On average, residents of the United States work more annual hours than their counterparts in other countries. Additionally, the United States provides neither statutory minimum annual leave, nor mandated paid parental leave.
Work & leisure
| COLOR CODING | |
|---|---|
| Green | Ranked first for statistic |
| Red | Ranked last for statistic |
| Life Satisfaction Average Score | Average hours worked/ year | Statutory min. annual leave | Vacation Days Offered | Vacation Days Taken | Weeks of paid maternity leave | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 7.3 | 1,683 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 18 |
| Canada | 7.4 | 1,644 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 16 |
| Denmark | 7.6 | 1,346 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 18 |
| France | 6.5 | 1,402 | 25 | 30 | 30 | 16 |
| Germany | 7.0 | 1,332 | 20 | 30 | 28 | 14 |
| Italy | 6.0 | 1,559 | 20 | 30 | 25 | 21.7 |
| Japan | 5.9 | 1,598 | 10 | 20 | 10 | 14 |
| Netherlands | 7.4 | 1,399 | 20 | 25 | 22 | 16 |
| Norway | 7.6 | 1,369 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 18 |
| Sweden | 7.3 | 1,424 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 12.9 |
| United Kingdom | 6.8 | 1,367 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 39 |
| United States | 6.9 | 1,767 | 0 | 15 | 12 | 0 |
SOURCES
Life Satisfaction Average Score: OECD Better Life Index 2020
Life satisfaction measures how people evaluate their life as a whole rather than their current feelings, on a scale from 0 to 10, self-reported.
Average Hours Worked per Year: OECD, 2020
Average annual hours actually worked per worker. Includes both full-time and part-time workers.
Statutory minimum annual leave: OECD Family Database, 2020
Statutory and collectively agreed annual leave.
Columns 4-5: Expedia, Work-Life Imbalance, 2016
Weeks of paid maternity leave: OECD Family Database, 2020
Paid leave entitlements available to mothers.
Notes
Discover the State of Global Emotions
2019 Gallup Global Emotions Report
“The misery is real: A third of the world is stressed, worried and in pain, Gallup report finds” Josh Hafner
April 25, 2019
USA TODAY. According to the Gallup 2019 Global Emotions Report, while a third of the world was stressed, worried, and in pain in 2018, the US takes the lead as the most stressed country at over 50 percent. Countries that are more positive (e.g. many Latin American countries) could possibly be so due to a better work-family balance.