Top 10 Most Hardworking Countries in Africa: 2025 Rankings

In an increasingly interconnected world, analysing how much people work provides valuable insight into labour markets, economic structures, and social norms.

The 2025 Hardest-Working Countries ranking by World Population Review draws on estimates from the International Labour Organization (ILO), projecting data as of November 2024, to measure the average weekly hours worked by full- and part-time employees as well as self-employed workers.

This metric helps us understand how labour-intensive economies are and where workers may be putting in particularly long hours.

While the global average workweek hovers around 38.7 hours, according to these projections, there is a wide disparity between countries. Some nations stand out for significantly exceeding this average, driven by a combination of economic necessity, cultural expectations, and labour market structures.

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Interestingly, the longest working weeks are not always found in the wealthiest countries; often, they are in economies where informal work and subsistence labour remain widespread.

At the top of the global list sits a small Himalayan kingdom, where workers average over 54 hours every week, reflecting both the nature of its economy and long-standing cultural work habits. Other countries among the highest-ranked globally include those in developing regions, where labour-intensive industries and limited social safety nets make long working hours commonplace.

Against this global backdrop, this article narrows the focus to Africa, showcasing the top 10 hardest-working countries on the continent in 2025. These rankings reveal how African economies compare in terms of work hours, shining a light on labour dynamics in nations that are often under-examined in global labour statistics.

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Many of the highest-ranked African countries feature in the upper echelons of the global list. For example, Sudan and Lesotho both report average weekly hours above 50, placing them very high not just regionally but globally. These long workweeks often reflect deep economic challenges such as labour-intensive sectors like agriculture or extractive industries, the prevalence of informal employment, and limited regulatory protections for workers.

Meanwhile, other African nations in the top 10 combine moderate economic development with a persistent reliance on long working hours as a way to meet the demands of growth and survival.

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Understanding these work patterns is more than a matter of comparing numbers. It helps to contextualise labour conditions, living standards, and policy needs. Working long hours may boost economic output in the short term, but it can also signal systemic issues such as low productivity, weak labour rights, or insufficient infrastructure and social services.

Below, the table lists the top 10 African countries by average weekly hours worked (based on the ILO-informed 2025 projections), along with breakdowns for men and women. It offers a clear snapshot of where on the spectrum of global labour intensity these nations fall and invites deeper reflection on what “working hard” really means in different social and economic contexts.

10 Most Hardworking Countries in Africa

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