Ranked: The Best Countries for Work-Life Balance in 2025

Bruno Venditti
2025-07-07 08:12:00
www.visualcapitalist.com

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

Ranked: The Best Countries for Work-Life Balance in 2025

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Key Takeaways

Top-ranked countries like New Zealand and Ireland offer generous paid maternity leave and statutory annual leave.
Most countries with universal healthcare also provide robust sick pay and maternity benefits.

In today’s fast-paced world, finding a healthy balance between life and work is becoming more important than ever. This infographic ranks countries based on how well they support this balance in 2025. The results highlight the nations that prioritize well-being alongside productivity.

The data for this visualization comes from Remote.com. It evaluates 20 countries on metrics like paid leave, maternity benefits, minimum wage, healthcare, safety, and happiness to produce a composite life-work balance index.

New Zealand and Ireland Lead the Way

New Zealand tops the list with an index score of 86.9 of 100, offering 32 days of statutory annual leave and 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave. Ireland follows with similarly generous benefits, including universal healthcare and a high minimum wage. According to the OECD, countries with robust social protections often report higher worker satisfaction and mental health outcomes.

Country	Index Score / 100	Annual Leave (Days)	Paid Maternity Leave	Minimum Wage (USD$)	Healthcare System
New Zealand	86.9	32	26 weeks, 100% pay	16.42	Universal
Ireland	81.2	30	26 weeks, 70% pay	13.96	Universal
Belgium	75.9	30	15 weeks, 75% pay	14.58	Public-Private
Germany	74.7	30	14 weeks, 100% pay	15.16	Public-Private
Norway	74.2	35	49 weeks, 100% pay	0	Universal
Denmark	73.8	35	18 weeks, 100% pay	0	Universal
Canada	73.5	17	18 weeks, 55% pay	11.6	Universal
Australia	72.1	30	12 weeks, minimum wage	18.12	Public-Private
Spain	71.9	36	16 weeks, 100% pay	8.39	Universal
Finland	70.9	36	15 weeks, 80% pay	0	Universal
UK	69.7	28	39 weeks, 100% pay	15.67	Universal
Netherlands	69.0	28	16 weeks, 100% pay	11.98	Private
Portugal	68.7	31	6 weeks, 100% pay	5.6	Universal
Argentina	68.4	29	12.6 weeks, 100% pay	14.89	Public-Private
Austria	68.0	38	16 weeks, 100% pay	–	Public-Private
France	67.6	36	16 weeks, 100% pay	14.05	Public
Poland	65.3	33	20 weeks, 100% pay	6.97	Public
Hungary	63.4	33	24 weeks, 100% pay	4.42	Public
Czech Republic	63.1	33	28 weeks, 70% pay	4.79	Public
Sweden	62.9	34	14 weeks, 75% pay	–	Universal

Northern Europe Offers Extensive Time Off

Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Denmark, and Finland rank high due to long paid leave and universal healthcare. Norway, notably, provides up to 49 weeks of 100% paid maternity leave. These countries consistently score well on happiness and life satisfaction indexes, driven by social equality and support systems.

Healthcare and Wages Influence Ranking

Countries with universal healthcare and higher minimum wages generally perform better in the index. Canada, Australia, and the UK all offer universal systems and competitive wages, though they differ in maternity support.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Mapping Global Happiness By Country in 2025 on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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