ILO · Labour Productivity per Hour Worked
Labour productivity per hour by country
How much does an economy produce for each hour worked?
Ireland placed first of the 182 countries compared in 2025, at 164.65, and Burundi last, at 0.92. In the middle country the figure was 22.16. Among the 182 countries measured in every edition since 2005, the middle one moved from 15.89 to 22.16.
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Part ofWork & Labour
Labour productivity per hour · 2025
Context statistic
Highest of 182Ireland
164.65012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 182 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
2Photo: Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2025
- 182
Burundi0.92 - 181
North Korea1.39 - =179
Liberia1.49
Positions out of 182. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
02Every measured country
Labour productivity per hour on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 0.92–6.32
- 6.58–15.76
- 15.86–29.54
- 29.77–56.48
- 56.90–164.65
- No reading in 2025 (5 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
57.61
the middle country, of 38 measured · 49 members
Ireland164.65
Moldova12.00Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
22.71
the middle country, of 33 measured · 48 members
Guyana99.62
Haiti3.31Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
20.59
the middle country, of 49 measured · 52 members
Singapore100.42North Korea1.39Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Oceania
19.00
the middle country, of 11 measured · 21 members
Guam75.77
Solomon Islands2.65Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
6.04
the middle country, of 51 measured · 55 members
Gabon33.01Burundi0.92Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
86.71
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Luxembourg159.46
France80.18Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
73.88
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Ireland164.65
Latvia45.29Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Europe
50.87
the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members
Italy74.11
Albania18.70Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
50.32
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Macau81.32North Korea1.39Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Eastern Europe
45.29
the middle country, of 9 measured · 10 members
Czechia56.48Moldova12.00Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Western Asia
34.33
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
Saudi Arabia65.26
Syria11.10Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Caribbean
23.70
the middle country, of 11 measured · 24 members
United States Virgin Islands61.84Haiti3.31Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Northern Africa
22.91
the middle country, of 5 measured · 6 members
Algeria27.85
Morocco14.00Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Southern Africa
22.15
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa22.84
Lesotho3.30Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- South America
19.74
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Guyana99.62
Bolivia9.15Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Central America
15.18
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Panama43.55
Honduras7.80Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Central Asia
13.65
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan41.52
Kyrgyzstan10.00Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
12.70
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Singapore100.42
Cambodia5.22Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Southern Asia
10.80
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Iran23.55
Afghanistan6.10Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Middle Africa
7.47
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Gabon33.01
Central African Republic1.49Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Melanesia
6.26
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
New Caledonia65.36Solomon Islands2.65Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Western Africa
5.01
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Mauritania15.12Liberia1.49Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
4.48
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
Mauritius29.89Burundi0.92Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia71.81
New Zealand51.43Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Micronesia
1 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Guam.
Guam75.77Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
United States81.80
Canada69.76Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
3 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: French Polynesia, Samoa, Tonga.
French Polynesia56.90
Samoa13.34Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
182 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 22.16; a quarter are above 48.61, and a quarter below 8.79. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 187 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. International Labour Organization (ILO) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Ireland's position at the top is an accounting artefact: multinationals book profits there that have little to do with work done in Ireland. And per-hour productivity says nothing about who receives the output — read it beside the labour income share.
Showing 25 of 187 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052005–2025 · 21 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 2005, at constant prices, so the line shows real productivity growth rather than inflation.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 182 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 182 | 22.16 | 8.79 – 48.61 | 22.16 |
| 2024 | 182 | 21.42 | 8.62 – 47.37 | 21.42 |
| 2023 | 184 | 20.55 | 8.38 – 45.51 | 21.16 |
| 2022 | 186 | 19.94 | 8.05 – 44.67 | 20.78 |
| 2021 | 187 | 19.82 | 8.07 – 44.20 | 21.11 |
| 2020 | 187 | 19.25 | 8.27 – 42.43 | 20.47 |
| 2019 | 187 | 19.13 | 8.06 – 41.94 | 20.40 |
| 2018 | 187 | 19.41 | 7.73 – 40.47 | 19.97 |
| 2017 | 187 | 19.20 | 7.85 – 38.80 | 19.91 |
| 2016 | 187 | 18.54 | 7.51 – 37.79 | 18.66 |
| 2015 | 187 | 18.23 | 7.53 – 37.22 | 18.80 |
| 2014 | 187 | 18.72 | 7.37 – 38.11 | 19.24 |
| 2013 | 187 | 18.55 | 7.02 – 38.86 | 18.75 |
| 2012 | 187 | 18.40 | 6.87 – 38.24 | 18.58 |
| 2011 | 187 | 17.23 | 6.59 – 38.20 | 17.86 |
| 2010 | 187 | 18.14 | 6.57 – 36.88 | 18.23 |
| 2009 | 187 | 17.20 | 6.31 – 36.30 | 17.20 |
| 2008 | 187 | 17.17 | 6.17 – 36.10 | 17.30 |
| 2007 | 187 | 16.93 | 5.90 – 36.98 | 17.12 |
| 2006 | 187 | 16.77 | 5.81 – 35.85 | 16.78 |
| 2005 | 187 | 15.84 | 5.68 – 36.17 | 15.89 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after- Ireland152.28 → 164.65 · 2nd → 1st+12.37
- Guyana90.77 → 99.62 · 7th → 5th+8.85
- Kazakhstan38.31 → 41.52 · 55th → 53rd+3.21
Libya20.22 → 22.91 · 94th → 86th+2.69
Taiwan67.40 → 69.88 · 24th → 22nd+2.48
Declined most
before → after- New Caledonia67.93 → 65.36 · 23rd → 27th−2.57
Iraq36.53 → 35.73 · 58th → 59th−0.80
Equatorial Guinea18.90 → 18.24 · 98th → 102nd−0.66
Puerto Rico61.59 → 60.95 · 30th → 32nd−0.64
Belize15.95 → 15.34 · 108th → 112th−0.61
182 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Labour productivity per hour in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
195.36
Output per hour worked (constant 2021 international $ at PPP)
Lowest reading on record
0.91
Output per hour worked (constant 2021 international $ at PPP)
Biggest improvement between editions
+30.05
43.66 → 73.71
Biggest decline between editions
−50.73
95.49 → 44.76
Most improved since first measured
+94.61
70.04 → 164.65
At the top most often
20 of 21
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About labour productivity per hour
Labour productivity per hour worked is how much economic output a country produces for each hour its people actually work, converted at purchasing power parities. It is the cleanest available measure of how productive an economy is, because it does not reward simply working longer.
What the number is: Output per hour worked (constant 2021 international $ at PPP).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Work & Labour, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where labour productivity per hour is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- GDP per Person EmployedWorld Bank Group · 168 countries in commonρ 0.99
- GDP per Capita (PPP)KeyWorld Bank Group · 168 countries in commonρ 0.97
- GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 98 countries in commonρ 0.97
Moves against
Where labour productivity per hour is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Employment in AgricultureILO · 181 countries in commonρ −0.90
- Vulnerable EmploymentKeyILO · 181 countries in commonρ −0.89
- Self-Employment RateILO · 181 countries in commonρ −0.89
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 379 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Analysis
Charts and analysis on labour productivity per hour
Countries in Asia with the highest average salaries 2024
Thirteen Asian countries by gross average monthly wage, each carrying its WORLD rank rather than an Asian one — so the numbers skip, from 11th place to 45th.
Countries With The Highest Average Salaries in 2024
The ten highest-paying countries of 2024, their bars coloured by continent, and six more added for comparison — from Australia in 13th place to India in 85th.
Countries With The Lowest Average Salaries in 2024
The bottom ten of 196 countries, and six more added for comparison. Niger, Madagascar and Liberia are all published at US$47 a month and still carry three different ranks.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
12Questions
Labour productivity per hour: questions and answers
Which country has the highest labour productivity per hour?
Ireland, at 164.65, among the 182 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest labour productivity per hour?
Burundi, at 0.92, among the 182 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Labour Productivity per Hour Worked cover?
182 in 2025, and 187 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 182 to 187 between editions.
What is the world average labour productivity per hour?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 182 compared in 2025, the figure was 22.16.
Is this International Labour Organization (ILO)’s own ranking?
No. International Labour Organization (ILO) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Labour Productivity per Hour Worked published?
This site holds 21 reference years, 2005–2025, all recalculated in International Labour Organization (ILO)’s 2026 report on one method — not 21 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From International Labour Organization (ILO), under CC BY 4.0. An ILO modelled estimate read from ILOSTAT directly (GDP_2HRW_NOC_NB). Years beyond the current one are not imported. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Labour Productivity per Hour Worked — International Labour Organization (ILO)
An ILO modelled estimate read from ILOSTAT directly (GDP_2HRW_NOC_NB). Years beyond the current one are not imported.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: International Labour Organization. ILO modelled estimates. Geneva: ILOSTAT.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-10.
How this page reads the numbers
- International Labour Organization (ILO) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Ireland — derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Luxembourg — Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Labour productivity per hour by country: Labour Productivity per Hour Worked, data from International Labour Organization (ILO). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/productivity-per-hour