Norway is the country where people aged between 15 and 64 have the most free time – an average of 354 minutes a day, or 5.90 hours. This is shown by a ranking compiled by Visual Capitalist using data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Time Use Database.
Germany ranks second with 341 minutes a day, followed by Belgium with 339 minutes. Greece occupies fourth place with 335 minutes, while Finland is fifth with 330 minutes of free time per day.
Northern Europe Dominates the Top
Four northern countries feature among the top eight. After Norway and Finland come Denmark with 329 minutes and Sweden with 321 minutes a day. Italy ranks seventh with 323 minutes, while Spain is ninth with 316 minutes.
Other high-ranking countries are the Netherlands – 315 minutes, Ireland – 312 minutes, Slovenia – 311 minutes, Austria – 307 minutes, and the United Kingdom and South Africa – 306 minutes each.
The United States ranks 22nd with 280 minutes, or 4.67 hours of free time per day. Japan is 24th with 269 minutes, South Korea is 27th with 258 minutes, and China is 32nd with 228 minutes.
Mexico Ranks Last
Mexico is at the bottom of the ranking with 203 minutes a day, or 3.38 hours. It is followed by Canada with 211 minutes and China with 228 minutes. The difference between Norway and Mexico reaches 151 minutes a day – around two and a half hours, or nearly 17 hours and 40 minutes per week.
Bulgaria is not included in the Visual Capitalist chart, but the updated OECD database reports an average of 241 minutes of free time per day for the population aged between 15 and 64. This is equivalent to approximately 4 hours and 1 minute.
What Counts as Free Time
The indicator includes activities such as sports, leisure and socializing with friends and family. Sleep, eating and personal care are recorded separately, as are paid work, education and unpaid work at home.
“Differences in the characteristics of the surveys may affect the comparability of the results between countries,” the OECD warns.The data were collected from the latest available national surveys, but the reference years are not the same for all countries. The OECD notes that the database is limited to people between the ages of 15 and 64 and groups daily activities into five main categories.
Therefore, the ranking shows how time is distributed in different societies, but it does not represent a direct ranking by working week or by the length of paid leave. More free minutes may be linked both to working hours and to commuting, household responsibilities and the way people record their daily activities.