Long working weeks claimed the lives of 745,000 people in 2016

The study by an international team of researchers, including Professor Lode Godderis from KU Leuven, found that the risk of a stroke is 35 percent higher for those who work 55 hours or more per week, compared to someone who works 35 to 40 hours. The chance of dying from a heart problem is 17 percent higher.

The WHO and ILO estimate that in 2016 398,000 people died from a stroke and 347,000 from heart disease from long working hours. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths from heart disease from long working hours increased by 42 percent, the number of strokes by 19 percent.

It is mainly men who are affected: 72 percent of the recorded deaths were male. People who live in the Western Pacific or Southeast Asia or who are middle-aged and older are also more likely to have a stroke or heart problem. Most of the deaths recorded involved people between the ages of 60 and 79, who worked 55 hours or more per week between the ages of 45 and 74.

The number of people who work long hours is increasing. Currently, 9 percent of the total global population works 55 hours or more every week. The rising trend puts even more people at risk of becoming incapacitated for work or dying prematurely.

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