Finland, Mexico and Portugal appear side by side in a recent portrait of work, rest and well-being. The analysis, conducted by TradingPlatforms, a website specializing in economic and market data, evaluated 30 developed economies, comparing the average number of hours worked with the balance between professional and personal life.
The results highlight well-defined extremes. Mexico appears as the country where people work the most, while Finland leads the well-being and balance index. Portugal is also part of the study, but appears at the bottom of the table when considering the annual workload.
Mexico leads in annual working hours
According to the same source, Mexican workers accumulate an average of 2,193 hours of work per year. With 255 working days expected in 2024, this load translates into a daily journey that exceeds eight and a half hours. Greece follows closely, with 1,898 hours per year, while South Korea, the United States and Poland complete the group with the highest levels of hours worked.
Portugal is not close to the top, but it is also not among the economies that record fewer working hours. It occupies 23rd position in the ranking, corresponding to eighth place from the end, 477 hours below the value of Mexico. Italy appears next, with seven hours less than Portugal. According to the same source, both countries are located in the lower segment of the table, but far from the most notable extremes.
At the other extreme is Germany, with just 1,331 hours per worker per year, the lowest value among the 30 countries analyzed. TradingPlatforms highlights that this result is not due to a lack of productivity, but rather to more efficient labor systems. Denmark, Norway and Sweden complete the group of countries with shorter annual hours.
Finland leads in balance and happiness
Finland appears at the top of the Work-Life Balance Index, with 73.39 points out of 100. Although it does not have the highest number of paid leave days, it stands out for the highest happiness score among the countries analyzed, reaching 7.7 on a scale of 10. This performance reflects organizational practices based on autonomy and trust, common characteristics in Nordic countries.
Analyst Martin Tunchev, cited in the report, highlights the structural differences between the economies studied. In Mexico, he explains, overwork continues to be seen as a sign of personal merit.
In Germany, on the other hand, more efficient labor management prevails, adjusted to the worker’s needs. Northern European countries are able to maintain high productivity with shorter annual working hours, combining work and free time.
Study methodology
This ranking was built based on several OECD indicators, including minimum holidays, public holidays, average working hours and time dedicated to leisure. Happiness scores were taken from the 2024 World Happiness Report.
Data on gross disposable income per capita reflect values after taxes and government support, also compiled by the OECD. According to , all data used in the study was carefully consolidated and is available for public consultation by the company.
Also read:
