Singapore is the best country in Asia for work-life balance in 2025 – surprised?

We sure hope you’re not OT-ing while reading this, but this just in: Singapore has been named the best country in Asia for work-life balance in 2025, according to the Global Life-Work Balance Index by Remote.com. For all our gripes about Singapore’s hustle culture, perhaps things aren’t so bad after all?

But hold up – we aren’t talking about working hours alone. This index report also takes into account other key factors in the workplace, including statutory annual leave, minimum statutory sick pay percentage, paid maternity leave, and minimum wage, among others.

In Singapore, the minimum statutory annual leave entitlement starts from seven days in your first year of employment, and increases with each year until it hits 14 days after eight years or more. However, most companies here choose to be more generous, offering 14 to 21 days of paid leave per year. Medical leave is fixed at 14 days of outpatient leave and 60 days of hospitalisation leave per year. 

Globally, Singapore ranks 25 out of 60 – not too shabby, but there’s definitely still room for improvement, especially with two out of five Singaporeans waking up feeling tired on a daily basis.

Leading the pack are New Zealand, Ireland, and Belgium in the top three, with Germany, Norway, and Denmark following closely behind in that order.

Asia-wise, our neighbour Malaysia ranks second (#27 globally), though it’s surprising to see Japan – notorious for its exhausting work culture where unpaid overtime is commonplace – at third place (#29 globally).

10 best countries in the world for work-life balance:

1. New Zealand
2. Ireland
3. Belgium
4. Germany
5. Norway
6. Denmark
7. Canada
8. Australia
9. Spain
10. Finland
11. UK
12. Netherlands
13. Portugal
14. Argentina
15. Austria
16. France
17. Poland
18. Hungary
19. Czech Republic
20. Sweden

Top 10 countries in Asia for work-life balance:

1. Singapore
2. Malaysia 
3. Japan
4. Taiwan 
5. South Korea 
6. Indonesia
7. Vietnam 
8. Thailand 
9. India 
10. Hong Kong 

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