How working time differs across countries
Working hours still vary widely across advanced economies, even when measured using the same OECD definition. In 2022, the gap between countries at the top and bottom of the ranking is large enough to reflect very different work cultures and labor structures.
At the high end, workers are putting in close to 1900 hours per year. At the low end, some countries are closer to 1300. That difference is not marginal. It represents hundreds of hours annually, or the equivalent of several extra working weeks.
The median across the dataset sits at 1619 / hours, which gives a useful reference point. Many countries cluster around this level, but the extremes pull far apart.
Top cases
South Korea leads the chart at 1901 / hours, followed closely by Israel at 1891 / hours and Greece at 1886 / hours. These are the longest working populations among advanced economies in this dataset.
The United States also ranks near the top at 1810 / hours, placing it well above the median. Countries like Estonia and the Czech Republic follow, all above 1700 hours.
These figures show a clear pattern. In the highest-ranked countries, workers are spending significantly more time on the job each year. This is not a small difference. Moving from around 1600 to 1800 hours adds the equivalent of several extra weeks of work annually.
Lower end of the chart
At the bottom, Germany records 1340 / hours, the lowest in the group. Denmark at 1371 / hours and Norway at 1424 / hours also sit well below the median.
Other countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, and Austria cluster in the low 1400s. These are among the shortest working schedules in advanced economies.
The gap between the top and bottom is 561 / hours. That is roughly 14 full-time work weeks. This highlights how differently labor time is structured across countries.
The middle of the ranking
Most countries fall between 1500 and 1700 hours per year. This includes economies like Canada at 1686 / hours, the United Kingdom at 1531 / hours, and France at 1511 / hours.
This middle range is more tightly grouped compared to the extremes. Differences exist, but they are narrower. The real separation happens when comparing this middle band to the top tier above 1800 hours or the bottom tier near 1400.
This clustering around the median shows that while working hours vary, many advanced economies operate within a relatively similar range.
Interpretation
Longer working hours often reflect a combination of labor market structure, productivity levels, and cultural expectations around work. In some countries, longer hours are tied to lower hourly productivity, requiring more time to achieve similar output.
In others, institutional factors matter. These include labor regulations, union influence, paid leave policies, and norms around overtime. Countries with shorter hours often have stronger protections for time off and more emphasis on work-life balance.
The data does not imply that longer hours lead to better outcomes. In many cases, the opposite can be true. Higher productivity economies often achieve more output with fewer hours worked.
What this means for people
For workers, this chart is a reminder that total working time depends heavily on where you are. A full-time job does not look the same across countries.
For remote workers, this raises an important consideration. If your role is flexible, location can influence not just pay, but also expectations around time and workload.
This is what makes the ranking relevant. It highlights that work is not only about income. It is also about how much time is required to earn it.
Dataset
Data Sources
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2025). Average annual hours actually worked per worker (indicator).
https://data.oecd.org/emp/hours-worked.htm
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2025). OECD Data Explorer: Average annual hours worked per worker (dataset, 2022 values).
https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df%5Bid%5D=DSD_HW%40DF_AVG_ANN_HRS_WKD&lc=en
International Monetary Fund (IMF). (2025). World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 Edition (Advanced Economies classification).
https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/April
