If you ask Google, in the first preview it will answer that according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the best balance between life and work is in Italy.

The data in question overviews the nuances of state labour laws, including the number of working hours, vacation days, and national holidays (bringing Iran with its 27 public holidays a year into the top 5 in 2022), levels of salaries, happiness, and GDP.

Despite this matter and the subjectivity of the "balance between work and leisure” concept  — the Italians will interpret it differently than the Danes, residents of the United States, or the above-mentioned Iran —  these ratings are not reliable. At least if you strive to find a country with an ideal work & life balance. It is better to dive into a little private investigation and to look for the sites where the amount of working time, monetization, lifestyle, and standard of living will resonate with your ideas and values.

Yet we will try to help calibrate your internal compass by offering a list of three countries with an excellent balance of work and free time.

It is a safe, economically developed, ecological country with a high level of social protection, medicine, and standards of living.

It can be fairly called a paradise for introverts and connoisseurs of a quiet, simple, but comfortable life. There is a low population density, but high respect for personal boundaries. As well as a low volume of working hours, which allows for having a sufficient and pleasant life. A bountiful but not luxurious or crazy rich one. As for the locals, they value personal freedom, peace, orderliness, responsibility, consistency, and a reverent attitude toward nature.

The disadvantage of living in Finland is a cloudy, typically northern climate. And also —  the famous Finnish slowness, which, among other things, is manifested in the establishment of friendly or romantic relations.

Fun fact: the capital of Finland, Helsinki, 2019 received 100 points out of 100 in the assessment of the best level of work-life balance in the cities of the Old World.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is the smallest but also the most developed country in the Persian Gulf. Expats note an incredible level of security, progressive eco-technologies of architecture and housebuilding, developed and accessible medicine, infrastructure, and pretty high salaries.

According to a 2017 survey, about half of the immigrants come to Bahrain for work. And almost 90% of them are completely satisfied with their lives. Despite a typical working schedule (8 hours a day), residents of the country note that here they:

Many of those who have moved to Bahrain emphasize the extraordinary commitment of residents and authorities to families with children. This is expected: family values ​​are the most important social construct here.

The main disadvantage of living in Bahrain is the dry and hot climate: in summer the thermometer can show up to +50C.

Central Latin American Switzerland, as tiny Costa Rica is called, is considered an economic miracle. Unlike other countries of the downtrodden region, it did not have deposits of valuable minerals and was mainly engaged in agriculture and this — was not a place of interest for the colonialists or usurping regimes.

However, a small island state in the Caribbean Sea confidently occupies high positions in the ratings of political stability, eco-friendliness, living standards, and happiness of the nation. Presumably, one of the secrets of success is the refusal to maintain the army. The funds that other states spend on militarization, here are invested in the development of education (27th place in the world competitiveness rating) and medicine (it is considered to be better than the relevant industries in the Netherlands and the USA). And Costa Rica’s security is guarded by professionally trained police. 

The locals are easeful. They love nature and relaxation. Therefore, the Pura Vida slogan (Spanish for "clear life") is not only a tourist but also a national one. Meanwhile, wages are low. And the prices can be subjectively assessed as average. Anyway, 86% of the country's residents are extremely satisfied.

The disadvantages of living in Costa Rica are the non-commitment of locals, the high cost of drinking water (ex-pats joke that Coca-Cola is way cheaper), and the risk of a volcanic eruption.

Fun fact: the name of the country (Spanish for "rich coast") was given by Christopher Columbus. They say that the famous navigator was awestruck by the natural beauty and generous gifts of this paradise island.