U.S. Ranks Last in Global Work-Life Balance Study

With ongoing concerns about worker productivity, high employee turnover, and widespread burnout impacting the U.S. economy, a new global study on work-life balance has delivered a stark, data-driven explanation for these challenges: the United States is the worst-ranked developed nation for supporting its workforce.

The 'Work-Life Balance Index' from Compare the Market ranked the U.S. last out of 39 countries. The primary driver of this poor performance is policy-based: the U.S. is the only country in the study with zero federally mandated paid annual or parental leave.

The research highlights the "hidden costs" of this approach. While countries like Finland (ranked #1) invest in robust family support and time off, the U.S. model is increasingly linked to widespread employee burnout and dissatisfaction, trends that directly impact long-term productivity and economic stability.

The United States tops the list of the WORST countries for work-life balance:

Rank	Country	Annual Hours Worked  (Per Worker)	Paid Days Off	Maternity Paid Leave Rate	Paternity Paid Leave Rate	Happiness Score	Total Score (Max 100)
1	United States	1,799	0	0%	0%	6.724	28.01
2	Colombia	2,297	33	100%	100%	6.004	32.87
3	Mexico	2,207	19	100%	100%	6.979	37.28
4	Turkey	1,732	26.5	90%	100%	5.262	39.07
5	New Zealand	1,751	32	48.7%	0%	6.952	43.88
6	Ireland	1,633	30	23.6%	23.6%	6.889	44.63
7	Chile	1,953	30	100%	100%	6.361	45.65
8	Canada	1,685	17	39%	40.5%	6.803	45.65
9	Australia	1,651	30	46.1%	46.1%	6.974	45.9
10	UK	1,524	28	31.1%	20.4%	6.728	45.99

According to the report, United States tops the list of countries with the poorest work-life balance, scoring 28.01 out of 100:

• Annual Hours Worked (Per Worker): 1,799

• Paid Days Off: 0

• Maternity Paid Leave Rate: 0%

• Paternity Paid Leave Rate: 0%

• Happiness Score: 6.724

Colombia and Mexico follow in second and third place, respectively. In contrast, workers in Finland average 1,499 hours a year, get 36 paid leave days, up to 161 weeks of maternity and 16 weeks of paternity leave, enjoy 15.2 hours of leisure daily with 25-minute commutes, and score 7.7/10 for happiness, ranking among the best globally for work-life balance.

The full study and methodology can be found here.