Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Mohsin Shaikh
Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy's exhortation to India's youth to worth 70 hours per work weeks has sparked a bevy of hot takes. Let’s take a look at the countries where people work the most and least among the top 10 economies of the world alongside their GDP per capita in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), according to International Labour Organisation (ILO) data
GDP per capita (PPP) is a metric where GDP is divided by mid-year population of a country. The USD to INR conversion has been done according to the latest exchange rate of $1 = Rs 83 for ease of understanding
United States of America, the world's largest economy, boasts a per capita GDP (PPP) of $76,399 (Rs 64 lakh), with an average workweek of 36.4 hours
China, the second-largest economy in the world, reports a per capita GDP (PPP) of $21,476 (Rs 18 lakh) and an average workweek of 46.1 hours per employed person
Japan and Germany, the third and fourth largest economies, have per capita GDPs (PPP) of $45,573 (Rs 38 lakh) and $63,150 (Rs 53 lakh), respectively, with average workweeks of 36.6 and 35.9 hours
Indians already work an average of 47.7 hours per week per employed person, making them some of the hardest workers globally, according to ILO data from 2023. Despite having the highest average workweek, India lags behind with a drastically low per capita GDP (PPP) of $8,397 (Rs 7 lakh)
France and Italy rank 7th and 8th, with per capita GDPs (PPP) of $55,493 (Rs 46 lakh) and $51,865 (Rs 43 lakh). France has the lowest average workweek at 30.1 hours, while Italy reports 36.1 hours
Canada and South Korea, the 9th and 10th largest economies, have per capita GDPs (PPP) of $58,400 (Rs 48 lakh) and $50,070 (Rs 42 lakh), with average workweeks of 32.1 and 37.9 hours, respectively
India ranks seventh in the world for average working hours, with only Qatar, Congo, Lesotho, Bhutan, Gambia, and the United Arab Emirates working longer hours, prompting the ILO to consider an India-specific report on working hours