Mexico is the country with the highest workload in the world. The average workload per person here is 2,207 hours or 276 days a year. This was discovered by the media company Visual Capitalist when it calculated the average working hours of full-time and part-time employees in the 38 member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Among the 34 countries for which data were available, Costa Rica (2,171 hours and 271 days) and Chile (1,953 hours, 244 days) were in the top three, along with Mexico. These results could be explained by factors such as the economic importance of labor-intensive industries such as agriculture, the lack of social protection programs, and lower wages, all of which lead people to work more and longer days.

Greece ranks fourth, perhaps thanks to a nationwide effort to boost economic growth after a protracted financial crisis. It is likely to maintain this position even if the government introduces a six-day work week. Israel and South Korea are likely to top the rankings due to their extreme work cultures. Workers here are likely to work longer hours than in other countries.

This is how they perform:

Despite touting itself as a developed country with a tireless work ethic, the United States ranks ninth. The average American here works a total of 1,799 hours, or 225 days, per year—fewer than in countries like Canada or Poland, but more than other high-income Western countries like France, Norway, or Germany. Thanks to paid vacation, affordable insurance, and other government protections, workers in these countries can afford a better work-life balance.

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