Tough For You To Take An Off? Employees In This Country Take Nearly 6 Weeks Of Sick Leave A Year

Last Updated:July 02, 2026, 16:48 IST

Germany, often at the centre of Europe's sick leave debate, records 3.6 weeks of sick leave a year.

Germany’s plan to tighten sick leave rules has reignited a debate over workplace absenteeism, productivity and whether workers are taking too much time off. But a look across Europe suggests Germany is far from the continent’s biggest sick-leave outlier. The debate gained momentum after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government proposed stricter sick leave requirements, including allowing employers to ask for a doctor’s certificate from the first day of absence. Merz argued that high levels of sick leave are weighing on productivity and slowing economic growth.

However, European data paints a more nuanced picture.

Norway Tops Sick Leave Table In Europe

Workers in Norway take an average of 5.9 weeks of sick leave each year, the highest among 26 European countries analysed. That is more than two weeks above the European average of 2.6 weeks. Finland follows with five weeks of sick leave annually, while Spain records 4.9 weeks and Slovenia 4.7 weeks. Portugal and France are next at 4.1 weeks each.

Germany, often at the centre of Europe’s sick leave debate, records 3.6 weeks of sick leave a year. While that is above the continental average, it places the country behind several of its European peers.

Germany Is Not Alone

The figures show that Germany’s experience is not unique. Belgian workers also average 3.6 weeks of sick leave annually, while Sweden records 3.5 weeks. Austria stands at 3.2 weeks and the Netherlands at 2.7 weeks. At the lower end of the scale are countries such as Lithuania, where workers take an average of 1.5 weeks of sick leave annually and Greece, where the figure is 1.7 weeks.

Do Tougher Rules Mean Fewer Sick Days?

Not necessarily. One of the more striking findings from the European comparison is that stricter eligibility rules do not always translate into lower sick leave rates. Portugal, for example, has a three-day unpaid waiting period before statutory sick pay kicks in and offers lower wage replacement rates than several other countries. Yet Portuguese workers still take more sick leave than Germans.

Why Germany Is Looking At Sick Leave?

Germany’s economy has been under pressure from a combination of weak investment, high energy costs, demographic challenges and increased global competition. After contracting for two consecutive years, the economy returned to modest growth, but policymakers remain concerned about labour shortages and workforce participation.

Against that backdrop, sick leave has become a political issue, with the government arguing that reducing absenteeism could help improve productivity and support economic recovery.

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