Europe’s latest work-hour statistics upend many long-standing assumptions about how much people work in different countries.
While stereotypes persist about national work ethics, newly published 2025 data from Eurostat shows the reality is far more nuanced, with average hours worked each week continuing to decline across the continent.
On average, employees in the European Union now work 35.9 hours per week, which is a full hour less than a decade ago.
However, this continental figure conceals major regional disparities, which is largely influenced by the prevalence of part-time work and differences across professions.
The shortest working weeks are found in north-western Europe. The Netherlands tops the list for the lowest average, with just 31.9 hours worked per week. Germany, Denmark, and Norway follow closely at 33.9 hours, and Austria stands at 34 hours.
Among Luxembourg’s neighbours, it's Germany that records the lowest figure at 33.9 hours per week. Belgium is at 34.3 hours and France at 35.6 hours, just below Luxembourg’s 35.7 hours per week.
In contrast, the longest working weeks are in the east and south of Europe. Within the EU, Greece leads with 39.6 hours per week, followed by Bulgaria and Poland (38.7 hours), and Lithuania (38.4 hours).
Beyond the EU, Turkey stands out, where the average workweek climbs to 42.4 hours.
Despite France’s legal 35-hour workweek, the effective average is 35.8 hours. The 35-hour rule serves as a threshold for triggering overtime, rather than acting as an absolute limit.
As in other countries, the official figure is shaped by legal frameworks, part-time work, and actual hours performed.
A simple comparison of average working hours across countries can be misleading. Two main factors distort the picture: the rate of part-time employment and differences between sectors.
In places like the Netherlands and Germany, the widespread use of part-time contracts, chosen by 38 to 43 percent of workers, often for a better work-life balance, pulls down the national averages.
Countries with high proportions of part-time workers naturally report shorter average workweeks. In many cases, these part-time positions are not voluntary, with employees often wishing to work more.
Isolating only full-time workers changes the rankings considerably. Full-time employees in Germany average 40.2 hours per week, compared to 39.8 for those in France and 39 for those in the Netherlands.
In Luxembourg, the average for a full-time worker, including both paid and unpaid overtime, reaches 40.8 hours per week, despite the legal standard of 40 hours.
Annual hours worked add another layer. According to Rexecode data analysed by IFRAP (Foundation for Research on Public Administration and Public Policy), a full-time employee in France works 1,664 hours per year, compared to 1,785 hours in Germany.
This marks a difference of 121 hours, largely due to more holidays and additional days off (RTT) in France.
Work hours also differ notably by employment status and sector. Employees are not necessarily those who work the hardest.
Across Europe, the self-employed, such as artisans, business owners, and professionals, put in significantly longer hours.
In Luxembourg, they clock 1,800 hours per year, compared to 1,680 hours for employees. In France, the figure for the self-employed rises to 2,169 hours, making it one of the highest in Europe for this group.
In Belgium, the weekly gap between employees (35.2 hours) and the self-employed (43.2 hours) is a substantial eight hours.
Eurostat’s detailed figures show further disparities by profession. The most demanding weeks are seen among skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishing workers (42 hours), managers (40.6 hours), and members of the armed forces (39.4 hours).
By contrast, elementary jobs (31.8 hours), administrative staff (34 hours), and service or sales workers (34.5 hours) have the shortest working weeks, often due to a higher incidence of part-time contracts.
A gender gap persists in full-time work: men across the EU average 39.4 hours per week, while women average 37.6. This gap exceeds three hours in countries such as Ireland, the Netherlands, and Greece.
Despite all these differences, the overall trend remains downward: across Europe, average working hours continue to fall, as illustrated by the latest 2024 maps.
