The Burrow
Jul 11, 2025
The average person spends around 90,000 hours working in their lifetime.1 So, when work starts to encroach on personal time, it can impact how we feel day-to-day. Even with the rise of remote and flexible working, many people may not know how to achieve a good work-life balance.2
Many people globally are experiencing burnout, stress, and longer working hours. Whether it’s managing home and family responsibilities, working overtime, or struggling to switch off after hours, people are seeking more effective ways to protect their well-being.
As experts in understanding how health insurance can support your ongoing wellbeing and help you maintain a positive work-life balance, we wanted to discover where in the world has it the best. To do this, we analysed 39 countries using 10 key factors — from hours worked, paid leave, commute times, parental support, remote work, and happiness score, among other factors.
Read on to find out why a good work-life balance is important, how to achieve it, the countries leading the way and where there’s room for improvement.
You can also click here to view our 2022 data, and here to view our 2024 dataset.
Work-life balance means having sufficient time and energy to manage your job without letting it consume your personal life. It’s about being present at work and also being there for the moments that matter to you, such as the school pickups, dinners with friends, morning workouts, or some well-earned downtime on the couch.
Work-life balance is not a one-size-fits-all solution; it’s about finding what works best for you and your lifestyle. It’s about having flexibility, support, and structure. It means finishing work without guilt, using your leave when needed, and not feeling the need to check emails late at night.
Good balance looks different for everyone, but at its core, it is about making space for what matters both inside and outside of work.
A good work-life balance is important in those moments when work takes over every part of your life; it can leave you feeling drained, disconnected, and constantly behind. Over time, this could lead to stress, poor sleep, anxiety, burnout, and even physical health problems. A lack of rest can take a toll on your relationships, motivation, and overall quality of life.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance enables people to feel more productive, engaged, and satisfied, both at work but and in their personal lives. They can have the time for things that recharge them, such as hobbies, family, exercise, or simply taking a break
That is why work-life balance is not just a luxury, it is essential for individuals, families, workplaces, and communities alike. This balance not only enriches your personal life but also enhances your professional performance, leading to a more satisfying and successful career.
Finland leads the ranking with a total score of 71.45 out of 100, setting the gold standard for work-life balance. Finnish workers put in an average of 1,499 hours annually — well below countries like Australia or the US — and receive 36 days of paid leave, offering plenty of time for holidays, rest, and recharging.
Finland stands out for its exceptional family support. Paid maternity leave stretches to an impressive 161 weeks (over three years), while fathers get more than 16 weeks of paid paternity leave. This helps reduce parental stress and reflects a strong commitment to balancing work and home life.
Finns also enjoy about 15.2 hours of leisure and personal care daily, with a short average commute of just over 25 minutes. The country scores highly on happiness (7.7 out of 10) and ranks among the best globally for remote work access.
Narrowly missing out on the top spot is Norway, with a total score of 71.41. Norwegians work slightly fewer hours (1,418 per year) and receive almost as much paid leave, receiving 35 days, maintaining a strong focus on family support and work-life balance.
At the bottom of the list is the United States, ranking 39th with a total score of just 28.01 out of 100. Despite being a global leader in innovation, the US struggles with work-life balance due to long working hours and a lack of paid leave. It is the only country in this ranking that offers no federally mandated paid annual leave or paid parental leave, placing it far behind most other nations.
American workers put in 1,799 hours per year, one of the highest in the study, and spend less time on personal care and leisure, averaging only 14.6 hours per day. Although remote work is fairly accessible and the happiness score is mid-range, these factors don’t compensate for the limited support available.
For many in the US, balancing work and life is largely an individual effort with no national policies to provide support, and the data reflects this challenge.
The Nordics are no strangers to these kinds of rankings, regularly appearing at the top of happiness and quality of life indexes. Finland (71.45), Norway (71.41), Sweden (68.01), Iceland (67.85), and Denmark (66.8) all made it in the top 10.
In these countries, working long hours isn’t worn as a badge of honour. People don’t work over time, have generous amounts of paid days off , and have strong parental support — not just for mums, but for dads too. And it’s not all government policy — the cultural expectation is that people should enjoy their lives outside of work.
Countries like the Netherlands (70.66), Luxembourg (69.58), and Spain (69.12) also place highly, thanks to generous leave entitlements, solid support for families, and a healthy approach to personal time. Estonia (70.08) makes the top five, with 40 paid days off, the highest of any country in the index, good digital infrastructure, and growing flexibility around how and where people work.
So, what do these countries have in common? Shorter working weeks, better leave, higher happiness scores, and cultures that support people when it comes to switching off. It shows that when work complements life, rather than competing with it, everyone wins.
The work-life balance in Australia is not the worst, but they scored low compared to other countries in our index. The data revealed several key areas for improvement. With a score of 45.9, Australia places 31st out of 39 countries.
Australians work an average of 1,651 hours per year, noticeably higher than most of the top 10 countries. They receive 30 paid days off annually, which is reasonable but still fewer than many countries in the index. When it comes to time for themselves, Aussies average 14.4 hours a day on leisure and personal care, which is slightly less than in Nordic nations.
Parental leave is one area where Australia falls short. Maternity leave covers just 18 weeks at 46.1% pay, and fathers receive only two weeks, which doesn’t compare with Finland’s 16 weeks or more for both parents. Commute times are fairly long too, averaging 37.4 minutes each way, which can eat into downtime.
On the positive side, Australia scores fairly well for remote work access and its happiness rating sits at 6.9 out of 10, suggesting many Aussies are still managing to find balance — even if it’s not always easy. Overall, the numbers suggest a culture that could benefit from stronger leave entitlements, more flexibility, and better family support. With a few key changes, Australia could move closer to the top of the index.
If you’re struggling to focus at work, feeling constantly drained, having trouble sleeping, or waking up with a sense of dread, these could be warning signs of burnout — and potential long-term health issues.
Even if you don’t feel that extreme, you might still want to reclaim more of your personal life. Here are some practical tips to help you find that balance.
When starting a new job, it’s natural to want to impress by taking on everything. But saying yes to every request can lead to stress and overwhelm.
Setting clear boundaries is key. If your workload is becoming unmanageable, speak up and discuss it with your manager. Turn off email notifications outside work hours to protect your downtime.
Everyone is different and what works for one person might not work for another. Yoga, meditation, and Pilates are great for many, but if those aren’t your style, try something else—running, dancing, weightlifting, or any activity that gets you moving.
Making time each day for exercise not only helps you switch focus from work but also boosts your mood, lowers stress, and improves your overall well-being. If you’re interested, consider a health insurance plan that offers extras such as gym membership benefits.
If your job no longer brings you joy and Monday mornings feel like a burden, it might be time for a change.
Reflect on what you truly want, whether it’s staying in the same field or making a complete career shift. Sometimes reflecting on your options to move on can bring a huge sense of relief and renewed motivation.
When the demands of work and life start to overwhelm you, stress can take a serious toll, potentially leading to anxiety, changes in appetite or weight, and leaving little time or energy for exercise.
Having a health insurance policy that suits you can provide valuable support during these times. Hospital cover can support you with services like mental health care, psychiatric care, rehabilitation, and pain management, depending on your policy.
If hospital psychiatric services are a priority, consider higher cover such as a gold policy for more comprehensive support. For ongoing wellbeing, extras cover can include benefits like fitness classes or counselling (subject to limits and eligibility). Some insurers also offer health programs designed to support both physical and mental health.
Whether you’re planning ahead of managing a pre-existing condition, the health insurance experts at Compare the Market can help guide you towards a policy that suits your needs, giving you total peace of mind.
This dataset ranks 39 countries based on their work-life balance using 10 key factors. Each factor’s data was collected and normalised to a score between 0 and 1. If data was missing, a score of 0 was given. These scores were then combined to give each country a total score out of 100, and countries were ranked from highest to lowest.
The factors used are:
Indexing rules:
All data is accurate as of 12/06/25 and comes from multiple sources. Rankings reflect these sources but may not capture every real-life detail.
Sources: