Global life-work balance index 2025

Overall index score: 86.59

If you’re considering relocating abroad for work in 2025, few places beat New Zealand. In fact, “The Land of the Long White Cloud” (the English rendering of the country’s Māori name Aotearoa) keeps top spot in our index for a third consecutive year, even nudging its score up from 2024 in part because of a small rise in the minimum wage.

What makes New Zealand so strong on life-work balance? Being surrounded by such varied, breathtaking scenery helps, but although the country isn’t number one for every metric we measured, it posts consistently good results across the study — especially for statutory annual leave, public happiness, safety and minimum wage (where it has the second-highest standing of the countries we assessed).

Kiwis value hard work, 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 #2 position in 2025. Famous worldwide for its friendly people, the country associated with St. Paddy’s Day is, alongside Austria, regarded as the safest place to live and work of those we analysed.

The Emerald Isle performs well across most measures, with a comparatively high minimum wage and a more generous maternity leave provision than many countries (26 weeks’ leave paid at a 70% income rate). Workplace culture in Ireland generally strikes a balance between working hard and a genuine sense of community and camaraderie.

Overall index score: 75.91

Securing a top-three finish after sharing the spot with Denmark last year, life-work balance is increasingly a hallmark of Belgian culture alongside chocolate, waffles and beer — and it’s not just because Belgium has one of the highest minimum wages in Europe (surpassed only by the United Kingdom and Germany).

Belgium scores highly on a number of other indicators too, including statutory sick pay and maternity payment rates, and its happiness rating is among the best in Europe at 6.91/10. Belgians also tend to work relatively short weeks on average (34.1 hours) compared with many overseas counterparts.

Overall index score: 74.37

Germany has climbed two places from the 2024 ranking to take fourth in our 2025 life-work balance index. Punctuality and professionalism are often labelled “German values,” but there’s also a clear focus on working smarter rather than harder — a factor that helps explain Germany’s reputation for a strong life-work balance in Europe.

A number of factors have lifted Germany’s 2025 score, but a notable development is an increase in statutory sick pay, particularly for parents. We’ve also observed a small rise in overall happiness and a reduction in average hours worked per week, while the country’s LGBTQ+ inclusivity has improved since 2024.

Overall index score: 74.20

Making the largest leap among our top ten, Norway rises from ninth in the 2024 study to fifth this year. The improvement is largely due to an extension of parental leave options (Norway provides the most generous parental leave of all the countries we examined), and there has also been a modest reduction in working hours. At 32.6 hours, Norway’s average work week is among the shortest in Europe.

Norwegian work culture leans towards equality and cooperation, which is reflected in its top ranking for LGBTQ+ inclusivity on our list. Like many of its Nordic neighbours, Norway is also seen as one of Europe’s happiest nations.

Overall index score: 73.76

Danes have long been associated with a healthy separation between personal and professional life. Many point to Denmark’s strong focus on balancing work and life as a central reason it repeatedly ranks among the world’s happiest nations — the Danes’ fondness for the hygge lifestyle may also play a part.

Although Denmark has slipped out of the top three this year (it shared third place with Belgium in 2024), the country remains synonymous with a high quality of life, ranking just behind Finland for public happiness. It also has one of the shortest average working weeks (32.5 hours) and is widely regarded as one of the safest and most LGBTQ+-friendly countries.

Overall index score: 72.89

Canada may have dropped two places this year, but it remains the only country from the Americas to appear in the top ten for life-work balance. In stark contrast to its neighbour to the south (the United States ranked 59th out of the 60 countries reviewed), “The Great White North” posts solid scores across many of the metrics included in our 2025 study.

For example, Canada ranks among the world’s leading countries for statutory sick pay, and it also performs well on public safety and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Additionally, Canada offers universal government-funded healthcare — something the U.S. does not provide.

Workplaces in Canada generally prize punctuality and dependability, while employees tend to keep a clear separation between work and family life.

Overall index score: 71.53

Australia is commonly viewed as very laid back, with Aussies typically adopting a “no-worries” attitude to life. Their workplaces often reflect this, favouring openness and egalitarianism. The country maintains a strong focus on employee wellbeing, keeping its position at number eight for life-work balance for a second year running.

While Australia trails its Antipodean neighbour New Zealand in many categories, it has the highest minimum wage of any country we studied — the equivalent of $18.12 in U.S. dollars. Unsurprisingly for a nation known for a relaxed outlook (and plenty of sunshine), Australians generally work shorter hours (32.29 per week) than in many other countries.

Overall index score: 71.42

Closing out the top ten is Finland, “officially” the happiest country in the world in 2025, according to a recent study. The Finns have in fact been named the world’s most content nation for the last eight years, a result commonly linked to high levels of societal trust and freedom, plus a strong closeness to nature and the outdoors.

Finland has slipped two places in our global life-work balance ranking this year (partly due to a small fall in LGBTQ+ inclusivity) but remains in the top ten thanks to that high happiness score, a generous statutory annual leave entitlement, strong sick pay rates, and a relatively short average working week.

Overall index score: 70.53

Is the stereotype of the traditional Spanish “siesta” out of date and misleading? Possibly (it’s thought that most Spaniards never take a midday nap), yet the country still maintains a generally healthy attitude to work and life, keeping its place in the top 10 for a second year.

Although Spain’s public happiness rating may seem lower than other European nations, the country scores well on most factors we measured. Spain is regarded as the second-most LGBTQ+-friendly country of the 60 we analysed. Spanish workers also benefit from generous annual leave entitlements and solid maternity payment contributions.