Long working hours shorten life expectancy by 9 years due to working weeks that exceed 48 hours. Every hour spent at work per week above the recommended 48 hours shaves 2.25 years off your life. Countries which have an average working week that exceeds 48 hours die an average of two years earlier than those that work for 45 hours or less, new research shows. According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, countries with a high life expectancy between 82.2 and 84.2 years, among them Spain, work an average of 40.7 hours per week, compared to the average 42.6 hour worked by countries with lifespans between 52.9 and 59.8.

Countries with low life expectancy


Life stays a miracle

The global average time spent at work according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is 33 hours per week, while the average life expectancy for OECD countries is 80.6. The countries with the lowest life expectancies exceed the global average working week by an average 9 hours. Stewart Newlove, Managing Director at Antibodies.com, said: “Although there are so many things that affect life expectancy in different countries, this research shows how distinct the connection between things like early vaccinations for children, working hours, access to sanitation and air quality can be.
