Which countries are most overworked?

Countries consistently cited as most overworked, based on long hours and high stress, often include Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Greece, Israel, South Korea, Canada, and the United States, though specific rankings vary by report, with some focusing on total hours (like Bhutan for sheer hours) and others on work-life balance issues (like North America's high regional score). Asia also features prominently, with nations like India, Malaysia, China, and Singapore often appearing due to intense work cultures and high hours.

Which countries are the most overworked?

Here are the top 10 most overworked countries in 2025:

• Mexico (64.4) ...
• Greece (59.4) ...
• Canada (57.5) ...
• Malta (54.3) ...
• United States (52.5) ...
• Belgium (52.0) ...
• France (49.7) ...
• Portugal (46.8)

Which country is the most workaholic?

The following list is the average annual hours worked by participants in the labor force of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) member states. As of 2022, Colombia, Mexico, and Costa Rica ranked the highest number of hours worked per year.

Which country's people are most hard working?

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.

What are the top 10 countries with the worst work-life balance?

The 2024 Index found that:

The 10 worst countries for working people are: Bangladesh, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Guatemala, Myanmar, the Philippines, Tunisia and Türkiye.

Top 10 Most Overworked Countries. Dying from overwork is real.

What is the #1 happiest profession?

There's no single #1 happiest job, as it varies, but consistently high-ranking roles include Real Estate Agents, Firefighters, Clergy, and Surgeons, often combining good pay with meaningful impact, autonomy, or strong work-life balance. Construction and Agriculture/Forestry also rank high for overall industry happiness due to factors like time outdoors and rising wages, while tech roles (like Cybersecurity Experts) offer satisfaction through impact, security, and pay. 

Is the US the hardest working country?

Americans tend to work more and longer days than many of their western European counterparts, yet the U.S. only ranks ninth among the world's hardest-working countries. Mexico is the hardest-working country on the planet, with the average person working 2207 hours or 276 days per year.

What is the top 10 unhappiest country in the world?

The "most miserable" countries vary slightly by report, but recent lists (late 2024/early 2025) often highlight nations facing severe economic hardship, political instability, and conflict, with top contenders including Sudan, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Yemen, Argentina, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Malawi, frequently appearing due to hyperinflation, poverty, food insecurity, and ongoing crises. These rankings use indices like the Hanke Annual Misery Index (HAMI) or World Happiness Report data, focusing on factors like inflation, unemployment, GDP, and life evaluation scores. 

What ethnicity works the hardest?

Among the race and ethnicity groups, the percentage of the population either employed or unemployed—the labor force participation rate—was highest for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (66.9 percent in 2021), Hispanics (65.5 percent), and people who are of Two or More Races (65.4 percent).

What is the #1 best job in the world?

The 10 best jobs in the world (Updated for 2025)

1. Anaesthetist. What is an anaesthetist? ...
2. Airline pilot. What does an airline pilot do? ...
3. Surgeon. What does a surgeon do? ...
4. Chief executive. What is a chief executive? ...
5. Lawyer. What does a lawyer do? ...
6. Architect. What does an architect do? ...
7. Video game tester. ...
8. Entrepreneur.

What is the most overworked city in the world?

Survey says that Dubai is the most overworked city in the world - in pictures

• Dubai has topped a list of cities where a significant portion of the population works more than 48 hours a week. ...
• Hong Kong came in second. ...
• Kuala Lumpur ranked third when it came to being overworked.

Which country is no 1 in quality of life?

• Denmark. #1 in Quality of Life. #10 in Best Countries Overall. ...
• Sweden. #2 in Quality of Life. #6 in Best Countries Overall. ...
• Switzerland. #3 in Quality of Life. ...
• Norway. #4 in Quality of Life. ...
• Canada. #5 in Quality of Life. ...
• Finland. #6 in Quality of Life. ...
• Germany. #7 in Quality of Life. ...
• Australia. #8 in Quality of Life.

What country has the happiest employees?

Top five countries with the happiest workers

• Finland. 7.93/10. Happy worker score. Finland is the country with the happiest workers as they achieved an overall score of 7.93. ...
• Iceland. 7.78/10. Happy worker score. ...
• Norway. 7.75/10. Happy worker score. ...
• Sweden. 7.49/10. Happy worker score. ...
• Denmark. 7.49/10. Happy worker score.

Which country has the best work-life balance?

The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Finland follow Norway as countries with the best work-life balance in the world. According to the World Happiness Report 2024, these countries are also the happiest, with Finland leading for the last 7 years.

Do Americans work more than any other country?

Key Takeaways. American workers log an average of 1,796 hours annually—465 more hours than Germans and 389 more than Norwegians. The U.S. is the only advanced economy with zero mandated paid vacation—and 23% of American workers get none at all.

How many hours a week does the average Mexican work?

In Mexico, the standard workweek comprises 48 hours, typically distributed across six days, from Monday to Saturday. This is more aligned with regional practices than with those in Europe or other countries in North America.

What is the most unhealthy ethnicity?

Hispanic, Black, and AIAN people fare worse than White people across the majority of examined measures of health and health care and social determinants of health (Figure 1). Black people fare better than White people for some cancer screening and incidence measures, although they have higher rates of cancer mortality.

Who works the hardest in the United States?

THE TOUGHEST JOBS IN AMERICA

• Firefighter — 48%
• Construction worker — 44%
• Military — 38%
• Doctor — 38%
• Police officer — 37%
• EMT or paramedic — 35%
• Astronaut — 32%
• Farmer — 29%

What race is the toughest?

THE HARDEST RACES IN THE WORLD

• IDITAROD TRAIL INVITATIONAL. The Iditarod Trail Invitational has a reputation for being the “world's longest-running winter ultra-marathon”. ...
• MARATHON DES SABLES. ...
• TENZING HILLARY EVEREST MARATHON. ...
• BADWATER 135. ...
• JUNGLE MARATHON.

What is America's unhappiest state?

According to recent analyses, particularly WalletHub studies, Louisiana and West Virginia are consistently ranked as the unhappiest states in the U.S., often trading the bottom spot, with Louisiana frequently cited as the least happy due to factors like high work hours, poor sleep, and a high divorce rate, while West Virginia faces high adult depression and low adequate sleep. Other states like Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama also appear in the bottom tier of happiness rankings.
 

What country is #1 in happiness?

Finland is consistently ranked as the happiest country in the world, holding the top spot for multiple consecutive years in the annual World Happiness Report. Nordic nations like Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden often follow closely behind, with Finland praised for its strong sense of social support, trust, freedom, and work-life balance, as highlighted in reports from 2024 and 2025.
 

Which country is not happy?

Among 146 countries ranked by the report, Afghanistan scores the lowest point of 2.523 and was ranked as the least 'happy' country in the world in 2022.

What's the toughest job in America?

A study recently revealed that firefighters have the toughest job, followed by construction workers and then the military.

Which country is no 1 for salary?

Switzerland tops the list of countries with the highest monthly salaries in 2025, offering an impressive average of USD 8,247. Luxembourg follows in second place with USD 6,764, driven by its strong financial sector and high standard of living.

Who works more, Americans or Japanese?

In 2019, the average Japanese employee worked 1,644 hours, lower than workers in Spain, Canada, and Italy. By comparison, the average American worker worked 1,779 hours in 2019. In 2021 the average annual work-hours dropped to 1633.2, slightly higher than 2020's 1621.2.