Which nationalities work the longest hours?
Millions of Germans have won the right to work a 28-hour week for up to two years to spend more time with their families. The deal covers industrial workers in Baden-Württemberg but could be extended to other parts of the country.
However, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Germans already work far fewer hours than most.
Its latest Employment Outlook report, published in 2017, suggests the average German works 1,363 hours annually (which equates to around 26 hours a week). None of the other 37 countries to feature in the study toil for less time each year. The average Briton works 1,676 hours a year, according to OECD data – or the equivalent of around 32 hours per week, which also puts it towards the better end of the table. Also enjoying plenty of downtime are citizens of The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and France.
The hardest working country of all? Contrary to what Jeremy Clarkson would have you believe, it's Mexico. The average citizen of the Central American country works 2,255 hours a year, or a little over 43 hours a week.
In second place is Costa Rica, often described as the world's happiest country; South Korea, Greece and Chile complete the top five.
Which nationalities work the longest hours?
Mexico - 2255 hours per year
Costa Rica - 2212
South Korea - 2069
Greece - 2035
Chile - 1974
Russia - 1974
Poland - 1928
Latvia - 1910
Israel - 1889
Lithuania - 1885
Iceland - 1879
Estonia - 1855
Portugal - 1842
Turkey - 1832
Ireland - 1820
US - 1783
Czech Republic - 1770
Hungary - 1761
New Zealand - 1757
Slovakia - 1740
Italy - 1730
Japan - 1713
Canada - 1703
Spain - 1695
Slovenia - 1682
UK - 1676
Australia - 1669
Finland - 1653
Sweden - 1621
Austria - 1601
Switzerland - 1590
Belgium - 1551
Luxembourg - 1512
France - 1472
Netherlands - 1430
Norway - 1421
Denmark - 1410
Germany - 1363
Overall, average working hours have fallen in every country for which the OECD has data. In the UK, for example, a typical employee spent 1,700 hours a year working in the year 2000 – that has fallen to 1,676.
Bigger decreases have been seen in other countries, such as Hungary. Its residents worked 2,033 hours a year in 2000; by 2017 that figure fell to 1,761.