Data / Rankings / Average weekly hours worked / Countries

Countries by average weekly hours worked

Bhutan had the highest average weekly hours worked of 96 countries in 2021, at 50.7 hours per week. Rwanda had the lowest, at 29.4 hours per week. The median was 39.2 hours per week. Source: International Labour Organization.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest50.7Bhutan
Lowest29.4Rwanda
Median39.296 countries

Map of countries, 2021

Afghanistan: 39.6 hours per weekAlbania: 41.4 hours per weekAngola: 42.6 hours per weekAustria: 33.3 hours per weekBosnia and Herzegovina: 42.2 hours per weekBelgium: 35.6 hours per weekBulgaria: 39.6 hours per weekBrunei: 46.3 hours per weekBolivia: 38.5 hours per weekBrazil: 38.7 hours per weekBhutan: 50.7 hours per weekBotswana: 45.7 hours per weekBelarus: 39.1 hours per weekCanada: 35.4 hours per weekSwitzerland: 35.3 hours per weekChile: 40.2 hours per weekColombia: 43.1 hours per weekCosta Rica: 41.3 hours per weekCyprus: 37.2 hours per weekCzechia: 38 hours per weekGermany: 34 hours per weekDenmark: 33.9 hours per weekDominican Republic: 39.7 hours per weekEcuador: 34.4 hours per weekEstonia: 36.4 hours per weekEgypt: 43 hours per weekSpain: 36.1 hours per weekEthiopia: 31.9 hours per weekFinland: 34.3 hours per weekFrance: 35.7 hours per weekUnited Kingdom: 35.6 hours per weekGeorgia: 40.4 hours per weekGreece: 40 hours per weekGuyana: 44.3 hours per weekHonduras: 42.9 hours per weekCroatia: 37.9 hours per weekHungary: 38 hours per weekIndonesia: 37.5 hours per weekIreland: 35.5 hours per weekIsrael: 38.9 hours per weekIndia: 47.7 hours per weekIraq: 31.7 hours per weekIran: 45.4 hours per weekIceland: 35.6 hours per weekItaly: 35.9 hours per weekJamaica: 42.7 hours per weekJordan: 47 hours per weekKenya: 39.1 hours per weekKyrgyzstan: 38.6 hours per weekCambodia: 40.4 hours per weekSouth Korea: 39.2 hours per weekSri Lanka: 42 hours per weekLithuania: 38.1 hours per weekLuxembourg: 35.5 hours per weekLatvia: 37.8 hours per weekMoldova: 39.4 hours per weekMontenegro: 43.3 hours per weekNorth Macedonia: 39.9 hours per weekMongolia: 47.7 hours per weekMauritius: 40 hours per weekMexico: 42.4 hours per weekNetherlands: 30.4 hours per weekNorway: 32.8 hours per weekPanama: 34.1 hours per weekPeru: 38.1 hours per weekPhilippines: 39.6 hours per weekPakistan: 46.9 hours per weekPoland: 39.5 hours per weekPalestine: 41.7 hours per weekPortugal: 37.6 hours per weekParaguay: 40.6 hours per weekRomania: 39.8 hours per weekSerbia: 42 hours per weekRussia: 39.2 hours per weekRwanda: 29.4 hours per weekSweden: 34.6 hours per weekSlovenia: 38.4 hours per weekSlovakia: 37.9 hours per weekEl Salvador: 43.4 hours per weekEswatini: 42.7 hours per weekThailand: 41.4 hours per weekTimor-Leste: 34.9 hours per weekTunisia: 43.3 hours per weekTürkiye: 43.5 hours per weekUganda: 44.4 hours per weekUnited States: 38.1 hours per weekUruguay: 36.4 hours per weekVietnam: 41.4 hours per weekSouth Africa: 42.4 hours per weekZambia: 42.6 hours per weekZimbabwe: 41.3 hours per week
  • Under 35
  • 35 to 38
  • 38 to 39
  • 39 to 41
  • 41 to 43
  • 43 and over
  • No data
hours per week, 2021. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: ILOSTAT, Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

Top 40 countries, 2021

Bhutan: 50.7 hours per weekBhutan50.7Mongolia: 47.7 hours per weekMongolia47.7India: 47.7 hours per weekIndia47.7Jordan: 47 hours per weekJordan47Pakistan: 46.9 hours per weekPakistan46.9Brunei: 46.3 hours per weekBrunei46.3Botswana: 45.7 hours per weekBotswana45.7Iran: 45.4 hours per weekIran45.4Uganda: 44.4 hours per weekUganda44.4Guyana: 44.3 hours per weekGuyana44.3Türkiye: 43.5 hours per weekTürkiye43.5El Salvador: 43.4 hours per weekEl Salvador43.4Montenegro: 43.3 hours per weekMontenegro43.3Tunisia: 43.3 hours per weekTunisia43.3Colombia: 43.1 hours per weekColombia43.1Egypt: 43 hours per weekEgypt43Honduras: 42.9 hours per weekHonduras42.9Jamaica: 42.7 hours per weekJamaica42.7Eswatini: 42.7 hours per weekEswatini42.7Zambia: 42.6 hours per weekZambia42.6Angola: 42.6 hours per weekAngola42.6Mexico: 42.4 hours per weekMexico42.4South Africa: 42.4 hours per weekSouth Africa42.4Bosnia and Herzegovina: 42.2 hours per weekBosnia and Herzegovina42.2Sri Lanka: 42 hours per weekSri Lanka42Serbia: 42 hours per weekSerbia42Palestine: 41.7 hours per weekPalestine41.7Vietnam: 41.4 hours per weekVietnam41.4Thailand: 41.4 hours per weekThailand41.4Albania: 41.4 hours per weekAlbania41.4Costa Rica: 41.3 hours per weekCosta Rica41.3Zimbabwe: 41.3 hours per weekZimbabwe41.3Grenada: 41 hours per weekGrenada41Paraguay: 40.6 hours per weekParaguay40.6Georgia: 40.4 hours per weekGeorgia40.4Cambodia: 40.4 hours per weekCambodia40.4Chile: 40.2 hours per weekChile40.2Greece: 40 hours per weekGreece40Mauritius: 40 hours per weekMauritius40North Macedonia: 39.9 hours per weekNorth Macedonia39.9Bhutan: 50.7 hours per weekBhutan50.7Mongolia: 47.7 hours per weekMongolia47.7India: 47.7 hours per weekIndia47.7Jordan: 47 hours per weekJordan47Pakistan: 46.9 hours per weekPakistan46.9Brunei: 46.3 hours per weekBrunei46.3Botswana: 45.7 hours per weekBotswana45.7Iran: 45.4 hours per weekIran45.4Uganda: 44.4 hours per weekUganda44.4Guyana: 44.3 hours per weekGuyana44.3Türkiye: 43.5 hours per weekTürkiye43.5El Salvador: 43.4 hours per weekEl Salvador43.4Montenegro: 43.3 hours per weekMontenegro43.3Tunisia: 43.3 hours per weekTunisia43.3Colombia: 43.1 hours per weekColombia43.1Egypt: 43 hours per weekEgypt43Honduras: 42.9 hours per weekHonduras42.9Jamaica: 42.7 hours per weekJamaica42.7Eswatini: 42.7 hours per weekEswatini42.7Zambia: 42.6 hours per weekZambia42.6Angola: 42.6 hours per weekAngola42.6Mexico: 42.4 hours per weekMexico42.4South Africa: 42.4 hours per weekSouth Africa42.4Bosnia and Herzegovina: 42.2 hours per weekBosnia and Herzegovina42.2Sri Lanka: 42 hours per weekSri Lanka42Serbia: 42 hours per weekSerbia42Palestine: 41.7 hours per weekPalestine41.7Vietnam: 41.4 hours per weekVietnam41.4Thailand: 41.4 hours per weekThailand41.4Albania: 41.4 hours per weekAlbania41.4Costa Rica: 41.3 hours per weekCosta Rica41.3Zimbabwe: 41.3 hours per weekZimbabwe41.3Grenada: 41 hours per weekGrenada41Paraguay: 40.6 hours per weekParaguay40.6Georgia: 40.4 hours per weekGeorgia40.4Cambodia: 40.4 hours per weekCambodia40.4Chile: 40.2 hours per weekChile40.2Greece: 40 hours per weekGreece40Mauritius: 40 hours per weekMauritius40North Macedonia: 39.9 hours per weekNorth Macedonia39.9
hours per week. Source: ILOSTAT, Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCountries2021
hours per week		Change on 2020
1Bhutan50.7+3.9%
2Mongolia47.7-3.8%
3India47.7-1.9%
4Jordan47-2.5%
5Pakistan46.9n/a
6Brunei46.3+4.1%
7Botswana45.7+2.6%
8Iran45.4+2.3%
9Uganda44.4n/a
10Guyana44.3-2.2%
11Türkiye43.5+2.2%
12El Salvador43.4+1.7%
13Montenegro43.3+1.5%
14Tunisia43.3n/a
15Colombia43.1+3.5%
16Egypt43+3.5%
17Honduras42.9+6.6%
18Jamaica42.7-0.5%
19Eswatini42.7n/a
20Zambia42.6+0.2%
21Angola42.6+3.9%
22Mexico42.4+1.5%
23South Africa42.4+0.2%
24Bosnia and Herzegovina Series break42.2+5.3%
25Sri Lanka42-0.9%
26Serbia42+1.9%
27Palestine41.7+1.9%
28Vietnam41.4+1.5%
29Thailand41.4-0.1%
30Albania41.4+1.1%
31Costa Rica41.3+5.8%
32Zimbabwe41.3n/a
33Grenada41+2.4%
34Paraguay40.6+2.1%
35Georgia40.4-0.2%
36Cambodia40.4-6.2%
37Chile40.2+0.3%
38Greece40-0.1%
39Mauritius40n/a
40North Macedonia39.9+2.5%
41Romania39.8+3.3%
42Dominican Republic39.7+2.6%
43Philippines Series break39.6+0.7%
44Afghanistan39.6-3.6%
44Bulgaria39.6+0.5%
46Poland39.5+2.9%
47Moldova39.4+1.6%
48South Korea39.2-1.7%
49Russia39.2+0.7%
50Saint Lucia39.2+0.5%
51Belarus39.1+0.1%
52Kenya39.1n/a
53Israel38.9-1.2%
54Brazil38.7+2.7%
55Kyrgyzstan38.6+0.2%
56Bolivia Series break38.5n/a
57Slovenia38.4-0.8%
58Lithuania38.1+1.3%
59Peru38.1+4.5%
60United States38.1+1%
61Czechia38+0.9%
62Hungary38+0.2%
63Croatia37.9-0.4%
64Slovakia Series break37.9-0.8%
65Latvia37.8-0.4%
66Comoros37.8n/a
67Portugal37.6+1.8%
68Indonesia Series break37.5-1.6%
69Cyprus37.2-0.8%
70Malta37.1-1.9%
71Estonia36.4-0.5%
72Uruguay Series break36.4+2.9%
73Spain36.1-0.4%
74Italy35.9+0.6%
75France35.7-0%
76United Kingdom35.6+1.2%
77Belgium35.6-0.1%
78Iceland35.6-3.9%
79Luxembourg35.5-3%
80Ireland35.5-1.6%
81Canada35.4+0.6%
82Switzerland35.3+0.6%
83Timor-Leste34.9n/a
84Sweden34.6+1.2%
85Ecuador34.4n/a
86Finland34.3-2.4%
87Tonga34.2n/a
88Panama Series break34.1+9.5%
89Germany34+0.4%
90Denmark33.9+0.8%
91Austria33.3-3.4%
92Norway32.8-1.5%
93Ethiopia31.9n/a
94Iraq31.7n/a
95Netherlands30.4-2%
96Rwanda29.4-7.1%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of hours actually worked per week in the main job by employed people, full-time and part-time together, from labour force and household surveys compiled by the ILO (13th ICLS definitions). Hours actually worked include overtime and exclude paid leave.

Main job only, so people with second jobs work more than shown. Countries with many part-time workers show lower averages. The ILO's modelled estimates are not served. The ILO recalculates national survey data to its international definitions, so values can differ from the figures national offices publish, and it revises past years.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. 61 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2021 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT. Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB). https://data.ilo.org/vis?df%5Bds%5D=ds-production&df%5Bid%5D=DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB&df%5Bag%5D=ILO (Accessed on 2026-10-12). Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

International Labour Organization. (2026). Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB) (Countries by average weekly hours worked, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.ilo.org/vis?df%5Bds%5D=ds-production&df%5Bid%5D=DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB&df%5Bag%5D=ILO

MLA 9

Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB), Countries by average weekly hours worked, 2021. International Labour Organization, 11 Oct. 2026, https://data.ilo.org/vis?df%5Bds%5D=ds-production&df%5Bid%5D=DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB&df%5Bag%5D=ILO. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-hours-worked/countries?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

International Labour Organization. 2026. Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB). Countries by average weekly hours worked, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.ilo.org/vis?df%5Bds%5D=ds-production&df%5Bid%5D=DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB&df%5Bag%5D=ILO. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-hours-worked/countries?period=2021.

Harvard

International Labour Organization (2026) Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB), Countries by average weekly hours worked, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.ilo.org/vis?df%5Bds%5D=ds-production&df%5Bid%5D=DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB&df%5Bag%5D=ILO, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-hours-worked/countries?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{international_countries_by_average_weekly_2021,
  author = {{International Labour Organization}},
  title = {{Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF\_HOW\_TEMP\_SEX\_NB): Countries by average weekly hours worked, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.ilo.org/vis?df%5Bds%5D=ds-production&df%5Bid%5D=DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB&df%5Bag%5D=ILO},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-hours-worked/countries?period=2021. Publisher attribution: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT. Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF\_HOW\_TEMP\_SEX\_NB). https://data.ilo.org/vis?df\%5Bds\%5D=ds-production\&df\%5Bid\%5D=DF\_HOW\_TEMP\_SEX\_NB\&df\%5Bag\%5D=ILO (Accessed on 2026-10-12). Licensed under CC BY 4.0.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - International Labour Organization
TI  - Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB): Countries by average weekly hours worked, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/11
PB  - International Labour Organization
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.ilo.org/vis?df%5Bds%5D=ds-production&df%5Bid%5D=DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB&df%5Bag%5D=ILO
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-hours-worked/countries?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-hours-worked/countries?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT. Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB). https://data.ilo.org/vis?df%5Bds%5D=ds-production&df%5Bid%5D=DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB&df%5Bag%5D=ILO (Accessed on 2026-10-12). Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
ER  -
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Questions

Which country has the highest average weekly hours worked?

Bhutan, with 50.7 hours per week in 2021, according to International Labour Organization.

Which country has the lowest average weekly hours worked?

Rwanda, with 29.4 hours per week in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: International Labour Organization, Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person by sex, total, annual (DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_NB). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 61 countries have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

Average weekly hours worked: other rankings

Countries: more rankings