Ever wondered what it’s like to spend most of your waking hours at work? While debates about shorter workweeks and remote flexibility dominate headlines in wealthier nations, millions of workers around the world are still grinding through exhaustingly long hours just to make ends meet. The reality is striking, honestly.
The gap between countries with the shortest and longest working hours reveals more than just numbers on a spreadsheet. It tells stories of economic pressure, cultural expectations, and labor policies that shape daily life in profound ways. Let’s dive in.
1. Colombia: Topping the Charts With Exhausting Schedules
Colombia leads the pack with workers averaging over 2,405 hours per year, according to recent OECD data. That’s roughly about one hundred hours more than Mexico, which often gets more attention for its grueling work culture. Colombian employees logged 2,298 hours in 2024 according to ILO data, showing slight variations depending on the source, but the pattern is clear.
The country’s work culture reflects deep economic realities. In 2025, Colombia officially reduced its workweek to 44 hours per week, fulfilling provisions of a 2021 law that established a progressive reduction down to 42 hours by 2026. Historically, Colombia has been one of the Latin American countries with the longest workweeks yet paradoxically lower productivity, highlighting how more hours don’t always translate to better economic outcomes.
2. Mexico: When 48-Hour Workweeks Become the Norm
Mexicans work an average of 2,207 hours per year as of 2023, placing them consistently at the top of international rankings. Mexican employees put in 2,137 hours annually according to some measurements, though the exact figure varies slightly based on methodology. What’s undeniable is the toll this takes on workers.
Currently in Mexico, working hours cannot exceed 8 hours per day for 6 days a week or 48 hours total per week. Yet many employees work far beyond these limits. Mexico ranks as the hardest working country in the world at 2,255 hours a year, with many workers putting in overtime without expecting pay due to fear of unemployment. The government has proposed reducing the workweek to 40 hours by 2030, though implementation remains uncertain.
3. Costa Rica: The Paradox of a Happy Nation Working Overtime
Here’s the thing about Costa Rica. Employees work an average of 2,171 hours in 2023, making it the third-hardest-working country in the OECD. That seems shocking for a country consistently ranked among the happiest places on Earth, right?
Because of high poverty rates and relatively high unemployment, Costa Ricans must often work very long hours to provide for themselves and their families. The agricultural sector plays a major role here. Economic conditions drive long work hours, with the average workweek around 41.5 hours, especially in agriculture which requires extended hours during peak seasons. Tourism also contributes significantly, with irregular hours common throughout the service industry.
4. Chile: Inequality and Extended Hours Go Hand in Hand
Chilean workers clocked in 1,953 hours in 2023, representing a staggering amount of time spent on the job. Despite a legal limit of 45 hours per week, roughly 16% of all workers work more than 50 hours a week, showing how official regulations don’t always match reality.
The situation reflects deeper economic divides. Chile suffers from very high social inequality, with the wealthiest 20% bringing in approximately $31,000 per year while the bottom 20% take home barely $2,400 annually. Long working hours become a necessity for survival rather than choice. Chile established a gradual reduction of maximum working hours from 45 to 40 hours per week through Law No. 21,561, published in April 2023, though the transition is still underway.
5. Greece: Economic Crisis Leaves Its Mark on Working Hours
Greece logged an average of 1,897 hours as of 2023, making it the fifth-hardest-working country in Europe. This stands out dramatically compared to other European nations, which typically maintain much shorter workweeks. What happened?
The Greek economy was heavily impacted by the global financial crisis of 2007-2008, with high budget deficits, public debt, and systematic tax evasion causing the debt-to-GDP ratio to skyrocket and unemployment rates to rise very quickly. The unemployment rate hit 16.3% in 2020, forcing many employed people to work longer hours to make up for unemployed family members’ lost wages. The economic scars from the crisis continue shaping work patterns today.
6. South Korea: Fighting a Notorious Overwork Culture
South Korea recorded 1,872 hours per worker in 2023, ranking 5th in the OECD, compared to 1,607 in Japan and 1,340 in Germany. The country has become notorious for its extreme work culture, even coining terms for the phenomenon.
Koreans work such long hours because of the Korean industrial system and nighttime culture, with corporate culture resembling Japan’s hierarchical structure and significant subcontracting. In 2020, a new policy limited weekly working hours to 52 hours per week, down from the previous limit. In 2021, South Koreans worked an average of 1,915 hours a year, nearly 200 more than the OECD average. The government even briefly proposed raising the cap to 69 hours before massive backlash forced a reversal.
7. Japan: Changing Traditions Around Long Working Hours
Japan’s reputation for overwork is legendary, though the reality is evolving. In Japan, a full-time worker spends about 1,903 hours a year on average, with a decrease of 8% compared to 1980. That’s actually lower than South Korea now, showing meaningful progress.
Japan’s annual working hours are now lower than the U.S. at 1,804 hours and lower than South Korea at 1,901 hours, showing Japan is no longer the extreme example of overwork it once was. Government reforms and shifting attitudes, particularly among younger workers, have driven these changes. Men in their 20s worked an average of 46.4 hours per week in 2000, but by 2022 this had fallen to 38.1 hours. Still, the legacy of karoshi, death from overwork, continues to haunt Japanese corporate culture.
8. United States: The Outlier Among Developed Nations
A full-time employee in the United States works 1,976 hours per year, or 38 hours per week, which is more than most other OECD countries. While that might not seem shocking compared to the countries above, it stands out dramatically among developed economies.
On average, employees from the US work about 62 hours per year more than workers from the EU. Here’s what really sets America apart, though. The U.S. is the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee paid holiday for workers, creating a unique pressure on American employees. The absence of mandatory vacation time means many workers simply can’t afford to take breaks, even when they desperately need them.
The patterns across these eight countries reveal uncomfortable truths about global inequality. Working more doesn’t equal earning more or producing more. Many of these nations see workers grinding through exhausting hours while productivity remains stubbornly low, creating a vicious cycle that’s hard to escape. Meanwhile, countries like Denmark and Germany maintain shorter workweeks with higher productivity per hour, proving that quality beats quantity.
What drives you to work the hours you do? Is it passion, necessity, or something in between?
