Where Data Tells the Story
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Same living standards, different time at work. This 2024 snapshot ranks Peer Performance: which countries work more or less over a lifetime than peers with similar consumption (Actual Individual Consumption, 5-year geometric mean).
Panels at a glance: left = Career Hours (weekly hours × years in work); middle = AIC (consumption, 5-year geometric mean, EU=100); right = Peer Performance (lifetime hours vs AIC-matched peers).
At the high end of AIC (consumption), some countries keep time at work light—at or slightly below their AIC-matched peers: Luxembourg (cross-border commuters), Norway (resource income), and the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland (shorter weeks and lots of part-time). They sustain high living standards without working more than similarly prosperous countries.
Working more than AIC-matched peers: Iceland (very long careers), Sweden (longer career arc), Cyprus (long weeks), Estonia (lengthening careers with full-time norms), Portugal (durable full-time schedules). Working less: Romania (short, stop-start careers and emigration), Belgium (shorter weeks and more part-time yet strong consumption), Italy (later entry and earlier exit).
When consumption is equal, the time spent at work isn’t. Some countries put in more hours, some have longer careers, and others benefit from things besides time—productivity, natural resources, cross-border incomes, or strong public services.
Want the details? Interactive AIC chart, AIC vs GDP comparison, and methodology ↗
Prefer the production lens? See the GDP baseline — interactive chart ↗