Those who work 55 hours or more per week are at a significantly higher risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke.

According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) published on Monday, it is estimated that around 745,000 people worldwide died of a stroke or heart disease in 2016 alone because they worked at least 55 hours a week.

According to the study, the number of deaths from heart disease associated with long hours increased by 42 percent between 2000 and 2016, and the number of fatal strokes rose by 19 percent.

Most of those affected were between 60 and 79 years old and had worked at least 55 hours a week between the ages of 45 and 74 years.

Revision is thus "the leading risk factor for occupational diseases," said the WHO.

The study, published in the journal “Environment International”, examined for the first time worldwide the connection between long working hours and the loss of healthy years of life.

To do this, she analyzed the data from dozens of studies with hundreds of thousands of participants.

In many countries, working 35 to 40 hours a week is the norm.

But especially in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region, it is often significantly higher, according to the study.

There, a particularly large number of people are employed in unregulated jobs and are therefore often forced to work a lot, said WHO expert Frank Pega.

The WHO is particularly concerned about the growing number of people who work long hours.

It is currently around nine percent of the world's population.

The corona crisis could intensify the trend.

During the pandemic, the number of hours worked increased by ten percent, said WHO expert Pega, with reference to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research in 15 countries.

"Working from home has become the norm in many industries, with the lines between home and work often blurring," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

At the same time, many companies are being forced to save and shut down operations - "and the people who continue to employ them have to work longer".

But no job is worth "risking a stroke or heart disease for him," warned Tedros.

Governments, employers and employees must therefore jointly agree on working time limits to protect employees.