Workers in Greece have the longest actual working week in the entire European Union.
Industry & EmploymentGreece
- Omissions
- The claim does not specify a reference period. Eurostat's indicator covers the actual weekly hours of full-time and part-time workers aged 20-64 in their main job; the most recent data available at the session date (5 October 2026) were the 2024 figures (published 14 May 2025) and the 2025 figures (published 27 May 2026).
- Eurostat's indicator refers to 'actual weekly hours worked' and excludes secondary jobs and self-employment in the headline series; Greece also leads on the separate measure of usual hours for own-account workers (46.3 hours), reinforcing rather than contradicting the claim.
- Sources
- PrimaryEurostat — People in the EU worked on average 36 hours per week (news article ddn-20250514-1)In 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
- PrimaryEurostat Statistics Explained — Actual and usual hours of workFor men, only four EU countries recorded an average working week of 40 hours or more in 2025: Greece (41.8 hours), Poland (40.6 hours), Slovenia (40.2 hours). Also: 'Among all EU countries, the longest average working weeks for own-account workers were recorded in Greece (46.3 usual hours per week).'
- PrimaryEurostat — Average work week nearly 36 hours in the EU in 2025 (news article ddn-20260527-1)In 2025, the actual weekly working hours of EU full-time and part-time workers aged 20-64 in their main job averaged 35.9 hours, down from the previous year. Looking at the EU countries, the longest working weeks were recorded in Greece.