Work-life balance is hard to measure, but some countries consistently give people more time and security outside work: shorter hours, more paid holiday, generous parental leave and cultures where leaving the office on time is normal. The most widely used benchmark is the OECD's Better Life Index, which scores countries on the share of employees working very long hours (50+ a week) and on time devoted to leisure and personal care. This guide combines that data with each country's legal minimums to rank ten of the best countries for work-life balance.
How we compared countries
We looked at four things: the OECD's work-life balance measures; statutory minimum paid holiday; paid parental leave; and legal protections such as limits on working time or a right to disconnect. Individual experience varies hugely by employer and sector, so treat this as a guide to national norms rather than a promise.
1. Denmark
Denmark tops the OECD's work-life balance ranking. Only about 2% of Danish employees work very long hours, against an OECD average of around 10% or more. The standard full-time week is 37 hours, workers are entitled to five weeks of paid holiday (25 days) under the Holiday Act, and flexible hours are common. Danish workplaces are relatively flat and trusting, and leaving early to collect children is normal.
2. Spain
Spain ranks near the top of the OECD index largely because of time devoted to leisure: full-time workers spend around 16 hours a day on personal care and leisure, above the OECD average. Workers are entitled to 30 calendar days of paid holiday, and social life — long lunches, evening walks and family gatherings — remains central, although salaries are lower than in northern Europe.
3. The Netherlands
The Netherlands has the lowest share of employees working very long hours of any OECD country — under 1%. Part-time work is widespread and respected: according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), around half of all workers work part-time, including many men. Employees are entitled to at least four times their weekly working hours as paid holiday (20 days for a five-day week), and most employers give more.
4. Norway
Norway combines short working hours, a 37.5-hour standard week and 25 working days of statutory holiday with one of the world's most generous parental leave systems. Parents can share 49 weeks at full pay or 59 weeks at 80% pay, including quotas reserved for each parent, according to the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). High salaries and a strong safety net reduce financial stress.
5. Sweden
Swedish workers are entitled to 25 days of paid holiday, and parents share 480 days of paid parental leave per child, most of it at close to 80% of salary, as described by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. Some employers have experimented with six-hour days, and a culture of "fika" — coffee breaks with colleagues — is part of working life.
6. Germany
Germany has among the lowest average annual working hours in the OECD. Full-time employees are legally entitled to at least 20 days' holiday on a five-day week, with most receiving 25 to 30 days, and the Working Hours Act limits the working day to eight hours on average (ten at most). Many large employers restrict out-of-hours emails, and German law requires sick leave to be fully paid by the employer for up to six weeks.
7. France
France's legal working week is 35 hours, beyond which overtime rules apply, and employees receive five weeks of paid holiday a year. Since 2017, companies with 50 or more employees must negotiate arrangements for a "right to disconnect" from work communications outside working hours, according to the French Labour Code published on Légifrance. A long lunch break remains common outside big cities.
8. Finland
Finland regularly tops the World Happiness Report and offers flexible working hours laws that let many employees shift their start and finish times. Workers accrue around 30 days of annual leave (roughly five weeks), and summer holidays spent at lakeside cottages are a national tradition. Its parental leave system gives each parent a similar quota of paid leave.
9. New Zealand
New Zealand guarantees four weeks of paid annual leave plus public holidays under its Holidays Act, according to Employment New Zealand. Its well-known four-day week trials, led by firms such as Perpetual Guardian, drew global attention, and an outdoor lifestyle is easy to fit around work. Wages are lower than in Australia, though, which pushes some people into longer hours.
10. Australia
Australian workers receive four weeks of paid annual leave and, uniquely, long service leave after about seven to ten years with one employer. Since August 2024, most employees have a legal right to disconnect: they can refuse to monitor or respond to work contact outside working hours unless the refusal is unreasonable, according to the Fair Work Ombudsman. The climate and beach culture make weekends count.
Countries that struggle
At the other end of the OECD's scale, Mexico, Türkiye and Colombia have the highest shares of employees working very long hours — around a quarter of workers in each. The United States has no statutory minimum paid holiday or paid parental leave at federal level, although many employers offer both. Japan and South Korea have historically had long-hours cultures, though both governments have introduced limits on overtime.
Belgium and Portugal deserve a mention too: Belgium scores highly on the OECD's leisure measures and gives workers 20 days' statutory leave plus generous public holidays, and Portugal introduced rules in 2021 restricting employers from contacting staff outside working hours.
Choosing a country for balance
Legal minimums are only a starting point: in any country, your employer, sector and seniority matter most. When evaluating a job abroad, ask about typical hours, overtime expectations, holiday, flexible and remote working, parental leave and whether managers actually take their holidays. If you work remotely for a foreign employer, the host country's employment protections may not apply to you, so check your contract. And remember the cost side of the equation: shorter hours in a country with high living costs can still mean financial pressure, so compare take-home pay and rent as well as time off.
