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For millions of workers across the continent, the daily journey to the office is an unavoidable ritual. But just how long do Europeans actually spend getting to work?
According to new research from talent management company SD Worx, the daily average commute across Europe sits at 48 minutes. However, that continental average masks how differently nations experience geography, traffic, and worker mindsets.
While the European average hovers around three-quarters of an hour, individual countries experience vastly different realities on their roads and rail lines.
Countries such as Italy and Slovenia manage to keep daily travel times relatively brief, hovering around 35 minutes.
At the opposite end, countries push much closer to the hour mark. Sweden and Ireland report hefty averages of 57 and 56 minutes, respectively.
Taking the top spot overall, Belgium officially crosses the one-hour mark at 61 minutes a day. This is driven by the fact that 13% of its workforce are “super-commuters”, according to SD Worx, spending two hours or more on the road—the highest rate in Europe—with 14% travelling over 120 kilometres daily.
Distance vs. congestion: The Netherlands and Romania
The data also reveals fascinating differences in why commutes take as long as they do. For instance, the Netherlands and Romania both average 53 minutes for a daily commute, but the underlying dynamics are entirely polar opposite:
Workers in the Netherlands cover 63 kilometres on average, leaning on efficient infrastructure to handle long-distance travel.
In Romania, workers spend that same 53-minute window covering much shorter geographic distances, where heavy traffic and urban congestion eat away at the clock.
The commuting paradox
Perhaps the most intriguing takeaway from the research is how workers psychologically handle their travel times.
Even in Belgium—where the average commute surpasses the 57-minute limit that people generally consider “acceptable”—only 34% of workers view that time as wasted.
Despite enduring some of the longest transit times on the continent, demand for more remote work among Belgian employees sits at just 32%, staying right below the international average.
Across Europe, the daily commute remains a patchwork of infrastructure challenges and personal routines, proving that the time we spend getting to work is about much more than just kilometres on a map.