Germany has 4th-best life-work balance in the world

A new ranking by the HR platform Remote.com has named Germany the 4th-best country in the world for life-work balance. The federal republic was outperformed only by New Zealand, Ireland and Belgium.

The best countries for life-work balance in 2025

To rank the best countries for life-work balance in 2025, Remote looked at the number of statutory annual leave days that employees are given, minimum statutory sick days, paid maternity leave, minimum wages, access to universal healthcare, the happiness index, hours worked per week on average, overall safety and LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

With these factors in mind, the HR company assessed the 60 countries with the highest GDP and assigned them a score out of 100. New Zealand (86,87 points), where employees are entitled to 32 days of statutory leave, 11 public holidays and a minimum wage of 23,50 NZ dollars per hour (12,07 euros), came out on top. Mothers in New Zealand are entitled to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, and partners are entitled to 1 to 2 weeks of paid leave.

Ireland (81,17 points) and Belgium (75,91 points) came in second and third place, respectively. Germany came in fourth (74,65 points) and Norway (74,20 points) rounded out the top five. Of the top five countries, employees in Norway are given the highest number of statutory holidays, 35 days per year, plus 12 public holidays.

How does Germany’s work-life balance compare internationally?

It was the high number of statutory holiday days (generally between 25 and 30 days), pay for maternity leave, the healthcare system with a mix of statutory and private coverage, and comparatively low average weekly working hours (33,2 hours) which propelled Germany to the fourth spot in the ranking.

Workers in Germany are also protected from worsening health and unemployment with a solid sickness benefit package. In the event of serious illness, all employees are entitled to up to six weeks of sick leave with full pay.

Notably, Germany was also one of only four countries included in the ranking to score higher than 80 out of 100 points in the LGBTQ+ inclusivity category. Ironically, the ranking’s publication comes just days after Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) said the parliament would no longer fly the pride flag during Pride Month. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) defended Klöckner’s decision, adding that the parliament is “not a circus tent”. 

Not mentioned in the ranking, but certainly important to Germany’s life-work balance, is a law introduced by the Bundestag in 2013, which forbids managers from contacting employees during their out-of-work hours.

Remote’s top 10 countries for life-work balance

Overall, these are the countries which Remote ranked the best for life-work balance, and the score out of 100 which each country was awarded:

1. New Zealand (86,87 points)
2. Ireland (81,17 points)
3. Belgium (75,91 points) 
4. Germany (74,65 points)
5. Norway (74,20 points)
6. Denmark (73,76 points)
7. Canada (73,46 points)
8. Australia (72,10 points)
9. Spain (71,94 points)
10. Finland (70,86 points)

To read the complete Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025 study, head to the Remote webste.