EU countries by average weekly hours worked
Greece had the highest average weekly hours worked of 27 EU countries in 2021, at 40 hours per week. The Netherlands had the lowest, at 30.4 hours per week. The median was 37.1 hours per week. Source: International Labour Organization.
All EU countries, 2021
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2021 | Change on 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece | 40 | -0.1% |
| 2 | Romania | 39.8 | +3.3% |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 39.6 | +0.5% |
| 4 | Poland | 39.5 | +2.9% |
| 5 | Slovenia | 38.4 | -0.8% |
| 6 | Lithuania | 38.1 | +1.3% |
| 7 | Czechia | 38 | +0.9% |
| 8 | Hungary | 38 | +0.2% |
| 9 | Croatia | 37.9 | -0.4% |
| 10 | Slovakia Series break | 37.9 | -0.8% |
| 11 | Latvia | 37.8 | -0.4% |
| 12 | Portugal | 37.6 | +1.8% |
| 13 | Cyprus | 37.2 | -0.8% |
| 14 | Malta | 37.1 | -1.9% |
| 15 | Estonia | 36.4 | -0.5% |
| 16 | Spain | 36.1 | -0.4% |
| 17 | Italy | 35.9 | +0.6% |
| 18 | France | 35.7 | -0% |
| 19 | Belgium | 35.6 | -0.1% |
| 20 | Luxembourg | 35.5 | -3% |
| 21 | Ireland | 35.5 | -1.6% |
| 22 | Sweden | 34.6 | +1.2% |
| 23 | Finland | 34.3 | -2.4% |
| 24 | Germany | 34 | +0.4% |
| 25 | Denmark | 33.9 | +0.8% |
| 26 | Austria | 33.3 | -3.4% |
| 27 | Netherlands | 30.4 | -2% |
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 EU countries are compared on one definition. 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.Use this data in your AI agent
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Rank EU countries by average weekly hours worked using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"weekly_hours_worked","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=weekly_hours_worked&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10Questions
Which EU country has the highest average weekly hours worked?
Greece, with 40 hours per week in 2021, according to International Labour Organization.
Which EU country has the lowest average weekly hours worked?
The Netherlands, with 30.4 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.
Average weekly hours worked: other rankings
EU countries: more rankings
- Adult participation in education and training, ages 25 to 64
- Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29
- Employment-population ratio, ages 15 and over
- Youth unemployment rate (under 25)
- Primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade)
- Household disposable income per inhabitant in PPS
- Monthly minimum wage
- Household spending on furnishings and household equipment per inhabitant (EUR)