10 Countries With The Best Work-Life Balance Level In The World

JAKARTA - Maintaining a balance between work and personal life is not an easy thing, especially in today's modern era.

Whether you work with regular office hours, or in more flexible jobs, the key to work balance, healthy life is usually supported by government policies that support its citizens.

Several countries in the world have succeeded in building a social culture that places careers and personal welfare in a balanced position. The latest report from Remote reveals a list of 10 countries with the best work balance and life in 2025.

This ranking was created by the Remote organization, which assesses 60 countries with the largest GDP in the world. Some of the main indicators analyzed include weekly work duration, minimum wage, maternity leave, and happiness and security indexes from each country. The final results were scored from 0 to 100.

"In the midst of the pressures of modern life, the balance between work and personal life is no longer just a dream, but rather the result of policies that favor the welfare of the community," said the statement from the Remote Report, 2025.

Here are 10 countries with the best work-life balance in 2025, quoted from the CNBC page.

1. New Zealand Index score: 86.87

New Zealand is again ranked first for the third time in a row. The country is the only one from the Pacific region to enter the top three. One of the main factors that support the high score is the increase in the national minimum wage carried out by the government earlier this year. This makes it the second highest minimum wage among the countries on this list.

2. Ireland Index score: 81.17

Ireland occupies the second position globally and first in Europe. This success is driven mostly by government policies such as the World Life Balance and Miscellaneous Divisions Act 2023, which regulates remote work rights and leave for victims of domestic violence.

3. Belgium Index score: 75.91

Belgium managed to maintain its position in the top three, having previously shared a place with Denmark. The country is known for its right to different laws, which allow civil servants to cut off work communication outside office hours without fear of being sanctioned, since 2022.

4. Germany Index score: 74.65

Germany is up two places from last year. One of the salient policies is paid sick leave for children. By 2025, parents can take 15 days of paid leave per child, while single parents get 30 days, valid for children under the age of 12.

5. Norway Index score: 74.20

Norway recorded the highest spike in this list, up from ninth to fifth. The main contribution comes from the most generous parental leave policy, which is 49 weeks paid 100%.

6. Denmark Index score: 73.76

Despite being down three places from the previous year, Denmark remains in the top 10. The advantage of this country is a short weekly working hour, an average of only 32.5 hours per week. In fact, many companies in Denmark closed during the summer to give their employees holiday time.

7. Canada Index score: 73,46

This year Canada dropped to seventh position, but remains the only country from America on this list. The Canadian government is working to reduce child care costs. Since 2021, they are targeting to cut costs to only 10 Canadian dollars or IDR 119 thousand per day. By 2022, costs have been reduced to nearly 50%.

8. Australia Index score: 72.10

Australia maintains its position in eighth place. The country has the highest minimum wage of 60 countries analyzed in this report, which is equivalent to 18.12 US dollars or IDR 298 thousand per hour.

9. Spain Index score: 71.94

Spain rose one rank over the previous year. Earlier this year, the government set a reduction in weekly working hours from 40 hours to 37.5 hours. Spain also imposed equal father's maternity leave and leave for 16 weeks each. This shows a commitment to gender equality.

10. Finland Index score: 70.86

Finland closed the list of the top 10 despite falling three places from last year. The country excels in providing affordable and easily accessible child care services, thanks to a fairly large government subsidy.