Eurostat data show Greece leads the EU in working hours. Credit: Flickr / Duane Storey / CC BY NC ND 2-0
Greece stands out as the European Union’s leader in working hours, with employees clocking in far above the bloc’s average.
Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, reports that in the second quarter of 2025, 20.9% of Greek workers aged 20 to 64 worked more than 45 hours per week—nearly double the EU average of 10.8%.
The figures highlight Greece’s entrenched culture of long workweeks and underline sharp contrasts with other member states where shorter schedules are the norm.
Overtime contrasts across the union
While Greece tops the list, it is not alone in recording high levels of overtime. Cyprus follows with 16.6%, and Malta with 14.6%.
At the other end of the spectrum, Bulgaria (2.5%), Latvia (4.1%), and Romania (5.9%) report the lowest shares of employees working beyond 45 hours, underscoring the diversity of work cultures and labor structures across the EU.
Standard workweeks still dominate
Despite these disparities, most workers in Europe maintain conventional schedules. Eurostat data show that 72.3% of employed individuals work between 20 and 44 hours per week, reflecting the typical standard across the Union.
This majority indicates that, while long workweeks grab headlines, they are far from the dominant experience for most EU workers.
In Q2 2025, 10.8% of EU employed people worked more than 45 hours per week in their main and second job combined.🕑💼
Highest in:
🇬🇷 Greece (20.9%)
🇨🇾 Cyprus (16.6%)
🇲🇹 Malta (14.6%)
Lowest in:
🇧🇬 Bulgaria (2.5%)
🇱🇻 Latvia (4.1%)
🇷🇴 Romania (5.9%)
👉 https://t.co/UpgLjYROGT pic.twitter.com/0vsKqoDHl4
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) October 7, 2025
Part-Time employment reveals another divide
The survey also sheds light on part-time employment. Overall, 16.9% of workers in the EU reported schedules of fewer than 19 hours per week.
Northern and Western European countries lead this category, with the Netherlands (26.8%), Denmark (25.5%), and Austria (25.3%) recording the highest shares.
In contrast, Romania (3.5%), Bulgaria (4.6%), and Greece (6.1%) show the lowest reliance on part-time work.
Balancing productivity and Well-Being
The findings point to broader questions about labor practices and work-life balance across Europe. For Greece, the consistently long hours highlight pressures within its labor market, shaped by both cultural expectations and economic realities.
For other nations, especially those with greater part-time flexibility, the data suggest alternative approaches to balancing productivity with personal well-being.