With only 1% of British employees saying they have never experienced work-related stress, it has become more important than ever to talk about burnout and mental health in the workplace.
We have analysed 26 European countries to reveal which are experiencing burnout the most.
Above highlights the top European countries experiencing burnout, with Portugal ranking number one. They are followed by Greece and Latvia, with the UK ranking 14th on the list.
Out of the top countries most at risk of burnout, Portugal has one of the longest working weeks (39.5) and lowest salaries €22,373.
On the other end of the scale, Denmark ranks as the number one location least at risk of burnout with some of the happiest citizens and shortest work weeks.
The Netherlands ranks as the best country for work-life balance with an average of 29.3 hours worked in a week. The UK, on the other hand, ranks in the bottom five for work-life balance, due to the high number of working hours (36.6) in comparison.
Several countries around the world have started implementing new measures to ensure employees’ mental health is taken into consideration in the workplace. For example – some of the Nordic countries introduced a four-day working week.
With France, Luxembourg, and Sweden at the top of the list, this last datacard shows the countries with the highest risk of developing poor mental health at work.
The European Countries With The Highest Risk of Burnout
| Country | OECD Work-Life Balance | World Happiness Index | Average Salary (EUR) | Weekly Working Hours | % Reporting Risk Factors Affecting Mental Well-Being at Work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 9 | 7.6 | € 48,006.00 | 32.35 | 16.7 |
| Netherlands | 9.5 | 7.488 | € 47,503.68 | 29.3 | 36.7 |
| Norway | 8.5 | 7.554 | € 45,382.68 | 33.81 | 17.8 |
| Germany | 8.4 | 6.985 | € 45,055.92 | 34.34 | 16.8 |
| Switzerland | 8.4 | 7.48 | € 55,916.28 | 34.39 | 41.5 |
| Ireland | 7.9 | 7.021 | € 42,411.60 | 35.23 | 23.5 |
| Belgium | 8.4 | 6.923 | € 46,695.60 | 35.56 | 33.6 |
| Finland | 8 | 7.769 | € 38,386.32 | 36.35 | 41.5 |
| Italy | 9.4 | 6.223 | € 32,918.76 | 35.72 | 27.1 |
| Sweden | 8.4 | 7.343 | € 39,223.80 | 35.96 | 44.2 |
| Luxembourg | 8 | 7.09 | € 57,692.04 | 37.36 | 53.6 |
| Austria | 6.8 | 7.246 | € 45,278.52 | 35.57 | 40.8 |
| United Kingdom | 6.4 | 7.054 | € 39,669.84 | 36.55 | 23.1 |
| Spain | 8.8 | 6.354 | € 32,556.72 | 36.52 | 26.6 |
| Iceland | 5.1 | 7.494 | € 57,125.04 | 38.76 | 37.6 |
| Lithuania | 8.6 | 6.149 | € 24,287.76 | 38.66 | 17.4 |
| Czech Republic | 7.6 | 6.852 | € 24,596.04 | 39.95 | 19.6 |
| France | 8.7 | 6.592 | € 39,044.04 | 36.2 | 60.5 |
| Estonia | 7.9 | 5.893 | € 25,449.48 | 38.22 | 22.6 |
| Slovenia | 7.4 | 6.118 | € 33,784.80 | 38.96 | 32 |
| Poland | 6.8 | 6.182 | € 26,854.80 | 39.75 | 18 |
| Slovak Republic | 7.9 | 6.198 | € 21,379.68 | 39.11 | 26.8 |
| Hungary | 8 | 5.758 | € 22,027.32 | 39.57 | 20.3 |
| Latvia | 6.9 | 5.94 | € 23,901.36 | 39.11 | 23.9 |
| Greece | 7.1 | 5.287 | € 23,065.56 | 38.77 | 30.9 |
| Portugal | 7 | 5.693 | € 22,372.56 | 39.45 | 38.6 |
Methodology & Sources
Salary converted to EUR as of 05/11/20 at a rate of 0.84.
Countries used refer to OECD countries within Europe where full data was available for all metrics.
- http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/
- https://countryeconomy.com/demography/world-happiness-index
- https://data.oecd.org/earnwage/average-wages.htm
- https://data.oecd.org/emp/hours-worked.htm
- https://clockify.me/working-hours
- https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=hsw_exp1&lang=en
Jorge says
In Portugal, no way salary is average of 22k per year.
We have cause of the real high salaries of your top ‘managers’
50% of the people gets bellow 12k a year.
Your minimum wage is 630 euros, after you still have taxes.
Nuno Jacinto says
I would say 60 – 70% bellow 12k.
Henrique says
Everything right except there are no taxes on minimum wage in PT
Alvaro Sousa says
Yes there are social security 11% of the salary 705€ -11% = 627.45 month
Jim says
Same with Greece, i do not know where do they get these ‘averages’.
Work life is awful in mediteranean countries but general quality of life is not really great in the North either. Norway, Sweden with 6 month of cold and dark is just awful too but in a different way.
% statistics are easily manipulated and misinterpreted.
Urso says
Don’t forget Portugal also has low productivity.
C says
Can you please clarify this claim?
Jim says
Main export is agricultural and import tourism. Same as Greece too.
jose says
Please define productivity
Carla Ribeiro says
When was this study made?
Carlos Dias says
The more Socialist, greater the misery
Kostas A. says
The Burnout effect in Greece, apart from low salaries and many working hours, it has been significantly amplified by 12+ years of recession, then covid era came (which had dramatically affected Greeks most beloved habits that are related to “going out” activities), and now they struggle with the energy crisis (it has tremendously hit every household’s and small businesse’s income). At least 1 greek generation has already lost faith in their future…
Alvaro Sousa says
Yes there are taxes, social security 11% of the salary 705€ -11% = 627.45 month