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Bhutan Is The Hardest-Working Nation On Earth

Tyler Durden's Photo
by Tyler Durden
Authored...

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, ranks over 150 countries by the typical number of hours worked per week in 2025.

While global labor averages hover around 38.7 hours per week, the gap between the hardest- and lightest-working nations stretches nearly 30 hours.

The data for this visualization comes from the World Population Review. It compiles national estimates of average weekly working hours across formal and informal labor sectors.

Bhutan Leads the World in Working Hours

In 2025, Bhutan stands out as the world’s hardest-working nation, with employees clocking an average of 54.5 hours per week. Many South and Southeast Asian economies also appear near the top, including the UAE (48.4 hours), Pakistan (47.5 hours), and India (45.8 hours).

Extended workweeks in these regions often reflect labor-intensive industries, fewer part-time roles, and smaller social safety nets—factors that drive longer hours for both employees and self-employed workers.

CountryRegionWeekly Hours Worked
?? BhutanAsia54.5
?? SudanAfrica50.8
?? LesothoAfrica50.2
?? Republic of the CongoAfrica48.7
?? UAEAsia48.4
?? Sao Tome & PrincipeAfrica48.2
?? JordanAsia47.8
?? LiberiaAfrica47.5
?? PakistanAsia47.5
?? QatarAsia46.8
?? LebanonAsia46.4
?? CambodiaAsia45.9
?? MaldivesAsia45.9
?? BangladeshAsia45.8
?? IndiaAsia45.8
?? MongoliaAsia45.7
?? MacauAsia45.7
?? EgyptAfrica45.6
?? Burkina FasoAfrica45.3
?? Cape VerdeAfrica45.3
?? ZimbabweAfrica45.0
?? SenegalAfrica44.9
?? BruneiAsia44.8
?? ChinaAsia44.8
?? SingaporeAsia44.6
?? KuwaitAsia44.6
?? MalaysiaAsia44.6
?? SamoaOceania44.5
?? MontenegroEurope44.2
?? MoroccoAfrica44.1
?? TunisiaAfrica44.0
?? Equatorial GuineaAfrica43.9
?? TurkeyAsia43.8
?? OmanAsia43.6
?? JamaicaNorth America43.5
?? BotswanaAfrica43.4
?? PeruSouth America43.2
?? IranAsia43.2
?? MaliAfrica43.1
?? LibyaAfrica43.1
?? Hong KongAsia43.1
?? El SalvadorNorth America43.0
?? AlgeriaAfrica42.9
?? HondurasNorth America42.8
?? Sierra LeoneAfrica42.7
?? GuyanaSouth America42.6
?? BeninAfrica42.5
?? Western SaharaAfrica42.4
?? Guinea-BissauAfrica42.3
?? ZambiaAfrica42.3
?? South AfricaAfrica42.2
?? MexicoNorth America42.1
?? ColombiaSouth America42.1
?? NamibiaAfrica42.0
?? CameroonAfrica41.9
?? TurkmenistanAsia41.9
?? GabonAfrica41.8
?? Costa RicaNorth America41.8
?? ThailandAsia41.6
?? VietnamAsia41.5
?? MyanmarAsia41.5
?? HaitiNorth America41.4
?? AlbaniaEurope41.4
?? GuatemalaNorth America41.4
?? LaosAsia41.3
?? EswatiniAfrica41.2
?? TajikistanAsia41.0
?? BurundiAfrica41.0
?? TanzaniaAfrica40.9
?? UgandaAfrica40.9
?? Saudi ArabiaAsia40.9
?? Bosnia & HerzegovinaEurope40.8
?? CubaNorth America40.8
?? North KoreaAsia40.8
?? ParaguaySouth America40.7
?? NepalAsia40.7
?? AngolaAfrica40.7
?? Ivory CoastAfrica40.4
?? Papua New GuineaOceania40.4
?? BelizeNorth America40.4
?? UzbekistanAsia40.4
?? PhilippinesAsia40.3
?? Saint Vincent & the GrenadinesNorth America39.8
?? NigerAfrica39.8
?? SurinameSouth America39.7
?? NigeriaAfrica39.6
?? Saint LuciaNorth America39.6
?? PalestineAsia39.5
?? Sri LankaAsia39.5
?? BahrainAsia39.5
?? Trinidad & TobagoNorth America39.4
?? UkraineEurope39.3
?? KenyaAfrica39.1
?? GuineaAfrica39.1
?? TaiwanAsia39.1
?? MauritaniaAfrica38.8
?? Dominican RepublicNorth America38.7
?? RomaniaEurope38.6
?? EritreaAfrica38.4
?? SerbiaEurope38.4
?? VenezuelaSouth America38.3
?? MauritiusAfrica38.3
?? BulgariaEurope38.2
?? RussiaEurope38.2
?? South SudanAfrica38.2
?? Central African RepublicAfrica38.1
?? ArmeniaAsia38.0
?? Puerto RicoNorth America38.0
?? KazakhstanAsia38.0
?? EcuadorSouth America37.9
?? BoliviaSouth America37.8
?? GreeceEurope37.8
?? GambiaAfrica37.8
?? IndonesiaAsia37.7
?? North MacedoniaEurope37.5
?? ComorosAfrica37.4
?? TogoAfrica37.4
?? BrazilSouth America37.3
?? GeorgiaAsia37.1
?? MoldovaEurope37.0
?? GuamOceania36.9
?? BahamasNorth America36.9
?? ChileSouth America36.9
?? South KoreaAsia36.8
?? PolandEurope36.7
?? PanamaNorth America36.2
?? BarbadosNorth America36.1
?? NicaraguaNorth America36.1
?? U.S.North America36.1
?? BelarusEurope36.1
?? U.S. Virgin IslandsNorth America35.9
?? FijiOceania35.7
?? New CaledoniaOceania35.6
?? AfghanistanAsia35.6
?? DR CongoAfrica35.4
?? Solomon IslandsOceania35.3
?? KyrgyzstanAsia35.2
?? HungaryEurope35.1
?? IsraelAsia35.0
?? French PolynesiaOceania35.0
?? LatviaEurope35.0
?? LithuaniaEurope34.9
?? SwitzerlandEurope34.9
?? UruguaySouth America34.7
?? ArgentinaSouth America34.7
?? MadagascarAfrica34.6
?? AzerbaijanAsia34.4
?? CroatiaEurope34.3
?? Timor-LesteAsia34.2
?? CyprusAsia34.2
?? ItalyEurope33.9
?? SlovakiaEurope33.9
?? New ZealandOceania33.7
?? SloveniaEurope33.7
?? MaltaEurope32.9
?? IcelandEurope32.7
?? PortugalEurope32.5
?? LuxembourgEurope32.4
?? CanadaNorth America32.3
?? GhanaAfrica31.8
?? BelgiumEurope31.8
?? AustraliaOceania31.8
?? SpainEurope31.6
?? SyriaAsia31.2
?? EstoniaEurope31.1
?? JapanAsia31.0
?? UKEurope31.0
?? FranceEurope30.8
?? EthiopiaAfrica30.8
?? TongaOceania30.7
?? MalawiAfrica30.7
?? IrelandEurope30.7
?? ChadAfrica30.5
?? RwandaAfrica30.5
?? IraqAsia30.4
?? DjiboutiAfrica30.2
?? SomaliaAfrica30.1
?? GermanyEurope29.6
?? SwedenEurope29.3
?? MozambiqueAfrica29.0
?? VanuatuOceania29.0
?? FinlandEurope28.8
?? DenmarkEurope28.8
?? AustriaEurope28.4
?? NorwayEurope27.1
?? NetherlandsEurope26.8
?? YemenAsia25.9

Europe’s Short Workweeks Reflect Developed Economies

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Western and Northern Europe maintain some of the shortest working weeks on record. The Netherlands (26.8 hours), Norway (27.1 hours), and Denmark (28.8 hours) all fall below 30 hours weekly.

These countries benefit from strong productivity, high automation, and generous labor protections. Shorter average hours are often paired with higher living standards and better work-life balance.

The United States Sits Mid-Pack

The United States averages around 36.1 hours per week, below the global mean but above other major developed nations such as Canada (32.3 hours), the UK (31.0 hours), and France (30.8 hours).

In contrast, emerging markets—particularly in Africa—show some of the highest workweeks, such as Sudan (50.8 hours) and Lesotho (50.2 hours), where economic necessity drives longer working days.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Where’s the World Heading in 2026? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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