What work days looks like in different countries

Commuters walk during the morning rush hour in Brazil.

Paulo Whitaker/Reuters

The average work day differs vastly worldwide: Printerland.co.uk examined the daily habits of office workers around the world.
Employees based in Nigeria, Cameroon, and South Korea endure 12-hour daily shifts.
British staff work shorter hours and days than the majority of Europe.

When you’re having a bad day, even a typical work day can seem to drag on forever — but in some regions around the world, the concept of working day-in and day-out hits closer to home.

Printerland.co.uk surveyed a panel of respondents from each of the 65 countries included in their study, examining the daily habits of office workers around the world. The study took commute times, breaks throughout the work day, and cultural factors into account to create an infographic representing what an average work day looks like around the world.

Keep reading to learn about the world’s most — and least — hard-working countries, below.

Nigerians have the longest commutes of all.

People crowd a street at the central business district in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos.

REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

According to Printerland, an average commute can last up to three hours — that’s six hours in total per day — due to the catastrophic road conditions, a plethora of potholes, and constant traffic jams. Then, the typical work day is a full 12 hours.

Here’s the kicker: while Nigerian workers tend to spend around 18 hours of their days commuting to and at work, they’re only entitled to around a one-hour lunch break, on average.

Commuters in Japan only have a two-hour round trip — but they often cram themselves sardine-style into trains.

A train conductor in Japan pushes commuters into the train.

Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

The average work day starts at 8.30 a.m. in Japan, and ends at about 7 p.m, typically including a one-hour lunch break.

However, after-work drinks often run late, and passing on them is considered rude. Japanese workers are also typically expected to arrive early and work overtime, for no compensation, which perhaps explains why there is a lot of pressure on Japanese companies to eradicate the risk of karōshi (過労死), or “overwork death.”

A work day in the United Kingdom closely mirrors one in the US.

People in the UK have a shorter work day than those in America.

Shutterstock/S-F

In the UK, the day begins at 8:50 a.m. — 20 minutes after the US work day begins — and ends at 5 p.m., which is 30 minutes earlier than in the US.

British and American work days vary quite a bit — click here to see just how much.

Employees based in Nigeria, Cameroon, and South Korea can endure up to 12-hour shifts — the longest of all the countries analyzed.

Jeung Un, 27, a freelance photographer, poses for a portrait at a site which protesters have occupied, in central Seoul, South Korea.

Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

The length of these work days is often compounded by cultural factors, such as after-work drinks and dinners that employees would be looked down upon should they not attend.

Meanwhile, Finland and Canada are tied for the shortest work day worldwide.

The Canadian flag on display.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

At just six hours and 45 minutes, both countries clock the least number of hours per average work day. Finland, however, has three different breaks allotted in an average workday schedule (from 10 to 10.20 a.m., 12 to 12.30 p.m., and 3 to 3.20 p.m.), while Canada only has one, from about noon to 12:40 p.m.

The work day in South Korea is split up by two breaks — but employees finish work as late as 8 or 9 p.m.

South Koreans wait in line at a job fair.

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Printerland adds that after-work meals with your team (called hweshik) are a common occurrence in South Korea, and that it is considered rude not to attend — even if that extends your work day until 9 p.m.

According to NPR, individual South Koreans work 2,069 hours annually, compared to the 1,783 of United States workers.

A whopping two-hour lunch break falls in the middle of the work day in both Italy and China.

Pasta is served family-style.

Dean Drobot/Shutterstock

These breaks give workers time to prepare a meal at home, and eat with their families before returning to finish the day.

Italian workers work from about 8 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. before taking their break; they then resume at 1:30 p.m. and work until 7 p.m.

Chinese workers begin the day at 8:30 a.m. and go to noon; after their two-hour break they work until 6 p.m.

Check out what lunch hour looks like in seven countries around the world.

Thanks to the “siesta,” Spanish workers have the latest work evenings in Europe.

Nap time.

Flickr/Julie Vaccalluzzo

Siestas — which are afternoon rests or naps — traditionally occur in the summer, when it is considered too hot to work. Spanish workers who take a siesta during the work day end up working much later — until around 8 p.m. — rendering them less popular than they once were.

Research demonstrates that siestas are now being phased out in an attempt to end the working day at 6 p.m., thus bringing Spain in line with the rest of Europe.

In the Netherlands, even though lunch tends to take place from 12.30 p.m. to 1 p.m., it is acceptable to take multiple coffee breaks during the work day.

A girl sips coffee.

Ciara Appelbaum / INSIDER

Workers begin at around 8.40 a.m. and leave the office at 5.10 p.m., on average. Additionally, workers enjoy taking part in afternoon drinks on Fridays, called “Borrel.”

Americans typically work from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., with a 30-minute lunch break, usually taken deskside.

Lunch is often eaten deskside in the US.

NBC

Commute times average out to around 40 minutes each way, on average.

The US is also known for the “sad desk lunch.”

Getting to work in Pakistan is a risky endeavor.

An ornately painted passenger minibus on a street in Pakistan.

imranahmedsg/Shutterstock

To get to work, Pakistani workers also had three hour one-way commutes, often on over-crowded buses that were prone to traffic accidents and breakdowns.

Once on site, Pakistani workers typically spend eight hours at work, with a one-hour break around noon.

The working week begins on Sunday, not Monday, in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi women talk during the first annual Bab Rizq Jameel, a three-day job opportunity fair for Saudi youth.

Jordan Pix/ Getty Images

In Saudi Arabia, the five-day work week starts on Sunday, not Monday. Employees will typically work from 8 a.m. until noon, and then take a three-hour lunch before clocking back in until work finishes at 6 p.m.

The work day is also broken up by the five prayer times.

Informal meetings are frequently held after work in Kenya.

A hair salon in Kenya.

Noor Khami/Reuters

These meetings give workers an opportunity to network and connect to potential clients, and are viewed as extremely productive.

Kenyan workers have an hour or less commute either way; they tend to start at 8.30 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.

Romanians have the longest work days in Europe.

A Romanian family.

Cristian Bortes/Flickr

Work days in Romania consist of nine-hour, 45-minute shifts, compared to the UK’s ~eight-hour daily shifts.

The most frustrating commute in Europe is in Greece.

A laid-off factory worker stands in front of the graffiti-painted entrance of the Labour Ministry in Athens.

REUTERS/Kostas Tsironis

Greeks spend around an hour on the road or on public transportation to commute to and from work; Hong Kong commuters, on the other hand, spend around 20 minutes commuting on average, which perhaps helps explain why the city was named “the best city in the world for commuters” in 2014.

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