Getting a good night’s rest knows no borders — after all, all human beings require sleep — but some countries’ populations are better than others when it comes to getting the daily recommended amount of seven to nine hours. Telehealth company PlushCare analyzed recent Sleepcycle.com data to determine some key findings about worldwide sleep habits. Below, we dive into the key takeaways.
On their best sleep behavior, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden claim the top three spots, with 77.05%, 76.17% and 75.18% of residents, respectively, sleeping between seven to nine hours per night. The U.S. doesn’t even crack the top 10, sitting down the list at number 22, with just 70.14% of people estimated to sleep between seven to nine hours per night.
So which countries have the lowest percentage of sleepers hitting the benchmarks? That’d be Qatar (42.64%), Iran (43.42%) and South Korea (45.45%). Iran also has the distinction of having the fewest “long sleepers” — people who sleep for ten hours or more every night — with just 1.32% of the population luxuriating. Other countries like Australia, Egypt and New Zealand have the highest concentration of long sleepers, making up 8.60%, 8.45% and 8.25% of their populations, respectively.
Interestingly, Sweden leads the world in searches for sleep aids, including noise machines or supplements like melatonin, with 86,014 searches for various products. In second place, the U.S. has 49,486 searches, echoing a recent Casper-Gallup survey that half of U.S. adults use sleep aids, with the preferred method being an open window or the white noise hum of an air conditioning unit.
To see the full statistical breakdowns, visit plushcare.com/blog/world-sleep-trends.
