Kazakhstanis work longer hours than Americans but earn less

Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Dastan Shanay

Kazakhstan is among the countries with the longest working weeks, according to the World’s Hardest Working Countries 2025 report by Visual Capitalist.

The study shows that Kazakhstanis spend about 38 hours a week at work on average — significantly more than in most developed countries. For comparison, Americans work an average of 36 hours, Canadians – 32, the British – 31 and the Dutch just 26.8 hours per week. Globally, the average is 38.7 hours.

In Central Asia, Turkmenistan leads with an average of 41.9 hours per week, followed by Tajikistan with 41 hours. In Uzbekistan, people work an average of 40.4 hours, while in Kyrgyzstan the figure is 35.2 hours. It’s worth noting that longer working hours in the region do not necessarily reflect higher productivity or income levels.

The Netherlands (26.8 hours), Norway (27.1) and Austria (28.4) reported the shortest working weeks in the world. The report’s authors note that people in these countries can afford to work fewer hours while maintaining high incomes thanks to developed economies and strong labor productivity.

Bhutan, with an average working week of more than 54 hours, has the longest working week.

In Kazakhstan, the standard workweek is 40 hours. Meanwhile, numerous studies suggest that a four-day workweek could benefit both employers and employees.

This approach has already been tested in Spain, Japan, Belgium, Poland and several other countries after the COVID-19 pandemic, showing broadly positive results.

In 2023, some Kazakhstani businesses discussed adopting this model, but none have yet implemented it.