Countries by Average Weekly Work Hours
Complete ranking of 179 countries • hours/week • Data refreshed May 28, 2026
Leader
Bhutan
Field size
179 countries
Lowest rank
Vanuatu
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About Average Weekly Work Hours Rankings
Bhutan leads all 179 countries in Average Weekly Work Hours with a value of 54.42 hrs/week, while Vanuatu ranks last at 24.7 hrs/week. This represents a 2-fold difference between the highest and lowest values.
What Average Weekly Work Hours Measures
Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person, from ILOSTAT.
Why This Ranking Matters
Examining Average Weekly Work Hours across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.
Global Range
Values range from 24.7 hrs/week (Vanuatu) to 54.42 hrs/week (Bhutan) — a 2-fold difference across 179 countries.
Regional Patterns
Asian countries dominate this ranking, holding 12 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.
Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 36.32 hrs/week to 42.74 hrs/week. The overall spread from 24.7 hrs/week to 54.42 hrs/week reflects significant global variation.
Notable Outliers
The top of the ranking is competitive: Bhutan and United Arab Emirates are separated by only 7%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data.
Continental Leaders
Highest Average Weekly Work Hours
The 5 strongest Average Weekly Work Hours reads.
Lowest Average Weekly Work Hours
The 5 lowest Average Weekly Work Hours reads.
Data Note
Rankings are based on the latest available data from ILOSTAT, covering 179 of 249 countries and territories. Countries without data for this metric are excluded from the ranking. All values represent the most recently reported figures.
