Most productive countries revealed

A new survey offers insight into which nations are pushing ahead with productivity

Most productive countries revealed

Some countries work longer, or faster, or more productively than others. Software company Redbooth compiled information from nations around the world to compare how countries around the world get the job done. 

Priceonomics anonymized outcomes of hundreds of thousands of tasks created and completed in the past three years, selecting the Top 40 countries with the most active Redbooth users from all types of industries.

In general, Peru finishes tasks the fastest, while the United Arab Emirates takes the longest to get work done. The Czech Republic finishes the most work, while Russia leaves the most to-dos unchecked. China balances speed and results to finish the most work the most quickly.

Priceonomics however emphasized that while the study is based on millions of tasks worked on around the world, “there are billions more that get completed on- and off-line each year.” The numbers therefore should be regarded as just a peek into the working styles of different countries in the world. 

Here are the top five countries for each indicator:

How long does it take to finish a task (in number of days)? 

  • Peru, 10.2 days
  • Sweden, 13 days
  • Indonesia, 13.3 days
  • China, 13.4 days
  • Chile, 13.7

Who works the fastest (percent of task completed within seven days of creation)?

  • Peru, 64%
  • Indonesia, 57%
  • Chile, 56%
  • China, 55%
  • Sweden, 55%

Who is the slowest?

  • United Arab Emirates, 33%
  • Denmark, 41%
  • Brazil, 42%
  • Belgium, 43%
  • Portugal, 43%

Who finishes the most work (percentage of tasks completed)?

  • Czech Republic, 84.5%
  • Finland, 84.4%
  • China, 81.3%
  • Israel, 80.7%
  • Turkey, 79.3%

Who finishes the least work?

  • Russia, 59.3%
  • India, 60.4%
  • Philippines, 60.7%
  • Peru, 62.4%
  • Germany, 63%
According to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, Germany and Denmark have the shortest workweeks at 26.2 hours and 27.1 hours, respectively.