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P1The table compares annual hours worked per worker and statutory paid leave entitlement in days for five countries in 2019.

P2Overall, there was a broadly inverse relationship between hours worked and paid leave: Mexico had both the longest working hours and one of the shortest leave entitlements, while Germany recorded the fewest annual hours alongside a generous leave allocation. The USA was notable for having zero statutory paid leave despite working hours well above the European nations.

P3Mexico's workers averaged 2,137 hours per year, the highest in the table, and were entitled to only 12 days of statutory leave. The USA ranked second in hours at 1,779, but uniquely offered no statutory paid leave entitlement whatsoever. Japan recorded 1,644 hours annually with 10 days of leave, placing it between the high-hours American and Mexican economies and the lower-hours European ones.

P4The UK and Germany worked considerably fewer hours per year, at 1,538 and 1,386 respectively, and both offered more generous leave. The UK's statutory entitlement was 28 days, more than double Mexico's, while Germany's workers received 20 days alongside the shortest working year in the table. The gap in annual hours between Mexico and Germany was 751 hours, equivalent to nearly 94 standard eight-hour working days. Taken together, the data show that the countries with the longest working hours were not those offering the most time off, and the pattern was consistent across all five nations.