The study compares more than 150 countries and reveals stark differences between developed and developing economies.
Globally, the average is 38.7 hours per week, but the gap between the countries with the longest and shortest workweeks is closer to 30 hours.
In 2025, Bhutan leads the world in working hours per week at 54.5, making this small kingdom on the southern slopes of the Himalayas the world’s “hardest working” country. Several countries in Asia, the Persian Gulf and Africa are also in the leading positions: the United Arab Emirates – 48.4 hours, Pakistan – 47.5 hours, India – 45.8 hours, Sudan – 50.8 hours and Lesotho – 50.2 hours.
Long working hours are mainly due to labor-intensive industries, low underemployment and weak social safety nets that force people to work long hours.
In contrast, developed countries in Western and Northern Europe have some of the shortest working hours: the Netherlands 26.8 hours, Norway 27.1 hours, Denmark 28.8 hours, the United Kingdom 31.0 hours, France 30.8 hours and Canada 32.3 hours.
The U.S. is below the global average, at 36.1 hours per week, but above many other developed countries.
Our neighbors are ahead of us in terms of the length of the working week. In Ukraine it lasts 39.3 hours, in Romania 38.6 hours, in Russia and Bulgaria – 38.2 hours each.
