France vs United Kingdom: Average weekly hours usually worked per employee
Average weekly hours usually worked per employee over time
- France
- United Kingdom
How they compare
France currently reports 37.28 against 36.12 in United Kingdom, a difference of 1.16.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 43 shared years of data; in 1983 it was France ahead.
France ranks 74th and United Kingdom ranks 77th of 87 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, France averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.75 | 37.38 | 0.3729 | France |
| 1990s | 37.06 | 37.33 | 0.275 | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 36.14 | 36.69 | 0.555 | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 36.27 | 36.34 | 0.065 | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 36.38 | 36.37 | 0.015 | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average weekly hours usually worked per employee, France or United Kingdom?
- France, at 37.28 against 36.12 in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in average weekly hours usually worked per employee between France and United Kingdom?
- 1.16, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and United Kingdom?
- 43 years are reported by both, from 1983 to 2025.
- How do France and United Kingdom rank globally for average weekly hours usually worked per employee?
- France ranks 74th and United Kingdom ranks 77th of 87 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Average weekly hours usually worked per employee. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The concept of hours usually worked relates to the typical value of hours actually worked in a job per a short reference period such as one week, over a long observation period of a month, quarter, season or year that comprises the short reference measurement period used. The typical value may be the modal value of the distribution of hours actually worked per short period over the long observation period, where meaningful. The short reference period for measuring hours usually worked should be the same as the reference period used to measure employment. For more information, refer to the Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) database description.