Work–life balance in Europe: working hours, holidays and parental leave in 29 countries
Verified 2026-10-04 · Statutory minimums, not what every employer offers
Europe is famous for time off, but the gap between countries is large: the average worker in the longest-hours country works over 500 hours more a year than in the shortest-hours one. Here are the numbers that actually matter for daily life — hours worked, minimum paid holiday, public holidays and parental leave.
At a glance
- Shortest working years: Germany (1,332 h), Denmark (1,369 h), Norway (1,386 h) (OECD average annual hours per worker). Longest: Greece (1,897 h), Malta (1,844 h), Croatia (1,837 h).
- Paid holiday floor: the EU guarantees at least 4 weeks (20 working days). Luxembourg (26), Austria, Denmark, France and Sweden (25) give the most by law.
- Parental leave: the Nordic countries and Estonia are the most generous; Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland pay for many months and reserve time for each parent.
- Average hours are lower where part-time work is common (Germany, Netherlands, Denmark), so they do not tell you how long a full-time week is. Full-time contracts are usually 38–40 hours everywhere.
Last verified 2026-10-04. Research method: official-source collection for all 29 Schengen countries, then an independent cross-check with Perplexity. Where the two disagreed we used the official source; anything we could not confirm is labelled. See our editorial standards.
| Country | Avg annual hours (OECD, approx.) | Statutory paid leave (working days) | Public holidays | Parental leave highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 1,332 | 20 | 9–13 (by state) | Elterngeld: 14 months shared (65% of net pay, €300–1,800/month) |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | 1,369 | 25 | 11 | Mother 28 weeks + father/co-parent 24 weeks (9 weeks each non-transferable) |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | 1,386 | 21 (25 on a 6-day basis) + extra week from 60 | 11 | 49 weeks at 100% pay or 61 weeks at 80%, with parental quotas |
| 🇮🇸 Iceland | 1,421 | 24 | 13–16 | 12 months shared; 6 months each at 80% of pay (cap ISK 800,000/month) |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 1,421 | 25 | 13 | 480 days shared between parents (390 at sickness-benefit level) |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 1,442 | 25 | 13 | Karenz up to 22–24 months (shared) |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 1,445 | 20 | 11 (no universal right to a paid day off) | Maternity 16 weeks; partner 1 week at 100% + 5 weeks at 70% |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 1,459 | 26 | 11 | Maternity 20 weeks, paternity 2 weeks (not verified officially) |
| 🇫🇷 France | 1,491 | 25 (30 Mon–Sat days) | 11 | Maternity 16 weeks (26 from 3rd child); paternity leave also available |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | 1,492 | 20 → 25 after first year | 14 | Pregnancy leave 40 days + parental allowance 320 days (160 per parent) |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 1,533 | 20 | 8–9 (cantonal) | Maternity 14 weeks at 80%; paternity 2 weeks |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 1,545 | 20 | 10 | Maternity 15 weeks, paternity 4 weeks (OECD-based, not verified officially) |
| 🇱🇻 Latvia | 1,548 | 20 (28 calendar days) | 12–14 | Maternity 112–140 days at 80% of insured wage |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 1,596 | 20 | 15 | Maternity 105 days; paternity and shared parental leave available |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 1,627 | 20 (25 if aged 33+ or caring for a child) | 15 | Maternity 34 weeks; father 28 weeks (EURES wording) |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 1,634 | 22 (30 calendar days) | 14 | 16 weeks of birth leave per parent (equal) |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 1,641 | 20 | 15 | Maternity 410 days at 90% of pay; paternity 15 days |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 1,641 | 20 (24 for some groups) | 14–15 | Maternity 126 days at 77.58%; paternity 30 days; childcare leave to age 3 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 1,694 | 20 (collective agreements often more) | 12 | Maternity ≈ 20 weeks; paternity leave and parental leave under 2022 law |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | 1,696 | 20 (+ age and children) | 13 | Maternity 24 weeks (first 6 months at 70%); childcare leave up to 3 years |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 1,716 | 22 | 13 | Maternity 17–25 weeks; paternity 4 weeks mandatory + optional week |
| 🇪🇪 Estonia | 1,742 | 20 (28 calendar days) | 12 | Maternity 100 days at 100% pay; paternity 30 days; 475 shareable parental days |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 1,776 | 20 (26 after 10 years) | 14 | Maternity 20 weeks; father up to 2 weeks; parental leave up to 41 weeks |
| 🇨🇿 Czechia | 1,824 | 20 | 13 | Maternity 28 weeks; parental leave until child is 3; paternity 14 days |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | 1,831 | 20 | 15 | Maternity 126 days paid |
| 🇭🇷 Croatia | 1,837 | 20 | 14 | Maternity about 30 weeks, paternity 4 weeks (not verified officially) |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | 1,844 | 24 | 14 | Maternity 18 weeks; paternity 10 working days |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | 1,897 | 20 (rises with service) | 12 | Maternity 17 weeks, paternity 2 weeks (not verified officially) |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | n/a | 20 | 13 | Maternity 20 weeks; paternity 2 weeks (from 2026) |
Annual hours are OECD figures for the latest year available (2024 or 2025), shown for comparison only — the OECD itself warns that national methods differ. "n/a" = no reliable figure found. Paid leave is the statutory minimum for a 5-day week in the first year of work; many contracts and collective agreements give more. Public-holiday counts vary by region or religion in several countries.
Why there is no single "work–life score" here
The OECD's Better Life Index is not published as a current, uniform numeric series for all these countries (Romania, Bulgaria and the microstates are missing, and older editions are out of date), so we do not rank countries on one made-up score. Compare the specific numbers above that matter to you.
What to ask your employer
- Contract hours per week, and whether overtime is paid or given as time off.
- Number of paid leave days in your contract (often above the legal minimum) and whether public holidays are extra.
- Remote or flexible work rules — several countries are introducing rights for parents and carers.
- Sick-pay rules: the first days are often unpaid or paid by the employer; the amounts differ widely.