Data / Rankings / Nominal unit labour cost, annual growth / EU countries

EU countries by nominal unit labour cost, annual growth

Bulgaria had the highest nominal unit labour cost, annual growth of 26 EU countries in 2014, at 5%. Ireland had the lowest, at -5.2%. The median was 0.7% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 0.3%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest5Bulgaria
Lowest-5.2Ireland
Median0.726 EU countries
European Union (27)0.3History

Map of EU countries, 2014

Austria: 2 %Belgium: -0.4 %Bulgaria: 5 %Cyprus: -3.8 %Czechia: 1.1 %Germany: 1.6 %Denmark: 0.8 %Estonia: 3.9 %Spain: -0.3 %Finland: 0.9 %France: 0.9 %Greece: -1.7 %Hungary: 0.6 %Ireland: -5.2 %Italy: 0.3 %Lithuania: 2.9 %Luxembourg: 1.9 %Latvia: 4.6 %Malta: -0.4 %Netherlands: -0.1 %Poland: 0.1 %Portugal: -1.1 %Romania: 2.9 %Sweden: 1.4 %Slovenia: -1 %Slovakia: 0.6 %
  • Under -1.3
  • -1.3 to -0.4
  • -0.4 to 0
  • 0 to 0.9
  • 0.9 to 2
  • 2 and over
  • No data
%, 2014. Red areas are below zero and blue areas above it. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: Eurostat, Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2014

Bulgaria: 5 %Bulgaria5Latvia: 4.6 %Latvia4.6Estonia: 3.9 %Estonia3.9Lithuania: 2.9 %Lithuania2.9Romania: 2.9 %Romania2.9Austria: 2 %Austria2Luxembourg: 1.9 %Luxembourg1.9Germany: 1.6 %Germany1.6Sweden: 1.4 %Sweden1.4Czechia: 1.1 %Czechia1.1Finland: 0.9 %Finland0.9France: 0.9 %France0.9Denmark: 0.8 %Denmark0.8Hungary: 0.6 %Hungary0.6Slovakia: 0.6 %Slovakia0.6Italy: 0.3 %Italy0.3Poland: 0.1 %Poland0.1Netherlands: -0.1 %Netherlands-0.1Spain: -0.3 %Spain-0.3Belgium: -0.4 %Belgium-0.4Malta: -0.4 %Malta-0.4Slovenia: -1 %Slovenia-1Portugal: -1.1 %Portugal-1.1Greece: -1.7 %Greece-1.7Cyprus: -3.8 %Cyprus-3.8Ireland: -5.2 %Ireland-5.2Bulgaria: 5 %Bulgaria5Latvia: 4.6 %Latvia4.6Estonia: 3.9 %Estonia3.9Lithuania: 2.9 %Lithuania2.9Romania: 2.9 %Romania2.9Austria: 2 %Austria2Luxembourg: 1.9 %Luxembourg1.9Germany: 1.6 %Germany1.6Sweden: 1.4 %Sweden1.4Czechia: 1.1 %Czechia1.1Finland: 0.9 %Finland0.9France: 0.9 %France0.9Denmark: 0.8 %Denmark0.8Hungary: 0.6 %Hungary0.6Slovakia: 0.6 %Slovakia0.6Italy: 0.3 %Italy0.3Poland: 0.1 %Poland0.1Netherlands: -0.1 %Netherlands-0.1Spain: -0.3 %Spain-0.3Belgium: -0.4 %Belgium-0.4Malta: -0.4 %Malta-0.4Slovenia: -1 %Slovenia-1Portugal: -1.1 %Portugal-1.1Greece: -1.7 %Greece-1.7Cyprus: -3.8 %Cyprus-3.8Ireland: -5.2 %Ireland-5.2
%. Source: Eurostat, Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2014 (%)Change on 2013
1Bulgaria5-3.9 pts
2Latvia4.6-1.3 pts
3Estonia3.9-1.3 pts
4Lithuania2.9+0.2 pts
4Romania2.9-0.7 pts
6Austria2-0.8 pts
7Luxembourg1.9+0.2 pts
8Germany1.6-0.7 pts
9Sweden1.4-0.4 pts
10Czechia1.1+0.8 pts
11Finland0.9-0.7 pts
11France0.9-0.5 pts
13Denmark0.8+0.6 pts
14Hungary0.6+1.2 pts
14Slovakia0.6-0.5 pts
16Italy0.3-0.3 pts
17Poland0.1-0.7 pts
18Netherlands-0.1-0.7 pts
19Spain-0.3+0.6 pts
20Belgium-0.4-2.2 pts
20Malta-0.4-1 pts
22Slovenia-1-1.2 pts
23Portugal-1.1-2.6 pts
24Greece-1.7+5 pts
25Cyprus-3.8+0.5 pts
26Ireland-5.2-4.7 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Percentage change from the previous year in the nominal unit labour cost based on persons: compensation per employee divided by real labour productivity per person employed (GDP in chain-linked volumes per person employed).

Rises when pay grows faster than productivity. 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 unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (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 unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc) (EU countries by nominal unit labour cost, annual growth, 2014) [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 unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc), EU countries by nominal unit labour cost, annual growth, 2014. Eurostat, European Commission, 16 Oct. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2014. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). EU countries by nominal unit labour cost, annual growth, 2014. 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/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2014.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc), EU countries by nominal unit labour cost, annual growth, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2014 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_nominal_2014,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama\_10\_lp\_ulc): EU countries by nominal unit labour cost, annual growth, 2014}},
  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/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2014. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (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 unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc): EU countries by nominal unit labour cost, annual growth, 2014
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/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Labour productivity and unit labour costs, nominal unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (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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Questions

Which EU country has the highest nominal unit labour cost, annual growth?

Bulgaria, with 5% in 2014, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest nominal unit labour cost, annual growth?

Ireland, with -5.2% in 2014.

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 unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

EU countries: more rankings