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New data from Moorepay has indicated that sick pay rates in Luxembourg are among the best in the world.

Employees in Luxembourg are entitled to €1,279.81 in mandatory sick pay for a week off, according to the study. When converted to "international dollars", which takes local pricing into account, this amounts to Intl $1,518.76. By comparison, the global average is Intl $366.67.

Moorepay manually researched the statutory sick pay legislation in 113 countries to determine which countries offer the highest and lowest sick pay for a week's leave - both in absolute terms and when adjusted for local purchasing power. More information is available at https://www.moorepay.co.uk/global-sick-leave-report-2025-ultimate-guide/

Below are the countries that pay the best and worst rates of sick pay for the first five working days of sick leave, ranked by spending power.

The figures are quoted in international dollars to factor in the cost of living in each country. As per the World Bank, the international dollar is "the comparable amount of goods and services a US dollar would buy in the United States."

Key findings include:

  • in absolute terms, Luxembourg offers the highest first week of sick pay at an average of £1,107.29 (€1,279.81). When accounting for cost of living, this is equivalent to Intl$1,518.76 - the third most generous globally;
  • in international dollars, Qatar's sick pay goes the furthest. Qatari employees are entitled to 3,620.96 QAR for the first week off, which is worth Intl$1,644.69;
  • the US and South Korea have no statutory sick pay at all. Meanwhile in Tunisia, workers only get paid after the first five days;
  • UK employees are entitled to £47.50 (Intl$69.92) for their first week of sick leave;
  • Polish workers take an average of 34 sick days per year, the highest among the 37 countries in World Health Organization (WHO) data.

The wider study also found that the average Luxembourg employee takes twelve days off work due to illness each year.