Global life-work balance index 2025

Overall index score: 86.59

If you’re weighing up a move abroad for work in 2025, few places beat New Zealand as a destination. Indeed, “The Land of the Long White Cloud” (the English translation of the country’s Māori name Aotearoa) has remained top of our index for the third consecutive year and even improved its 2024 score partly because minimum wage edged up slightly.

What makes New Zealand so conducive to life‑work balance? Being surrounded by remarkably varied, stunning landscapes helps, but the country doesn’t rely on a single strength — it posts consistently high ratings across the study, notably for statutory annual leave, public happiness, safety, and minimum wage (it ranks second-highest on minimum wage among the countries we assessed).

Hard work is valued in Kiwi culture, but as the New Zealand government’s guide to the NZ way of working points out, “Life is for living and employers generally respect that.”

Overall index score: 81.17

Ireland keeps its second-place spot in 2025. Known for its friendly locals and convivial atmosphere, the country often associated with St. Paddy’s Day is, alongside Austria, one of the safest places to live and work among those we reviewed.

The Emerald Isle posts solid results across numerous measures, including a comparatively high minimum wage and a generous maternity leave scheme by international standards (26 weeks at a 70% income replacement rate). Irish workplaces typically balance a strong work ethic with a genuine sense of community and camaraderie.

Overall index score: 75.91

Having secured a top-three place again after sharing the spot with Denmark last year, Belgium’s reputation for life‑work balance now sits alongside its famous chocolate, waffles and beer — helped by one of Europe’s highest minimum wages (surpassed only by the United Kingdom and Germany).

Belgium also scores well on other indicators such as statutory sick pay and maternity payment rate, and its happiness rating is among Europe’s highest at 6.91/10. On average, Belgians work relatively short weeks (34.1 hours) compared with many international peers.

Overall index score: 74.37

Germany has climbed two places since 2024 to sit fourth in our 2025 life‑work balance rankings. While punctuality and a professional demeanour are often described as quintessential “German values,” there’s also a strong focus on efficiency rather than sheer hours worked — a factor that helps explain Germany’s favourable life‑work balance.

Several developments boosted Germany’s 2025 score, notably an increase in statutory sick pay, particularly for parents. We also recorded a small rise in overall happiness, a reduction in average weekly hours, and an improvement in LGBTQ+ inclusivity compared with 2024.

Overall index score: 74.20

Norway makes the biggest leap among our top ten, rising from ninth place in 2024 to fifth in 2025. The primary driver was an extension of parental leave options (Norway now offers the most generous parental leave of the countries we studied), alongside a modest reduction in working hours. With an average week of 32.6 hours, Norway is among Europe’s shortest.

Norwegian work culture tends to prioritise equality and collaboration, and it’s reflected in the fact that Norway ranks as the most LGBTQ+-inclusive country on our list. As with other Nordic nations, Norway also ranks highly for public happiness.

Overall index score: 73.76

Danes are long associated with a healthy separation between personal and professional life. Many experts point to Denmark’s emphasis on balance as a core reason it frequently appears near the top of global happiness lists — and the Danes’ appreciation for hygge living likely contributes too.

Although Denmark slipped out of the top three this year (it shared third place with Belgium in 2024), it remains synonymous with a high quality of life, ranking second only to Finland for public happiness. Denmark also posts one of the shortest average working weeks (32.5 hours) and is viewed as both very safe and highly LGBTQ+-friendly.

Overall index score: 72.89

Canada falls two places in 2025 but remains the only nation from the Americas inside the top ten for life‑work balance. In contrast to its southern neighbour (the United States placed 59th of the 60 countries assessed), “The Great White North” records strong results across many metrics in our 2025 study.

For instance, Canada ranks among the top countries worldwide for statutory sick pay and also scores well on public safety and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Another distinction it holds that the U.S. lacks is a universal, government-funded healthcare system.

Canadian workplaces typically value punctuality and reliability, while employees generally keep a healthy divide between professional responsibilities and family life.

Overall index score: 71.53

Australia is widely perceived as having a relaxed culture, where many people adopt a “no‑worries” approach. That attitude is reflected in workplaces that favour openness and egalitarianism, and the country keeps its eighth-place ranking for life‑work balance for a second consecutive year.

Although Australia trails neighbour New Zealand across most categories, it has the highest minimum wage of the countries we examined — the equivalent of $18.12 in U.S. dollars. Unsurprisingly for a sun-soaked nation with a laid-back outlook, Australians tend to work relatively short weeks (32.29 hours on average).

Overall index score: 71.42

Closing out the top ten is Finland, which was named the world’s happiest country in 2025 according to a recent study. Finns have topped global happiness rankings for eight years running, a result often linked to high societal trust, personal freedoms, and close ties to nature.

Finland slipped two places in our life‑work balance index this year (partly due to a small decline in LGBTQ+ inclusivity) but remains in the top ten thanks to its exceptional happiness score, generous statutory annual leave, strong sick‑pay rates, and a comparatively short average working week.

Overall index score: 70.53

Is the classic image of the Spanish “siesta” now an outdated stereotype? Perhaps — it’s thought that most Spaniards never take a midday nap — yet Spain still maintains a generally healthy approach to balancing work and life, holding its top‑ten position for the second year running.

Although Spain’s public happiness score is modest compared with some other European nations, it performs well on many of our measures. Spain ranks as the second-most LGBTQ+-friendly country among the 60 we analysed, and workers there enjoy generous annual leave entitlements and solid maternity payment contributions.