Fewer businesspeople are suffering from elevated stress, which is in line with international averages, according to a survey reported in the Grant Thornton International Business Report.

It said 57 per cent of Thai respondents to its business-stress survey reported increased levels in the past year. Last year's survey found 62 per cent said tension topped the previous 12 months.

"This improvement could indicate Thai business leaders are slightly more comfortable with the current political situation compared with uncertainty and unrest during the last year of the previous government," Grant Thornton Thailand partner Peter Walker said.

The survey reveals mainland Chinese business leaders are the most stressed - 84 per cent reported more stress in the past year.

Coming a close second is Taiwan with 82 per cent of its business people rating current anxiety above that of the past year. Then comes India with 79 per cent and Russia at 76 per cent.

The stress-league table quizzed 7,200 privately owned businesses in 32 countries and found 56 per cent of business leaders worldwide felt pressure levels increased over the past year.

Europe businesspeople are the least worried. Just 27 per cent of Swedish business owners reported an increase, followed by Ireland with 35 per cent and the United Kingdom, Netherlands and France, all at 37 per cent.

European Union and North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) regions show an average of 43 per cent compared with 73 per cent of respondents in East Asia.

Two-thirds of all respondents said their apprehension had abated. The greatest reduction came in the Philippines with 12 per cent fewer respondents reporting a rise, followed by Ireland at 11 per cent and Japan and Mexico, both with 10 per cent.

The survey recorded average working weeks at 53 hours, with Europeans working just 50 hours, followed by respondents in East Asia and the Nafta countries at 53 hours and 54 hours respectively.

India and Argentina top this table with 57 followed by Armenia, Australia and Botswana, all at 56 hours.

Thailand business leaders work an average of 48 hours a week

- among the least in the world alongside countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden.

"Given the current slowdown in the Thai economy, we would expect to see this trend reversing rapidly as business leaders now need to spend more time actively pursuing business opportunities in a quiet market," Peter Walker said.

Grant Thornton's private-

company services chief Alex MacBeath said stress levels were rising worldwide but China, India and Russia were experiencing

the worst of it.

"Stress appears to be a reflection of the pace of growth in these economies and of the longer hours worked by business leaders in these countries as they strive to take advantage of domestic and global economic expansion," he said.