New statistics from the University of Groningen, incorporating Eurostat data, reveal that Greeks have the highest working hours among Europeans.
The new data showed that Greece leads the pack with an impressive average of 2,036 working hours per year. Poland and Russia follow closely at 2,023 and 1,965 hours on average, respectively. Additionally, registered unemployment in Greece dropped by 4.6% in July 2023 compared to the same month in 2022.
The statistics showed some clear trends. The lowest average working hours are observed in the northern countries. Thus, the top three places in terms of fewer annual working hours were occupied by Denmark, Norway and Germany. In these countries the figures were 1,381, 1,384 and 1,386 respectively. Iceland, the Netherlands and Switzerland also demonstrated a relatively small number of working hours.
As for the middle of the ranking, the UK has shown an average of 1,668 working hours per year, Spain is very close with 1,686 hours, as well as France (1,505). Italy (1,718) and Portugal (1,865) have slightly higher averages.
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However, working longer hours doesn’t always translate to higher economic productivity. Denmark, Switzerland, and Norway, despite shorter workweeks, have significantly higher GDP per hour worked.
Weekly Working Hours in Europe
Greece leads in weekly working hours, averaging 47 to 51 hours per week for individuals aged 20-64. In contrast, the Dutch have the shortest average workweek in Europe, ranging from 30 to 33 hours per week. Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, parts of Germany, and Italy also maintain relatively shorter workweeks, spanning 33 to 36 hours.
Eastern European countries, particularly Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, and Turkey, record the longest average working weeks, with most people laboring over 42 hours weekly.
Regional differences within countries also provide intriguing insights. East Germany reports longer working hours than West Germany, while West Flanders in Belgium sees slightly lengthier workweeks than the national average. In London, English residents also work longer hours compared to the rest of the country. Conversely, Belgrade in Serbia and Sicily in Italy report shorter workweeks than other regions.
When Young Greeks Leave Their Parental Home
Another recent statistic showed that Greece has the third highest age in Europe for young people to leave their parents’ home, with an average age of 30.7 years. As of 2022, the average independent life expectancy in Europe was 26.4 years, but this varies by country. Croatia and Slovakia took the leading positions with an average of 33.4 and 30.8 years, respectively. They are followed by Bulgaria and Spain with an average age of 30.3 years, as well as Malta (30.1) and Italy (30). Nordic countries such as Finland (21.3) and Sweden (21.4) have the lowest average age for independent living.
Notably, European men tend to leave the parental home later than women across the EU, with the largest gender gap in Romania.