In 2023, Türkiye recorded the highest average weekly working hours in Europe, with an average of 44.6 hours, ranking 27th globally.
According to data gathered by Visual Capitalist from the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) dataset ranging from 2021 to 2023 and covering eight of the 187 ILO member states, employees worldwide work an average of 43.9 hours per week.
As per ILO data, Türkiye stands out with its working hours surpassing both global and European averages. Meanwhile, European countries tend to have shorter average weekly working hours, employees in the Netherlands, for instance, work an average of 29.8 hours per week.
On the other hand, Balkan countries dominated the top 10 list in Europe, following Türkiye.
| Rank | Countries | Weekly working hours | GDP per capita (IMF’s 2024 estimations) |
| 1st | Türkiye | 44.6 | $15,665.943 |
| 2nd | Montenegro | 44.1 | $12,802.124 |
| 3rd | Albania | 43.7 | $9,598.191 |
| 4th | Kosovo | 42.9 | $6,333.918 |
| 5th | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 41.4 | $8,220.816 |
| 6th | Kyrgyzstan | 41.3 | $2,228.777 |
| 7th | Serbia | 41.1 | $12,513.826 |
| 8th | Romania | 39.8 | $20,088.859 |
| 9th | Moldova | 39.7 | $7,368.494 |
| 10th | Russia | 39.6 | $14,952.904 |
In the top 10 countries by working hours around the world, the average workweek exceeds 48 hours, with India recording the highest at 56 hours.
| Rank | Countries | Weekly working hours | GDP per capita (IMF’s 2024 estimations) |
| 1st | India | 56 | $2,697.563 |
| 2nd | Bhutan | 53.3 | $4,068.072 |
| 3rd | Bangladesh | 50.4 | $2,624.532 |
| 4th | Uganda | 50.3 | $1,186.529 |
| 5th | Cambodia | 49.5 | $2,743.991 |
| 6th | Pakistan | 49.2 | $1,587.604 |
| 7th | Sudan | 49 | $606.289 |
| 8th | UAE | 48.7 | $49,549.588 |
| 9th | Jordan | 48.4 | $4,682.081 |
| 10th | Zimbabwe | 48.1 | $2,113.811 |
Four of the five countries with the longest workweeks are located in the Asia-Pacific region, which is the most populated region of the world: India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Cambodia.
The ILO report highlights that working hours reflect differences in cultural norms, economic structures, and labor policies, leading to significant regional disparities in averages.
Worker definition of ILO differs as it only includes individuals employed under an employer within the term, excluding self-employed individuals.
According to ILO standards, working more than 48 hours per week is considered excessive due to its adverse effects on health, safety, productivity and work-life balance.
