Duration of working life by country
Countries reporting
35
Highest
46.5 Year
Iceland
Lowest
30.3 Year
Montenegro
Median
38.1 Year
Years covered
26
2000–2025
Data points
900
What the numbers show
Duration of working life is currently reported for 35 countries. The highest value is 46.5 Year in Iceland; the lowest is 30.3 Year in Montenegro.
The median across all reporting countries is 38.1 Year, and the mean is 37.88 Year.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 34 countries rose and 1 fell. The largest increase was in Malta (up 16.0%), and the largest decrease in Romania (down 0.3%).
Duration of working life: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 46.5 Year | 2024 | up 0.6% | flat |
| 2 | Netherlands | 44 Year | 2025 | up 10.3% | rising |
| 3 | Sweden | 43.4 Year | 2025 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 4 | Switzerland | 42.8 Year | 2025 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 5 | Denmark | 42.6 Year | 2025 | up 10.1% | rising |
| 6 | Estonia | 41.5 Year | 2025 | up 12.2% | rising |
| 7 | Norway | 41.4 Year | 2025 | up 4.0% | rising |
| 8 | Ireland | 40.7 Year | 2025 | up 13.1% | rising |
| 9 | Germany | 40.2 Year | 2025 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 10 | Finland | 40.1 Year | 2025 | up 6.4% | rising |
| 11 | Portugal | 39.7 Year | 2025 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 12 | Cyprus | 39.5 Year | 2025 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 13 | United Kingdom | 39.2 Year | 2018 | up 3.2% | rising |
| 13 | Malta | 39.2 Year | 2025 | up 16.0% | rising |
| 15 | Austria | 39.1 Year | 2025 | up 6.5% | rising |
| 16 | Lithuania | 38.6 Year | 2025 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 17 | Czechia | 38.1 Year | 2025 | up 8.2% | rising |
| 17 | Latvia | 38.1 Year | 2025 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 19 | France | 37.5 Year | 2025 | up 7.4% | rising |
| 19 | Hungary | 37.5 Year | 2025 | up 15.0% | rising |
| 21 | Slovenia | 37.2 Year | 2025 | up 8.5% | rising |
| 22 | Spain | 36.8 Year | 2025 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 23 | Slovakia | 36.1 Year | 2025 | up 8.1% | rising |
| 24 | Poland | 35.9 Year | 2025 | up 10.1% | rising |
| 25 | Belgium | 35.7 Year | 2025 | up 9.5% | rising |
| 26 | Luxembourg | 35.6 Year | 2025 | up 6.3% | rising |
| 27 | Serbia | 35.5 Year | 2025 | up 13.4% | rising |
| 28 | Greece | 35.3 Year | 2025 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 29 | Croatia | 35.1 Year | 2025 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 30 | Bulgaria | 34.6 Year | 2025 | up 7.8% | rising |
| 31 | Italy | 33 Year | 2025 | up 7.5% | rising |
| 32 | Romania | 32.7 Year | 2025 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 33 | North Macedonia | 31.8 Year | 2025 | up 1.9% | flat |
| 34 | Türkiye | 30.4 Year | 2025 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 35 | Montenegro | 30.3 Year | 2020 | up 9.0% | rising |