Work, work, work. Seems like nowadays our jobs are taking more and more of our time. But that actually all depends on where you live.
The International Labour Organization has determined how many hours people work, on average, around the world.
The ILO notes that “workers should have access to a minimum desirable number of hours of work” to earn enough money to pay for what they and their families need.
Following are the countries where people work the fewest hours on average. For comparison’s sake, the United States average is 38 hours per workweek.
15. Norway
Average number of hours an employed person in this county works: 33.7 per week
Employed people in this county who work 49 or more hours per week: 6%
As of April 2024, Norway has an estimated gross domestic product of $527 billion. Its annual growth is about 1.5%. Norway’s GDP declined in 2018 and 2019, but it increased in 2020 and 2021.
Data from 2022 and 2023 compiled by Worldometer puts Norway in 24th place for the largest GDP in the world.
14. Austria
Average number of hours an employed person in this county works: 33.3 per week
Employed people in this county who work 49 or more hours per week: 7%
This landlocked European nation hasn’t had significant growth, but it hasn’t come down either. According to data from Worldometer, Austria has the 32nd-largest GDP.
Austria’s Washington Embassy says that its most important industries are food and luxury commodities, mechanical engineering, steel construction, chemicals and vehicle manufacturing.
12. Reunion (tie)
Average number of hours an employed person in this county works: 33 per week
Employed people in this county who work 49 or more hours per week: 9%
GDP data on Reunion is very limited. CountryReports puts the unemployment rate in Reunion at about 31%.
The island in the Indian Ocean east of Africa is reportedly trying to put more emphasis on tourism to curb unemployment rates, since its primary industries otherwise are agriculture (predominantly sugar cane) and services.
12. New Zealand (tie)
Average number of hours an employed person in this county works: 33 per week
Employed people in this county who work 49 or more hours per week: 15%
As of April 2024, the International Monetary Fund says New Zealand’s GDP is about $257 billion, with an annual growth rate of 1%. For comparison, the U.S. GDP’s annual growth rate is approximately 2.7% with a current GDP of over $28 trillion.
The foundation of its economy is the exportation of agricultural commodities like dairy products, meat, fruit and vegetables, forest products and wine.
11. Australia
Average number of hours an employed person in this county works: 32.3 per week
Employed people in this county who work 49 or more hours per week: 12%
The IMF reports that Australia’s GDP sits at around $1.79 trillion, with an annual growth rate of 1.5%. It’s biggest sectors, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia, are mining (14.3%) and health care and education (12.8%).
The average household wealth as a share of income is 911% and household debt as a share of income is 185%.
10. Canada
Average number of hours an employed person in this county works: 32.1 per week
Employed people in this county who work 49 or more hours per week: 9%
Canada has a 1.2% annual GDP growth rate, according to IMF, with a current GDP of approximately $2.24 trillion.
Canada’s economy is one of the largest in the world and highly dependent on trade — its biggest partners are the U.S., China and the U.K. The import and export of goods and services, specifically, comprise about a third of its GDP.
9. Ethiopia
Average number of hours an employed person in this county works: 31.9 per week
Employed people in this county who work 49 or more hours per week: 15%
Ethiopia is one of the most populous nations in Africa, after Nigeria, and has one of the fastest growing economies in the region. It’s annual GDP growth rate is approximately 6.2%, according to the IMF. Its GDP sits at about $205 billion.
However, it’s still one of the world’s poorest nations, but hopes to reach lower- to middle-income status by 2025.
8. Wallis and Futuna Islands
Average number of hours an employed person in this county works: 31.8 per week
Employed people in this county who work 49 or more hours per week: 6%
The IMF doesn’t have data available on the Wallis and Futuna Islands, but according to the Pacific Community Statistics for Development Division, the GDP per capita is $11,674.
The islands have a population of about 11,231, which is declining.
7. Iraq
Average number of hours an employed person in this county works: 31.7 per week
Employed people in this county who work 49 or more hours per week: 5%
Iraq has an annual GDP growth rate of approximately 1.4% and a GDP of about $265 billion.
Its economy is one of the most oil-dependent in the world — so much so that oil revenues account for more than 85% of the government’s budget, 99% of exports and 42% of its GDP.
6. Netherlands
Average number of hours an employed person in this county works: 31.6 per week
Employed people in this county who work 49 or more hours per week: 6%
The Netherlands’ GDP annual rate of growth is on the slower end, at 0.6%. Still, it has the 17th-largest GDP in the world.
According to the International Trade Administration, the Netherlands has a competitive labor market, a robust financial network and strong international trade links.
5. Somalia
Average number of hours an employed person in this country works: 31.4 per week
Share of the employed in this country who work 49 or more hours per week: 10%
The GDP for this African country on the Indian Ocean is around $12 billion, and its GDP growth rate is 3.7%. Most jobs are in the services sector, and about a quarter of workers are employed in the agricultural sector.
3. Rwanda (tie)
Average number of hours an employed person in this country works: 30.4 per week
Share of the employed in this country who work 49 or more hours per week: 12%
As of April 2024, Rwanda’s GDP is $13.7 billion, with an annual growth rate of 6.9%.
It plans to become a middle-income country by 2035 and a high-income country by 2050, according to World Bank, and the country is turning to strategies under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The industrial sector has been a notable contributor to the country’s economic growth so far.
3. Micronesia (tie)
Average number of hours an employed person in this country works: 30.4 per week
Share of the employed in this country who work 49 or more hours per week: 2%
Commercial fishing is the main economic sector in the Federated States of Micronesia, which is comprised of several hundred islands in the western Pacific Ocean. More than 70% of employees are in the public sector.
2. Kiribati
Average number of hours an employed person in this country works: 27.3 per week
Share of the employed in this country who work 49 or more hours per week: 10%
This nation, consisting of 33 islands in the central Pacific Ocean, had a gross domestic product per capita of $1,991 (in U.S. dollars) in 2023.
1. Vanuatu
Average number of hours an employed person in this country works: 24.7 per week
Share of the employed in this country who work 49 or more hours per week: 4%
A South Pacific Ocean nation made up of roughly 80 islands, Vanuata has a population of just over 300,000 people and an area roughly the size of Connecticut. According to the CIA, its economy is highly dependent on tourism and subsistence farming.
In 2023, Vanuatu scored a huge win for its economy, way of life and maybe even its existence.
The country led an effort to secure a landmark United Nations resolution that calls on the International Court of Justice to increase obligations of the nations of the world to curb global warming and protect communities from climate catastrophes.
