New Delhi

India is the world's 10th most vacation-deprived country, a study revealed here Thursday.

The '2013 Vacation Deprivation Study,' an annual analysis of vacation habits by online travel portal Expedia, said that India slipped from last year's fourth position.

Around 63 percent of Indians admitted that they felt vacation-deprived as on an average they utilized 20 of the 26 leaves granted to them, said the survey.

"Eighteen percent of Indians don't use all the leaves because they fear that it will be perceived negatively by their employer while many avoid long vacations to remain in their boss' good books," said the survey.

"Around 60 percent are not able to plan their vacation in advance because of their work - again the highest in the world - while 74 percent have either cancelled or postponed their vacation due to work," it added.

As per the survey, Indians lag behind in relishing leisure time while on vacation with 94 percent checking their work mails while holidaying - highest in the world followed by France (93 percent), Thailand (92 percent), Malaysia (91 percent) and Mexico (91 percent).

Indians also lead when it comes to getting money in exchange for unused holidays (37 percent) followed by Brazil (30 percent).

Within India, employees in Delhi felt the most vacation-deprived at 74 percent followed by Mumbai at 67 percent and Bangalore at 56 percent.

"Holidays play an important role in relaxing and re-energizing employees while enhancing their motivation and productivity. We strongly believe that vacations are an essential part of a healthy work life balance," said Vikram Malhi, general manager, South and Southeast Asia Expedia India.

"Around 38 percent of Indians work around 42 hours a week which is much more than their counterparts from other countries. This shows the need for a better work-life balance," he added.

However, despite being the country with one of the most overworked people, 85 percent of the respondents said that they were satisfied with their jobs, said the study.

By:IANS