For a lot of people around the world, getting a balance between work and home life can be difficult. For many, their careers and day-to-day job is something they’ve spent years working towards, spending time, effort and money studying in a certain field or years gaining the right experience. However, with an ever-changing working world and burnout impacting so many workers, which nations around the world are the best at balancing hard work with decent downtime?
A new study by financial experts Remitly surveyed over 4,200 international workers to understand where in the world the best quality of life for workers is. Asking respondents from 22 countries about how long their average day is, how long they spend on work breaks, how long they spend commuting to and from work and how satisfied they are in their jobs, the research reveals which nations work the most and where in the world you can find the best work-life balance.
Which countries have the best work-life balance?
| Rank | Country | Average working day | Average commute time | Time asleep on an average working day | Time spent on breaks per average working day | Overall work-life balance score (out of 100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finland | 7 hours 44 minutes | 41 minutes | 6 hours 47 minutes | 52 | 73 |
| 2 | Denmark | 7 hours 25 minutes | 42 minutes | 6 hours 52 minutes | 41 | 70 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 8 hours 13 minutes | 53 minutes | 7 hours 7 minutes | 56 | 65 |
| 4 | France | 7 hours 38 minutes | 55 minutes | 6 hours 53 minutes | 51 | 62 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 7 hours 53 minutes | 43 minutes | 6 hours 45 minutes | 46 | 60 |
| 6 | Sweden | 7 hours 59 minutes | 46 minutes | 6 hours 41 minutes | 50 | 57 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 7 hours 54 minutes | 49 minutes | 6 hours 50 minutes | 45 | 56 |
| 8 | Portugal | 7 hours 52 minutes | 55 minutes | 6 hours 43 minutes | 53 | 54 |
| 9 | Belgium | 7 hours 56 minutes | 43 minutes | 7 hours 4 minutes | 52 | 54 |
| 10 | Czech Republic | 8 hours 2 minutes | 45 minutes | 6 hours 46 minutes | 45 | 54 |
| 11 | Austria | 8 hours 0 minutes | 41 minutes | 6 hours 43 minutes | 40 | 53 |
| 12 | Germany | 7 hours 55 minutes | 47 minutes | 6 hours 47 minutes | 41 | 52 |
| 13 | Spain | 7 hours 43 minutes | 44 minutes | 6 hours 43 minutes | 35 | 52 |
| 14 | Italy | 7 hours 53 minutes | 48 minutes | 6 hours 37 minutes | 45 | 51 |
| 15 | Canada | 7 hours 52 minutes | 48 minutes | 6 hours 38 minutes | 41 | 47 |
| 16 | Brazil | 8 hours 14 minutes | 57 minutes | 6 hours 37 minutes | 60 | 47 |
| 17 | United Kingdom | 7 hours 59 minutes | 48 minutes | 6 hours 43 minutes | 41 | 47 |
| 18 | Hungary | 8 hours 2 minutes | 53 minutes | 6 hours 37 minutes | 41 | 38 |
| 19 | United States | 8 hours 29 minutes | 40 minutes | 6 hours 31 minutes | 39 | 36 |
| 20 | Ireland | 8 hours 13 minutes | 59 minutes | 6 hours 44 minutes | 44 | 35 |
| 21 | Norway | 8 hours 1 hour | 48 minutes | 6 hours 22 minutes | 38 | 33 |
| 22 | Australia | 8 hours 13 minutes | 59 minutes | 6 hours 44 minutes | 42 | 32 |
Topping the list is Finland, scoring 73 in the study out of a possible 100. The European country provides workers with a healthy balance between employment and family or personal life. Employees in the country work just above the OECD average of seven hours and 12 minutes - clocking in just 32 minutes more a day on average (seven hours and 44 minutes). People living in Finland also have one of the shorter commutes, with workers spending just 41 minutes a day getting to and from the office or their place of work.
In second place is Denmark, scoring 70 in the study. Switzerland follows in third, with 65/100. Whilst Swiss workers might spend more time on average working throughout the day (eight hours and 13 minutes), they do get some of the best night’s sleep throughout the week and spend a higher amount of time taking regular breaks throughout the working day - helping them to feel more rested and refreshed.
Other countries in the top five are France and New Zealand, scoring 62 and 60, respectively in the study. Nine of the top 10 countries where workers feel like they have the best of both worlds are found in Europe.
The top 10 best places in the world for work-life balance (score out of 100)
1. Finland (73/100)
2. Denmark (70/100)
3. Switzerland (65/100)
4. France (62/100)
5. New Zealand (60/100)
6. Sweden (57/100)
7. Netherlands (56/100)
8. Portugal (54/100)
9. Belgium (54/100)
10. Czech Republic (54/100)
On the other end of the study are the countries with the weakest work-life balance, where workers find themselves working the longest hours, enduring the longest commutes, getting the least amount of sleep during the week or taking the lowest number of breaks throughout the day. These factors combined can leave workers feeling like they spend all their waking days working or travelling to and from work, with little to no downtime to recover.
The top five countries in the world with the worst work-life balance (score out of 100)
1. Australia (32/100)
2. Norway (33/100)
3. Ireland (35/100)
4. United States of America (36/100)
5. Hungary (38/100)
Australia was crowned the country with the weakest balance overall, scoring 32 out of a possible 100 in the study. Whilst Australian employees might enjoy a good quality of life, with lots of outdoor activities and a healthy lifestyle, workers put in some long hours on average, working over eight hours a day and spending lots of time on lengthy commutes of just under one hour a day. The USA ranks fourth as one of the worst nations for work-life balance, scoring just 36 out of 100 in the study, just ahead of Hungary, which scores 38 out of 100.
What does work-life balance look like in the USA?
The research reveals that workers in the US struggle to find the balance between working hard and relaxing. Not only do workers in the US spend longer than average working across the week, they also take some of the lowest numbers of regular breaks and report getting one of the lowest durations of sleep per night on average - meaning they’re likely to feel more tired throughout the week.
Regarding working hours, the study revealed that the USA has the longest working day, with the average worker clocking in at eight hours and 29 minutes. The OECD average is seven hours and 12 minutes a day, meaning American workers work around 10% more than workers in other countries. Whether they’re working from home, logging on a bit earlier, staying late at the office, or taking fewer breaks, there are a few ways workers in the US might find themselves working longer days. While an hour or two more each day might not feel like much, accumulated over time, the average worker could be working over 260 more hours per year than people in other countries - that’s more than 32 more working days across the year.
As part of the study, workers were asked how long their average commute was, and America came out on top as having the shortest commute out of the 23 countries. Just shy of 40 minutes (at 39.7 minutes), workers in the US don’t spend as much time as employees in other countries getting to and from work. Having a shorter commute time can be such a relief at the end of a long working day, knowing that you don’t have far to travel to get home.
Planning a move to another country
For workers with dreams of working abroad, knowing the working culture is healthy is a massive selling point for where you choose to move to. For those hoping to seek a better work-life balance, looking for jobs in destinations where working days are shorter or where you’re likely to have a shorter commute could be something to consider to ensure a high quality of life.
Commenting on the research, Ryan Riley, VP of Marketing for EMEA and APAC at Remitly says:
“Anyone looking to move abroad for work needs to consider research like this when making what could be the biggest decision of their lives. Is the grass really greener? Work-life balance can drastically impact your personal well-being and how you feel about a place when you move there.
As well as reviewing data into typical work-life balance factors like commuting and breaks, our advice would be to find Facebook groups of people who have already made the move to the country you’re researching and ask for their lived experiences. Or try to find YouTube videos of what life looks like in different cities and countries from those who have emigrated there. All this information will mean you’re well-equipped if you are one of the 30% looking to relocate in the next five years for a better quality of work-life.”
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