Civitascope / Work and income
Search Magyar

Who works the longest week in the EU

Topic: Work and income

Full-time workers in Greece work 3.5 hours more a week than those in Finland.

In 2025, the EU average was 38.7 hours a week. That is how long full-time workers actually worked in their main job.

Figures for:
2025.
Covers:
the whole year.
New data:
once a year.
Dataset updated:
30 October 2026.

Published 27 October 2026, updated 6 November 2026

27 / 27 EU countries ranked

The ranking

In 2025, the full-time working week was lowest in Finland, at 37.1 hours, and highest in Greece, at 40.6 hours.

Full-time working week, hours

2025 · employed people, full-time, aged 20 to 64
01020304050hours
EU, 38.7 hours
Rank 1: Greece, 40.6 hours
Rank 2: Poland, 39.9 hours
Rank 3: Slovenia, 39.8 hours
Rank 4: Lithuania, 39.4 hours
Rank 5: Cyprus, 39.1 hours
Rank 5: Latvia, 39.1 hours
Rank 5: Malta, 39.1 hours
Rank 8: Austria, 39.0 hours
Rank 9: Bulgaria, 38.9 hours
Rank 9: Czechia, 38.9 hours
Rank 9: Germany, 38.9 hours
Rank 12: Spain, 38.7 hours
Rank 12: Portugal, 38.7 hours
Rank 14: Italy, 38.5 hours
Rank 14: Romania, 38.5 hours
Rank 16: Slovakia, 38.4 hours
Rank 17: Estonia, 38.3 hours
Rank 17: Croatia, 38.3 hours
Rank 19: France, 38.2 hours
Rank 19: Ireland, 38.2 hours
Rank 19: Luxembourg, 38.2 hours
Rank 22: Hungary, 38.1 hours
Rank 23: Belgium, 37.9 hours
Rank 24: Denmark, 37.8 hours
Rank 24: Sweden, 37.8 hours
Rank 26: Netherlands, 37.4 hours
Rank 27: Finland, 37.1 hours
How to read: bars start at zero. Every country with a value is shown, ranked from highest to lowest.Source: Eurostat, Average actual weekly hours worked in the main job of persons who worked in this job during the reference week by professional status, full-time/part-time employment and economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026) (lfsa_ewhan2).Chart: Civitascope (civitascope.eu) · CC BY 4.0 · Download image · Download data ·

Women and men

Among women, the spread across countries was wider. It ranged from 35.0 hours in the Netherlands to 39.2 hours in Slovenia. The gap was 4.2 hours.

Among men, the spread across countries was narrower than among women. Greece was the highest, at 41.8 hours, and Finland and the Netherlands were the lowest, at 38.4 hours. The highest and the lowest were 3.4 hours apart.

Full-time working week: women and men, hours

2025 · employed people, full-time, aged 20 to 64
WomenMenMen − womenDifference
36384042hours
EU, Women: 37.6 hours, Men: 39.4 hours, Men − women: +1.8
Rank 1: Greece, Women: 38.8 hours, Men: 41.8 hours, Men − women: +3.0
Rank 2: Poland, Women: 38.9 hours, Men: 40.6 hours, Men − women: +1.7
Rank 3: Slovenia, Women: 39.2 hours, Men: 40.2 hours, Men − women: +1.0
Rank 4: Cyprus, Women: 38.2 hours, Men: 40.0 hours, Men − women: +1.8
Rank 5: Ireland, Women: 35.9 hours, Men: 39.9 hours, Men − women: +4.0
Rank 6: Lithuania, Women: 39.1 hours, Men: 39.7 hours, Men − women: +0.6
Rank 6: Portugal, Women: 37.7 hours, Men: 39.7 hours, Men − women: +2.0
Rank 8: Czechia, Women: 37.9 hours, Men: 39.6 hours, Men − women: +1.7
Rank 8: Malta, Women: 38.2 hours, Men: 39.6 hours, Men − women: +1.4
Rank 10: Austria, Women: 38.1 hours, Men: 39.5 hours, Men − women: +1.4
Rank 10: Italy, Women: 36.8 hours, Men: 39.5 hours, Men − women: +2.7
Rank 10: Spain, Women: 37.6 hours, Men: 39.5 hours, Men − women: +1.9
Rank 13: Germany, Women: 37.8 hours, Men: 39.4 hours, Men − women: +1.6
Rank 14: Latvia, Women: 38.9 hours, Men: 39.3 hours, Men − women: +0.4
Rank 15: Estonia, Women: 37.5 hours, Men: 39.1 hours, Men − women: +1.6
Rank 15: France, Women: 36.9 hours, Men: 39.1 hours, Men − women: +2.2
Rank 17: Bulgaria, Women: 38.8 hours, Men: 39.0 hours, Men − women: +0.2
Rank 17: Slovakia, Women: 37.5 hours, Men: 39.0 hours, Men − women: +1.5
Rank 19: Belgium, Women: 36.4 hours, Men: 38.8 hours, Men − women: +2.4
Rank 19: Luxembourg, Women: 37.2 hours, Men: 38.8 hours, Men − women: +1.6
Rank 19: Romania, Women: 38.2 hours, Men: 38.8 hours, Men − women: +0.6
Rank 22: Croatia, Women: 37.8 hours, Men: 38.7 hours, Men − women: +0.9
Rank 23: Denmark, Women: 36.5 hours, Men: 38.6 hours, Men − women: +2.1
Rank 24: Hungary, Women: 37.7 hours, Men: 38.5 hours, Men − women: +0.8
Rank 24: Sweden, Women: 36.8 hours, Men: 38.5 hours, Men − women: +1.7
Rank 26: Finland, Women: 35.6 hours, Men: 38.4 hours, Men − women: +2.8
Rank 26: Netherlands, Women: 35.0 hours, Men: 38.4 hours, Men − women: +3.4
How to read: the filled dot is men, the outlined dot women, each with its value beside it. The column on the right is their difference, men − women. Countries are ranked by men.Source: Eurostat, Average actual weekly hours worked in the main job of persons who worked in this job during the reference week by professional status, full-time/part-time employment and economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026) (lfsa_ewhan2).Chart: Civitascope (civitascope.eu) · CC BY 4.0 · Download image · Download data ·
EveryoneWomenMen
Lowest37.1 hoursFinland35.0 hoursthe Netherlands38.4 hoursFinland and the Netherlands
Highest40.6 hoursGreece39.2 hoursSlovenia41.8 hoursGreece
Highest − lowest3.5 hours4.2 hours3.4 hours

Everyone

Lowest: 37.1 hours (Finland)Highest: 40.6 hours (Greece)Highest − lowest: 3.5 hours

Women

Lowest: 35.0 hours (the Netherlands)Highest: 39.2 hours (Slovenia)Highest − lowest: 4.2 hours

Men

Lowest: 38.4 hours (Finland and the Netherlands)Highest: 41.8 hours (Greece)Highest − lowest: 3.4 hours

Employees and the self-employed

Among employees, the gap between countries was slightly narrower. It ranged from 36.3 hours in Belgium to 39.4 hours in Lithuania. The gap was 3.1 hours.

Among the self-employed, the gap between countries was much wider than among employees. Greece was the highest, at 46.1 hours, and Hungary and Latvia were the lowest, at 39.0 hours. The highest and the lowest were 7.1 hours apart.

Full-time working week: employees and self-employed, hours

2025 · employed people, full-time, aged 20 to 64
EmployeesSelf-employedSelf-employed − employeesDifference
363840424446hours
EU, Employees: 37.9 hours, Self-employed: 43.3 hours, Self-employed − employees: +5.4
Rank 1: Lithuania, Employees: 39.4 hours, Self-employed: 40.0 hours, Self-employed − employees: +0.6
Rank 2: Slovenia, Employees: 39.2 hours, Self-employed: 43.3 hours, Self-employed − employees: +4.1
Rank 3: Latvia, Self-employed: 39.0 hours, Employees: 39.1 hours, Self-employed − employees: −0.1
Rank 4: Cyprus, Employees: 39.0 hours, Self-employed: 40.6 hours, Self-employed − employees: +1.6
Rank 4: Poland, Employees: 39.0 hours, Self-employed: 43.7 hours, Self-employed − employees: +4.7
Rank 6: Bulgaria, Employees: 38.9 hours, Self-employed: 39.6 hours, Self-employed − employees: +0.7
Rank 7: Greece, Employees: 38.7 hours, Self-employed: 46.1 hours, Self-employed − employees: +7.4
Rank 8: Malta, Employees: 38.6 hours, Self-employed: 42.2 hours, Self-employed − employees: +3.6
Rank 9: Germany, Employees: 38.4 hours, Self-employed: 43.5 hours, Self-employed − employees: +5.1
Rank 9: Romania, Employees: 38.4 hours, Self-employed: 39.7 hours, Self-employed − employees: +1.3
Rank 11: Czechia, Employees: 38.2 hours, Self-employed: 42.4 hours, Self-employed − employees: +4.2
Rank 11: Estonia, Employees: 38.2 hours, Self-employed: 39.6 hours, Self-employed − employees: +1.4
Rank 13: Portugal, Employees: 38.1 hours, Self-employed: 43.5 hours, Self-employed − employees: +5.4
Rank 14: Croatia, Employees: 38.0 hours, Self-employed: 40.5 hours, Self-employed − employees: +2.5
Rank 14: Hungary, Employees: 38.0 hours, Self-employed: 39.0 hours, Self-employed − employees: +1.0
Rank 16: Austria, Employees: 37.9 hours, Self-employed: 45.9 hours, Self-employed − employees: +8.0
Rank 16: Luxembourg, Employees: 37.9 hours, Self-employed: 41.4 hours, Self-employed − employees: +3.5
Rank 18: Spain, Employees: 37.8 hours, Self-employed: 44.5 hours, Self-employed − employees: +6.7
Rank 19: Slovakia, Employees: 37.7 hours, Self-employed: 41.9 hours, Self-employed − employees: +4.2
Rank 20: Italy, Employees: 37.5 hours, Self-employed: 42.2 hours, Self-employed − employees: +4.7
Rank 21: Sweden, Employees: 37.4 hours, Self-employed: 42.1 hours, Self-employed − employees: +4.7
Rank 22: Denmark, Employees: 37.3 hours, Self-employed: 42.8 hours, Self-employed − employees: +5.5
Rank 22: Ireland, Employees: 37.3 hours, Self-employed: 45.0 hours, Self-employed − employees: +7.7
Rank 24: France, Employees: 37.1 hours, Self-employed: 45.0 hours, Self-employed − employees: +7.9
Rank 25: Netherlands, Employees: 36.5 hours, Self-employed: 41.1 hours, Self-employed − employees: +4.6
Rank 26: Finland, Employees: 36.4 hours, Self-employed: 43.0 hours, Self-employed − employees: +6.6
Rank 27: Belgium, Employees: 36.3 hours, Self-employed: 45.7 hours, Self-employed − employees: +9.4
How to read: the filled dot is employees, the outlined dot self-employed, each with its value beside it. The column on the right is their difference, self-employed − employees. Countries are ranked by employees.Source: Eurostat, Average actual weekly hours worked in the main job of persons who worked in this job during the reference week by professional status, full-time/part-time employment and economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026) (lfsa_ewhan2).Chart: Civitascope (civitascope.eu) · CC BY 4.0 · Download image · Download data ·
EveryoneEmployeesSelf-employed
Lowest37.1 hoursFinland36.3 hoursBelgium39.0 hoursHungary and Latvia
Highest40.6 hoursGreece39.4 hoursLithuania46.1 hoursGreece
Highest − lowest3.5 hours3.1 hours7.1 hours

Everyone

Lowest: 37.1 hours (Finland)Highest: 40.6 hours (Greece)Highest − lowest: 3.5 hours

Employees

Lowest: 36.3 hours (Belgium)Highest: 39.4 hours (Lithuania)Highest − lowest: 3.1 hours

Self-employed

Lowest: 39.0 hours (Hungary and Latvia)Highest: 46.1 hours (Greece)Highest − lowest: 7.1 hours

About the data

The average number of hours employed people actually worked in their main job in the week the survey asked about. Hours lost to holidays or sickness are not counted, and people away the whole week are left out.

Counted: employed people, full-time, aged 20 to 64.

Eurostat: “Excluded from this measure are periods of absence from work such as sick leave, holidays and commuting time.” (source)

EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS), a sample survey of households run by the national statistical institutes.

How to read these numbers

Different definitions

Since 2021, every year's value for Spain and France, the latest included, is marked by Eurostat as following a different definition (flag d). Both countries still decide whether people on temporary lay-off count as employed by the rules used until 2020. This concerns France (2025) and Spain (2025).

Sources and data

Eurostat, Average actual weekly hours worked in the main job of persons who worked in this job during the reference week by professional status, full-time/part-time employment and economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026) (lfsa_ewhan2). Data updated 30 October 2026, retrieved 3 November 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.

Eurostat metadata · Eurostat methodology

The exact Eurostat API query

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/lfsa_ewhan2?format=JSON&lang=en&age=Y20-64&freq=A&geo=AT&geo=BE&geo=BG&geo=CY&geo=CZ&geo=DE&geo=DK&geo=EE&geo=EL&geo=ES&geo=EU27_2020&geo=FI&geo=FR&geo=HR&geo=HU&geo=IE&geo=IT&geo=LT&geo=LU&geo=LV&geo=MT&geo=NL&geo=PL&geo=PT&geo=RO&geo=SE&geo=SI&geo=SK&nace_r2=TOTAL&sex=T&unit=HR&worktime=FT&wstatus=EMP

How every number in this story was computed

Related stories

All stories in Work and income