It has been frequently said that the 24 hours that comprise a day are divided in three main sections; eight hours for sleep and rest, eight hours of work and eight hours for personal life. Nevertheless, work hours in several countries exceed this time.
Mexico is one of the countries with the longest workweeks in Latin America and in the world in which 45 to 48 hour weeks are worked, but there are countries in which people work up to 50 hours.
Countries with the longest workweeks in the world
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), workers around the world work an average of 43.9 hours per week. Some countries, however, exceed this average due to different economic structures, cultural norms, and labor policies.
According to the ranking, cited in the Inter-American Social Security Conference (CISS), the country with the longest working week is India, where its workers are on the job 56 hours per week, 12 hours more than the average.
Bhutan is second on the list. The Asian country has a 53.3 hour workweek. It is followed by Bangladesh, with 50.4 hours.
The countries that follow in the top 10 are:
Uganda: 50.3 hours
Cambodia: 49.5 hours
Pakistan: 49.2 hours
Sudan: 49 hours
United Arab Emirates: 48.7 hours
Jordania: 48.4 hours
Zimbabwe: 48.1 hours
In the case of Latin America, the countries with the longest workweeks are the following:
Colombia 46.6 hours
Guatemala: 45.3 hours
Mexico: 45.2 hours
Honduras: 44.9 hours
El Salvador: 66.8 hours
However, the “Hours Worked” indicator from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has a different list, in which an estimate is made of the effective time worked by each worker in a year is estimated.
The indicator includes the regular workers’ working hours on full-time, part-time, and annual bases, paid and unpaid overtime, and hours worked in additional jobs.
In 2024, the countries that head the longest working hours are:
Peru: 2,263 hours
Mexico: 2,193 hours
Costa Rica: 2,149 hours
Croatia: 1,956 hours
Chile: 1,919 hours
Greece: 1,898 hours
Israel: 1,877 hours
South Korea: 1,856 hours
Cyprus: 1,844 hours
Rumania: 1,829 hours
Meanwhile, the OECD recommends that working hours per worker should be 1,736 per year.
Reduction of Working Hours in Mexico
The initiative for the reduction of the workweek from 48 to 40 weeks has been a lengthy discussion process, but it is pointing toward becoming a reality.
Mexico has been discussing the reduction of the workweek from 48 to 40 weeks since 2023. (Jesús Almazán)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that in November the Department of Labor will present a formal proposal for the reduction of the workweek and a reform of the laws establishing its limits.
“It is almost a given that in 2026 we will be taking the first step of this reform, which will involve reducing weekly working hours at least to 46 hours per week”, labor lawyer Óscar de la Vega, partner at the De la Vega & Martínez Rojas, said.
Thus, the first step for next year is to reduce two working hours per week, in order to reach 40 hours by 2030.
The danger in long workweeks
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the ILO disclosed that, between 2000 and 2016, deaths caused by heart disease and strokes increased 42% and 19% respectively as a result of long work hours.
The cases were primarily found in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia regions, among middle-aged or older workers.
The study concluded that working 55 hours or more per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of suffering a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, in comparison with working 35-40 hours per week.
