UK<\/a> climbs five places in this year\u2019s index, rising from eighteenth to thirteenth.<\/p>\nElsewhere, Nordic nations perform particularly well, as Denmark, Norway, and Iceland each place in the top 10 overall. Iceland ranks second, scoring 77.98 as the \u2018safest country in Europe\u2019.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the European Life-Work Balance Index and the importance of life-work balance, Chief People Officer at Remote, Barbara Matthews said: “In 2025, the idea that productivity must come at the expense of our health or our personal time is being challenged in a serious way.<\/p>\n
“This is especially the case across Europe, where policies are starting to reflect the simple truth that people are not machines. But life-work balance is about more than just working fewer hours. Employees must be given the time, space, and trust to live fully. When people feel like their lives outside of work are respected, they show up with more focus and resilience. And that\u2019s clearly good for business.”<\/p>\n
![\"O'Connell](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_GettyImages-593702611.jpg\")
O’Connell Street, Dublin (stock image)(Image: Joe Houghton\/Getty)1. Ireland \u2014 82.89<\/p>\n
Ireland remains the best country in Europe to live and work. The Emerald Isle has improved its life-work balance score by over four points this year, owing to a further improved safety score (the Global Peace Index rates Ireland as one of Europe\u2019s safest countries) and a reduction in average weekly working hours. Ireland is one of Europe\u2019s happiest countries, with a strong Happiness Index score. And while there\u2019s a relatively high cost of living (especially in cities like Dublin), this is offset by a generous minimum wage. At the equivalent of \u20ac13.50 per hour, Ireland\u2019s is the sixth-highest in Europe.<\/p>\n
2. Iceland \u2014 77.98<\/p>\n
Iceland may have a relatively tiny population (c. 398,000) in comparison to most other European nations, but it\u2019s also one of Europe\u2019s most employee-friendly countries. The \u201cLand of Fire and Ice\u201d is considered Europe\u2019s safest and most LGBTQ+-friendly country. Plus, like many of its Nordic neighbours, it\u2019s one of Europe\u2019s happiest nations. Only Finland has a higher score in this regard, with Iceland\u2019s contentment likely influenced by a very generous annual leave entitlement of 40 days, including public holidays.<\/p>\n
3. Belgium \u2014 76.41<\/p>\n
Jumping one place from fourth in 2024 to third in this year\u2019s index, Belgium has steadily cemented a reputation as one of the best countries in Europe for life-work balance. While it doesn\u2019t top the rankings for any specific metric, Belgium scores consistently well across the board. Only Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, and Germany offer a higher minimum wage than Belgium (\u20ac14.58 per hour). Belgians also leave plenty of room for out-of-work endeavours, with an average working week of just 34.1 hours, while the country also has one of the highest public happiness scores outside of the Nordic region.<\/p>\n
4. Denmark \u2014 74.24<\/p>\n
The Danes are seen (in the words of Danish-born actor Mads Mikkelsen) as masters of \u2018keeping life and work in perfect balance.\u2019 Denmark ranks behind only Finland (and level with Iceland) when it comes to public happiness. At 32.5 hours, it also has Europe\u2019s second-shortest average working week \u2014 only the Dutch enjoy more free time than the Danes. Denmark\u2019s policies on statutory annual leave, sick pay, and maternity pay are also among Europe\u2019s most generous.<\/p>\n
5. Germany \u2014 73.14<\/p>\n
Germany\u2019s work culture is becoming synonymous with a healthy life-work balance. Rising two places this year, Germany\u2019s strong performance is partly down to an increase in statutory sick pay, as well as marked improvements in public safety, happiness, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Germany also boasts one of the continent\u2019s highest minimum wages (equivalent to \u20ac15.16 per hour, making it the third-highest in Europe) and one of its shortest average working weeks (33.2 hours).<\/p>\n
![\"National](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_GettyImages-453316791.jpg\")
Ireland is one of Europe\u2019s happiest countries, with a strong Happiness Index score6. Slovenia \u2014 71.89<\/p>\n
Rising three spots from ninth in 2025, Slovenia may not be the first country you think of if you\u2019re considering relocating for work, but it shouldn\u2019t be overlooked. One downside is that the average Slovenian working week (37.6 hours) is longer than any other country in the top 10, but on the other hand, Slovenia offers a fairly generous statutory leave entitlement and healthy rates of sick and maternity pay. It\u2019s also considered to be one of the safest European countries to live in, potentially making it a good option for expat families.<\/p>\n
7. Finland \u2014 71.84<\/p>\n
Ranked as the world\u2019s happiest country for the past eight years, the Finns\u2019 contentment comes down to a combination of factors, such as its low crime rates, high-quality education, gender equality, strong social support system, and its championing of \u201cEveryman’s Right\u201d to roam freely among nature. Finland\u2019s workplace culture is likely also a big driver of its high happiness rating, with free time seen as essential. The average working week is just 33.8 hours (one of the shortest in Europe), and an entitlement of 38 days of statutory annual leave, including public holidays, makes Finland one of the most generous countries when it comes to allowing employees to take time off.<\/p>\n
8. Norway \u2014 71.77<\/p>\n
Norway has dropped two places in this year\u2019s ranking, but remains synonymous with having a strong and inclusive workplace culture. Of the countries in the top 10, only Denmark has a shorter average working week than Norway\u2019s 32.6 hours. The country is also considered the second-most LGBTQ+-friendly country in Europe, behind Iceland. And like many of its neighbours in the Viking Homelands, Norway is among Europe\u2019s most contented nations, with a happiness score of 9.39.<\/p>\n
9. Portugal \u2014 70.67<\/p>\n
Portugal has entered the top 10 in 2025, rising three places from 12th last year. The country places a strong value on maintaining a healthy work culture, being one of the safest countries to live in Europe. It places fifth overall behind only Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, and Iceland for public safety. Elsewhere, statutory annual leave is amongst the best on the continent. When working in Portugal, you\u2019re entitled to 35 days of paid leave, including public holidays.<\/p>\n
10. Spain \u2014 70.13<\/p>\n
Spain may have quite a long average working week (36.3 hours) compared to many of its European counterparts, but the country\u2019s statutory annual leave policy (31 days of paid leave, including public holidays) is among the most generous in Europe. Spain also boasts a strong expat community, which (along with its favorable climate) may be a particular draw for those looking to relocate.<\/p>\n
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: <\/strong>Sign up here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ireland has the best life-work balance in Europe, according to a new studyIreland remains the best country in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":503975,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[2000,299,5187,378,678],"class_list":{"0":"post-503974","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-european","11":"tag-in-the-news","12":"tag-ireland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115383498684288380","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=503974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503974\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/503975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=503974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=503974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4_A-business-couple-talking.jpg\")
Ireland remains the best country in Europe to live and work(Image: Getty Images\/Image Source)<\/p>\n