International Comparison of Working Hours - What OECD Data Shows
According to OECD 2023 statistics, the average annual working hours across member countries is 1,752 hours. Mexico (2,226 hours) and Costa Rica (2,149 hours) work the longest, while Germany (1,341 hours) and Denmark (1,372 hours) work the shortest. Japan records 1,607 hours, below the OECD average, but this figure carries significant caveats.
Japan's official statistics average all employees including part-time workers. Restricting to full-time workers yields approximately 2,000 hours annually. Furthermore, "service overtime" (unrecorded unpaid overtime) does not appear in statistics. The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training estimates actual working hours may exceed official figures by 200-400 hours per year.
The Paradox of Working Hours and Productivity
Counterintuitively, countries with longer working hours tend to have lower hourly productivity. Germany's GDP per hour worked is $72, while Mexico's is $22. Germany, working far fewer hours, generates over three times more economic value per hour than Mexico.
Diminishing marginal productivity explains this paradox. Pencavel (2014) demonstrated that output per hour drops sharply beyond 50 hours per week, and beyond 55 hours, additional working time produces virtually zero marginal output. Long hours degrade judgment, increase errors, and exhaust creativity, potentially reducing total output rather than increasing it.
Working Hours and Health Risk
A 2021 joint WHO/ILO study found that working 55 or more hours per week increases stroke risk by 35% and ischemic heart disease risk by 17%. This meta-analysis, based on data from 194 countries and over 590,000 individuals, provides strong evidence for a causal relationship between long working hours and cardiovascular disease.
Japan's concept of "karoshi" (death from overwork) has become internationally recognized. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's criteria consider a strong work-disease relationship when overtime exceeds 100 hours in the month preceding onset, or averages 80 hours monthly over the preceding two to six months. This "karoshi line" aligns with the epidemiological research cited above.
Historical Trends in Working Hours
During Britain's Industrial Revolution, factory workers labored 70-80 hours per week. Labor movements gradually reduced hours from the late 19th century onward, and the ILO's first convention in 1919 established "8 hours per day, 48 hours per week" as the international standard. Reductions continued, with 35-40 hours now standard in developed nations.
Keynes predicted in 1930 that by 2030, a 15-hour work week would suffice. Productivity has indeed risen as predicted, but working hour reductions have not kept pace. Rising consumption standards, competitive pressures, and identity formation through work are among the factors that economic rationality alone cannot explain for maintaining current working hours.
Working Hours Ranking in MyRank
MyRank's working hours ranking compares user-entered weekly hours against national distribution data to calculate a global percentile. Like CO2 emissions, ranking "high" (long hours) in this metric is not necessarily desirable.
Knowing where one's working hours stand globally can prompt reconsideration of work-life balance. However, the "optimal" number of working hours varies by occupation, career stage, and personal values. Rankings provide decision-making inputs but do not prescribe answers.