Nigeria scored 30.07 out of 100 in the Remote.com 2025 Global Life-Work Balance Index, making it the worst-ranked country for work-life balance among the world’s top 60 economies by GDP. The United States came in at 59th with a score of 31.17 — the only advanced economy with zero federally mandated paid vacation or maternity leave. This article breaks down the full bottom-20 rankings, hours worked, wages, and the specific policy gaps behind each country’s score.
Countries With the Worst Work-Life Balance Statistics (2026) – TL;DR
Nigeria (30.07) and the United States (31.17) hold the two lowest scores in the 60-country Remote.com 2025 index.
The US dropped from 53rd in 2023 to 59th in 2025, with declining public safety and LGBTQ+ inclusivity scores driving the fall.
Bangladesh reports the lowest disclosed minimum wage in the dataset at $0.08 USD per hour.
China has just 5 days of statutory annual leave — the fewest of any country in the index.
New Zealand leads the index at 86.87, with 32 days paid time off, 26 weeks fully paid maternity leave, and a $16.42/hour minimum wage.
Which Countries Have the Worst Work-Life Balance in 2025?
Remote.com ranks the world’s 60 largest economies by GDP using nine weighted factors: statutory annual leave, minimum sick pay, maternity leave duration, maternity pay rate, average weekly hours, minimum wage, healthcare quality, Happiness Index score, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and safety. Data was collected in April 2025. Here are the bottom 20 countries.
| Rank | Country | Score (/100) |
|---|---|---|
| #60 | Nigeria | 30.07 |
| #59 | United States | 31.17 |
| #58 | Egypt | 36.90 |
| #57 | Ethiopia | 37.61 |
| #56 | Iraq | 37.66 |
| #55 | Pakistan | 38.27 |
| #54 | Qatar | 38.33 |
| #53 | Bangladesh | 39.45 |
| #52 | India | 41.00 |
| #51 | China | 42.64 |
| #50 | Morocco | 43.01 |
| #49 | Iran | 43.11 |
| #48 | Turkey | 43.48 |
| #47 | Algeria | 43.63 |
| #46 | Hong Kong | 43.87 |
| #45 | Mexico | 44.04 |
| #44 | UAE | 44.46 |
| #43 | Kazakhstan | 44.57 |
| #42 | Russia | 45.29 |
| #41 | Philippines | 46.60 |
Source: Remote.com Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025
The 20 worst-ranked countries span five continents. Africa, South and East Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas are all represented, which confirms this isn’t a regional problem. The causes differ sharply from one country to the next.
Why Does the United States Rank So Poorly for Work-Life Balance?
The US scored 31.17, placing it 59th out of 60. It is the only top-60 GDP nation with no federally mandated paid vacation days and no federally mandated paid maternity leave. That policy gap has been consistent across all three years of the index.
What changed between 2023 and 2025 was not leave policy but scores in public safety and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. The US dropped from 53rd in 2023 to 55th in 2024 to 59th in 2025. Those two declining categories drove the slide. As more Americans continue to work remotely, the gap between private-sector flexibility and federal policy absence grows wider.
Nigeria and the US sit at the bottom together despite entirely different structures. Nigeria’s low score comes from minimal statutory leave (6 days), low wages, weak healthcare, and poor safety ratings. The US fails almost entirely on policy absence rather than economic conditions.
Average Weekly Hours Worked by Country (2025)
Among the bottom-ranked countries, the UAE recorded the longest average workweek at 48.74 hours. Mexico followed at 48 hours, and Iran at 46.84 hours. All three exceed the ILO’s recommended 48-hour maximum.
| Country | Avg. Weekly Hours | Min. Wage (USD/hr) | Happiness (/10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE | 48.74 | — | 6.76 |
| Mexico | 48.00 | $2.01 | 6.98 |
| Iran | 46.84 | $0.76 | — |
| China | 46.10 | — | — |
| Bangladesh | 46.02 | $0.08 | 4.30 |
| India | 45.70 | $0.27 | 4.39 |
| Egypt | 44.44 | $0.55 | 3.82 |
| Morocco | 44.00 | — | 4.62 |
| Philippines | 42.25 | — | 6.04 |
Source: Remote.com Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025
Egypt combines the longest workweek among the bottom-10 scoring countries (44.44 hours) with the lowest happiness rating in that group (3.82 out of 10). Bangladesh’s minimum wage of $0.08 USD per hour is the lowest disclosed figure in the entire 60-country dataset, shaped largely by its garment industry’s reliance on piece-rate work. For workers considering remote alternatives in countries with long hours, even simple changes to a home office setup can reclaim some daily comfort.
Minimum Wage and Statutory Leave Across Low-Ranked Countries
China’s 5 days of statutory annual leave is the lowest figure in the full 60-country index. Combined with a 46.1-hour average workweek, Chinese workers face the tightest paid-time-off-to-hours-worked ratio of any large economy studied. Ethiopia has no minimum wage at all.
Bangladesh and India share a pattern of low wages paired with long hours. India offers 15 days of annual leave, but sick pay falls below 60% of regular wages. Workers in these countries who shift to remote or hybrid work arrangements may gain flexibility, though the structural wage issues remain.
LGBTQ+ Inclusivity Scores and Maternity Leave Data (2025)
Iran recorded the lowest disclosed LGBTQ+ inclusivity score at 5 out of 100. Ethiopia (10), Egypt (11), Algeria (13), and the UAE (13) clustered near the bottom as well. Mexico’s score of 70 was the only bottom-20 country above 30, and its low ranking is driven instead by its $2.01/hour minimum wage and 48-hour workweek.
| Country | LGBTQ+ Score (/100) | Maternity Leave | Maternity Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 5 | — | — |
| Ethiopia | 10 | — | — |
| Egypt | 11 | 7 weeks | 100% |
| Algeria | 13 | — | — |
| UAE | 13 | 6.3 weeks | 100% |
| Kazakhstan | 25 | — | — |
| Russia | 27 | 20 weeks | 100% |
| Mexico | 70 | 12 weeks | 100% |
| United States | Declining | 0 weeks (federal) | 0% |
| New Zealand (#1) | — | 26 weeks | 100% |
Source: Remote.com Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025
Qatar uses a tiered maternity pay structure — 100% for the first two weeks, then 50% for the remaining four. It is the only country in the dataset with an explicitly split pay rate across the maternity period. Russia offers the longest maternity leave among the bottom-20 at 20 weeks with full pay.
How the Top-Ranked Countries Compare
New Zealand scored 86.87 in the 2025 index, a six-point jump from 2024 and its third consecutive year at number one. Workers there receive 32 days of paid time off per year, 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave, and a $16.42/hour minimum wage. Ireland (81.17), Belgium (75.91), Germany (74.65), and Norway (74.20) rounded out the top five.
The gap between New Zealand’s 86.87 and Nigeria’s 30.07 is 56.8 points — more than half the scale. For context, the entire top five sits above 74, while all 20 bottom-ranked countries fall below 47. Data on the future of work suggests remote arrangements may soften some of these structural disadvantages for individual workers, even when national policies lag behind.
Countries With the Worst Work-Life Balance: Year-Over-Year Trends
The Philippines showed the sharpest improvement among formerly low-ranked countries, jumping from 59th in 2024 to 41st in 2025. The US moved in the opposite direction, dropping six ranks in two years.
Remote.com has published the index for three consecutive years now, and the bottom five countries have remained largely consistent. Nigeria, the US, and Egypt have appeared in the bottom five each year. Workers adapting to these conditions often turn to work-from-home strategies to create personal buffers against unfavorable national policies.
What Factors Does the Remote.com Index Measure?
The index evaluates nine categories with different weights: statutory annual leave, minimum sick pay, maternity leave duration, maternity pay rate, average weekly hours worked, minimum wage in USD, healthcare quality, Happiness Index on a 1-to-10 scale, LGBTQ+ inclusivity on a 0-to-100 scale, and safety using the Global Peace Index (1 to 4, where lower means safer).
Only the world’s top 60 economies by GDP are included. Countries outside that group, like Bhutan (which averages 54.5 hours per week according to Visual Capitalist), are excluded entirely. The composite score is capped at 100, and no country in the 2025 edition scored above 87. Workers looking to improve their personal work conditions often start with practical changes — an ergonomic home office won’t fix federal policy, but it does address daily comfort. Similarly, investing in the right work-from-home essentials can make a real difference during long workdays.
FAQ
Which country has the worst work-life balance in 2025?
Nigeria ranks last with a score of 30.07 out of 100 in Remote.com’s 2025 Global Life-Work Balance Index, followed by the United States at 31.17.
Why does the United States rank near the bottom for work-life balance?
The US is the only advanced economy with no federally mandated paid vacation or maternity leave. Declining safety and LGBTQ+ scores pushed it from 53rd in 2023 to 59th in 2025.
Which country has the lowest minimum wage in the index?
Bangladesh at $0.08 USD per hour — the lowest disclosed minimum wage among all 60 countries. Ethiopia has no minimum wage at all.
Which country has the best work-life balance in 2025?
New Zealand scored 86.87, topping the index for the third straight year. It offers 32 paid days off, 26 weeks fully paid maternity leave, and a $16.42/hour minimum wage.
How many countries does the Remote.com index cover?
The index covers the top 60 economies by GDP. It uses nine weighted factors including leave, wages, hours, healthcare, happiness, LGBTQ+ rights, and safety.
Sources:
https://remote.com/resources/research/global-life-work-balance-index
https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/20-best-countries-work-life-balance
https://www.boredpanda.com/countries-worst-work-life-balance/
https://curlytales.com/new-zealand-tops-global-life-work-balance-index-2025/
