Asia	34.4
🇭🇷 Croatia	Europe	34.3
🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	Asia	34.2
🇨🇾 Cyprus	Asia	34.2
🇮🇹 Italy	Europe	33.9
🇸🇰 Slovakia	Europe	33.9
🇳🇿 New Zealand	Oceania	33.7
🇸🇮 Slovenia	Europe	33.7
🇲🇹 Malta	Europe	32.9
🇮🇸 Iceland	Europe	32.7
🇵🇹 Portugal	Europe	32.5
🇱🇺 Luxembourg	Europe	32.4
🇨🇦 Canada	North America	32.3
🇬🇭 Ghana	Africa	31.8
🇧🇪 Belgium	Europe	31.8
🇦🇺 Australia	Oceania	31.8
🇪🇸 Spain	Europe	31.6
🇸🇾 Syria	Asia	31.2
🇪🇪 Estonia	Europe	31.1
🇯🇵 Japan	Asia	31.0
🇬🇧 UK	Europe	31.0
🇫🇷 France	Europe	30.8
🇪🇹 Ethiopia	Africa	30.8
🇹🇴 Tonga	Oceania	30.7
🇲🇼 Malawi	Africa	30.7
🇮🇪 Ireland	Europe	30.7
🇹🇩 Chad	Africa	30.5
🇷🇼 Rwanda	Africa	30.5
🇮🇶 Iraq	Asia	30.4
🇩🇯 Djibouti	Africa	30.2
🇸🇴 Somalia	Africa	30.1
🇩🇪 Germany	Europe	29.6
🇸🇪 Sweden	Europe	29.3
🇲🇿 Mozambique	Africa	29.0
🇻🇺 Vanuatu	Oceania	29.0
🇫🇮 Finland	Europe	28.8
🇩🇰 Denmark	Europe	28.8
🇦🇹 Austria	Europe	28.4
🇳🇴 Norway	Europe	27.1
🇳🇱 Netherlands	Europe	26.8
🇾🇪 Yemen	Asia	25.9

Europe’s Short Workweeks Reflect Developed Economies

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Western and Northern Europe maintain some of the shortest working weeks on record. The Netherlands (26.8 hours), Norway (27.1 hours), and Denmark (28.8 hours) all fall below 30 hours weekly.

These countries benefit from strong productivity, high automation, and generous labor protections. Shorter average hours are often paired with higher living standards and better work-life balance.

The United States Sits Mid-Pack

The United States averages around 36.1 hours per week, below the global mean but above other major developed nations such as Canada (32.3 hours), the UK (31.0 hours), and France (30.8 hours).

In contrast, emerging markets—particularly in Africa—show some of the highest workweeks, such as Sudan (50.8 hours) and Lesotho (50.2 hours), where economic necessity drives longer working days.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Where’s the World Heading in 2026? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.