New statistics from the University of Groningen, incorporating Eurostat data, reveal that Greeks have the most 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 percent 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 have a relatively smaller number of working hours.
As for the middle of the ranking, the UK has an average of 1,668 working hours per year. Spain comes quite close to this with 1,686 hours, while France averages out at 1,505 hours. Italy (1,718) and Portugal (1,865) have slightly higher averages.
Average annual hours worked in #Europe
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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 to 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 working 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 has shown that Greece has the third highest age in the European Union in terms of when young adults leave their parents’ home. The average age throughout the EU was 30.7 years this year. In 2022, this was 26.4 years, but this varied 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 do women across the EU, with the largest gender gap being recorded in Romania.
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