According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), working more than 48 hours a week is excessive due to its effects on health, safety and work-life balance — but in many parts of the world, the average working week far exceeds this.

Using ILO data, Visual Capitalist mapped the average weekly hours worked by employees in different countries worldwide. Figures include 108 of the 187 ILO member states, range from 2021 to 2023 and do not include self-employed people.

There are ten countries where people work an average of more than 48 hours per week: India (56 hours), Bhutan (53.3), Bangladesh (50.4), Uganda (50.3), Cambodia (49.5), Pakistan (49.2), Sudan (49), United Arab Emirates (48.7), Jordan (48.4) and Zimbabwe (48.1).

Of those ten countries, half are in the Asia-Pacific region.

Working weeks tend to be shorter in Europe, with employees in the Netherlands clocking up the fewest average weekly hours in the world (29.8).

Click image to enlarge

Via Voronoi.