10 countries with the longest and shortest work weeks

While some countries are known for their long working hours and workaholic employees, there are some others that prefer to prioritise work-life balance and people’s happiness over anything else.

So, here we list down the top five countries with the longest and the shortest working hours in the world as per a report by the World Population Review.

This not only gives a glimpse of their work culture but also shows how different societies navigate the pressures of modern life.

Read on to know more.

As per World Population Review, Bhutan tops the chart with the longest average work week of 54.3 hours! However, despite the long working hours in Bhutan, the country is also topping the chart of the ‘World’s Happiest Countries’, which makes one wonder what is their secret to work-life balance?

The second country to have the longest average work week in the world is the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as per the World Population Review’s report. UAE’s average working hours per week is 52 hours.

Lesotho, a country in Southern Africa, has a population of 23.1 lakhs (as of 2022) and its gross domestic product (GDP) is 223.65 crores USD (2022), according to the World Bank. Lesotho stands at number three in the world for the longest work week, with average working hours per week being 49.5 hours.

At number four for the longest work week, we have Qatar. The country has a population of 2.7 million (2022), as per World Bank data. Its average work week is 48.2 hours long.

The fifth country in the world with the longest work week is Liberia with an average work week being 48 hours. Liberia is a country on the West African coast, and its population is approximately 5.3 million (2022), as per World Bank data.

Meanwhile, Syria stands at number one when it comes to countries with the shortest work week. Its average work week is 25.3 hours, as per World Population Review. However, one needs to keep in mind the geo-political tensions in the region which adds to Syria’s low productivity and short work week. The Syrian civil war is an ongoing for a long time in the country which has affected its overall economy.

The second country in the world to have the shortest work week is Yemen. Its average work week is 25.4 hours, as per World Population Review’s report. For the unversed, Yemen too has growing geo-political issues which leads to its low economy and short work weeks. More recently, Israel struck Yemen for the first time after the deadly Houthi drone attack.

The Netherlands stands at number three when it comes to the list of the countries with the shortest work week. The average work week in the Netherlands is 26.7 hours, as per World Population Review’s report. The reason: While the Netherlands has no official rules, its culture is such that people in this country prefer to work for only four days per week. As per reports, the standard working hours in the Netherlands are 9 AM to 5 or 6 PM from Monday to Friday. Employers cannot make people work for more than 12 hours a day or 60 hours per week there, as per laws.

Norway stands at number four as the country with the shortest work week in the world. Their average work week is 27.1 hours long. ‘Norway is trialling a 4 day work week in 2024 alongside other European countries as part of 4 Day Week Global’s 4 day work week trials,’ reads a statement on 4dayweek.com.

At number five, we have Vanuatu with an average work week of 27.6 hours. For the unversed, Vanuatu is a country in Oceania with a population of 327,000 (2022), as per World Bank data. The four areas of its economy are mainly: agriculture, tourism, offshore financial services, and raising cattle, as per Wikipedia.