EU countries by labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100

Ireland had the highest labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100 of 26 EU countries in 2021, at 214.5. Bulgaria had the lowest, at 52.6. The median was 83.5 and the figure for the European Union (27) was 100. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest214.5Ireland

Lowest52.6Bulgaria

Median83.526 EU countries

European Union (27)100History

Map of EU countries, 2021

Under 66
66 to 80
80 to 100
100 to 120
120 and over
No data

index, 2021. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: Eurostat, Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama_10_lp_ulc). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2021

index. Source: Eurostat, Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama_10_lp_ulc). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2021 index	Change on 2020
1	Ireland	214.5	+18.4
2	Luxembourg	176.4	+1.4
3	Denmark	138.8	+2.2
4	Belgium	131.9	-3.6
5	Germany	125.5	+1.5
6	Netherlands	124.1	+2.4
7	France	119.1	-5.9
8	Austria	115.7	-0.3
9	Sweden	112.6	+3.2
10	Finland	108.7	+1.3
11	Italy	102.3	-2.1
12	Spain	92.4	+1.7
13	Malta	83.7	+5.7
14	Slovenia	83.3	+1.2
15	Slovakia	79.8	+3.7
16	Czechia	79.7	-2
17	Estonia	77.9	+4.5
18	Cyprus	75.2	+1.1
19	Lithuania	73.2	+1.9
20	Hungary	68.3	+0.7
21	Romania	66.2	+0.7
22	Portugal	64.3	+0.1
23	Poland	61.8	+0.1
24	Latvia	60.7	+4.4
25	Greece	53.7	-1.8
26	Bulgaria	52.6	+3.9

Other periods

About this ranking

Gross domestic product in purchasing power standards per hour worked, expressed relative to the EU27 average (EU27 = 100). Purchasing power standards remove price level differences between countries.

For comparing countries in the same year; it is not meant for growth over time, because each year is relative to that year's EU average. Use real labour productivity growth for changes over time. From the national accounts (ESA 2010). Ireland's GDP, and with it its productivity, is inflated and made volatile by the activities of multinational companies, notably the move of intellectual property to Ireland in 2015.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama_10_lp_ulc). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama_10_lp_ulc) (EU countries by labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table

MLA 9

Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama_10_lp_ulc), EU countries by labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100, 2021. Eurostat, European Commission, 16 Oct. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labour-productivity-per-hour-eu27-100/eu-countries?period=2021. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama_10_lp_ulc). EU countries by labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labour-productivity-per-hour-eu27-100/eu-countries?period=2021.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama_10_lp_ulc), EU countries by labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/labour-productivity-per-hour-eu27-100/eu-countries?period=2021 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_labour_2021,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama\_10\_lp\_ulc): EU countries by labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labour-productivity-per-hour-eu27-100/eu-countries?period=2021. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama\_10\_lp\_ulc). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama\_10\_lp\_ulc/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama_10_lp_ulc): EU countries by labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/16
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/labour-productivity-per-hour-eu27-100/eu-countries?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labour-productivity-per-hour-eu27-100/eu-countries?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama_10_lp_ulc). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
ER  -

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Rank EU countries by labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100 using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100?

Ireland, with 214.5 in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest labour productivity per hour worked, EU27 = 100?

Bulgaria, with 52.6 in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal labour productivity per hour worked, percentage of EU27 total based on PPS (nama_10_lp_ulc). Retrieved 2026-10-18.