Average usual weekly hours worked on the main job by country
This dataset contains data on average usual weekly hours worked in the main job broken down by total employment, full-time employment and part-time employment. Actual hours of work, instead of usual hours of work, are only available in some countries (Mexico and Korea). Data are further broken down by professional...
What the numbers show
Average usual weekly hours worked on the main job is currently reported for 36 countries. The highest value is 43.6 Hours per week per person in Colombia; the lowest is 33.34 Hours per week per person in Denmark.
The median across all reporting countries is 37.61 Hours per week per person, and the mean is 38.26 Hours per week per person.
Over the past decade 8 countries rose and 28 fell. The largest increase was in Sweden (up 2.1%), and the largest decrease in Japan (down 6.3%).
Average usual weekly hours worked on the main job: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colombia | 43.6 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 3.3% | falling |
| 2 | Costa Rica | 43.23 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 3 | Mexico | 42.6 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 1.8% | flat |
| 4 | South Africa | 42.3 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 3.2% | falling |
| 5 | Greece | 40.96 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 6 | North Macedonia | 40.69 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 2.8% | falling |
| 7 | Israel | 40.16 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 8 | Portugal | 39.96 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 0.7% | falling |
| 9 | Romania | 39.95 Hours per week per person | 2025 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 10 | Bulgaria | 39.86 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 2.4% | flat |
| 11 | Chile | 39.84 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 12 | Cyprus | 39.59 Hours per week per person | 2025 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 13 | Brazil | 39.45 Hours per week per person | 2024 | down 1.0% | flat |
| 14 | Hungary | 39.37 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 1.2% | falling |
| 15 | Malta | 39.25 Hours per week per person | 2025 | up 1.6% | flat |
| 16 | Czechia | 39.2 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 3.3% | falling |
| 17 | Argentina | 38.14 Hours per week per person | 2023 | down 1.1% | flat |
| 18 | Luxembourg | 37.66 Hours per week per person | 2025 | up 0.6% | falling |
| 19 | New Zealand | 37.55 Hours per week per person | 2024 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 20 | Spain | 37.48 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 0.9% | falling |
| 21 | Japan | 37.47 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 22 | Iceland | 37.42 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 23 | Sweden | 37.34 Hours per week per person | 2025 | up 2.1% | flat |
| 24 | Italy | 37.2 Hours per week per person | 2025 | up 0.5% | falling |
| 25 | OECD | 37.2 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 2.9% | flat |
| 26 | France | 36.92 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 0.9% | falling |
| 27 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 36.26 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 1.7% | falling |
| 28 | Ireland | 36 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 0.1% | falling |
| 29 | Belgium | 35.99 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 30 | Switzerland | 35.71 Hours per week per person | 2025 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 31 | Finland | 35.65 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 3.7% | falling |
| 32 | Austria | 35.64 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 33 | Australia | 35.45 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 1.9% | flat |
| 34 | Norway | 34.56 Hours per week per person | 2025 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 35 | Germany | 34.48 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 2.4% | falling |
| 36 | Denmark | 33.34 Hours per week per person | 2025 | down 1.2% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Poland 39.92 Hours per week per person
- Croatia 39.49 Hours per week per person
- Korea 39.42 Hours per week per person
- Slovak Republic 39.39 Hours per week per person
- Slovenia 39.2 Hours per week per person
- Lithuania 39.04 Hours per week per person
- Netherlands 31.3 Hours per week per person
About this data
This dataset contains data on average usual weekly hours worked in the main job broken down by total employment, full-time employment and part-time employment. Actual hours of work, instead of usual hours of work, are only available in some countries (Mexico and Korea). Data are further broken down by professional status - employees, total employment - by sex and standardised age groups (15-24, 25-54, 55-64, 65+ and total) . Detailed notes and sources can be found in LFS_NOTES_SOURCES. In order to facilitate analysis and comparisons over time, historical data for OECD members have been provided over as long a period as possible, often even before a country became a member of the Organisation. Information on the membership dates of all OECD countries can be found at: OECD Ratification Dates.