Jun 21, 2025

Czechia Ranked 19th Globally for Life-Work Balance in 2025

Prague Morning

Life ain’t just for working, and in this day and age, we all deserve a healthy work-life balance.

However, countries vary quite significantly in their attitudes towards work – some have adopted four-day working weeks while others are still lagging behind when it comes to paid time off and parental leave.

Handily, Remote has just published its third annual Global Work-Life Balance Index, which assesses the top 60 GDP countries on statutory annual leave, paid maternity leave, sick leave, healthcare, public safety, public happiness, LGBTQ+ inclusivity and average working hours, granting each a score out of 100.

And for the third year in a row, New Zealand has claimed the crown as the country with the best work-life balance. It got a score of 86.87 out of 100 overall, which is an improvement of six points compared to last year.

Ireland came in second place with a score of 81.17, topping the ranks for Europe, and in third place it was Belgium with 75.91 overall.

Czechia earned praise for its generous paid leave, accessible healthcare, and public safety—but slightly lower scores in categories like LGBTQ+ inclusivity and public happiness kept it from breaking into the top 15.

These are the best countries for work-life balance

  • New Zealand
  • Ireland
  • Belgium
  • Germany
  • Norway
  • Denmark
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • Spain
  • Finland

Overall, Argentina had the biggest leap by climbing six places compared to its ranking in 2024, jumping from nineteenth to fourteenth, and the UK gained four points, too.

On the downside, the USA dropped from 55th to 59th out of 60, due to lower public safety scores and LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

Methodology

Remote reviewed 10 indicators to conduct their index data analysis of the world’s top 60 GDP countries to ascertain which ones offer the best work-life balance. The metrics were index-weighted to calculate overall scores out of 100.

The following indicators were reviewed:

  • Statutory annual leave – total days of paid leave, public holiday’s included*;
  • Minimum statutory sick pay – percentage of wage, or a flat amount*;
  • Statutory maternity leave – weeks paid*;
  • Statutory maternity leave payment rate – percentage of wage*;
  • Minimum wage – presented in USD, per hour*;
  • Healthcare status
  • Happiness index score – on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest;
  • Average hours worked per week per employed person;
  • LGBTQ+ inclusivity – on a scale of 0-100, with 100 being the highest; and
  • Safety: Global Peace Index – on a scale of 1 to 4, with lower being better.

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