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

EU countries by nominal unit labour cost, annual growth

Romania had the highest nominal unit labour cost, annual growth of 26 EU countries in 2016, at 11%. Cyprus had the lowest, at -2.7%. The median was 1.8% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 0.8%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest11Romania
Lowest-2.7Cyprus
Median1.826 EU countries
European Union (27)0.8History

Map of EU countries, 2016

Austria: 1.5 %Belgium: 0.8 %Bulgaria: 3.2 %Cyprus: -2.7 %Czechia: 3.4 %Germany: 1.4 %Denmark: 0 %Estonia: 3.3 %Spain: -0.8 %Finland: -1 %France: 1 %Greece: -0.4 %Hungary: 4 %Ireland: 5 %Italy: 0.2 %Lithuania: 5.8 %Luxembourg: -1.2 %Latvia: 3.9 %Malta: 5.3 %Netherlands: 1 %Poland: 2.5 %Portugal: 0.9 %Romania: 11 %Sweden: 2.2 %Slovenia: 2 %Slovakia: 2.7 %
  • Under -1.1
  • -1.1 to -0.9
  • -0.9 to 0
  • 0 to 1.5
  • 1.5 to 3.3
  • 3.3 and over
  • No data
%, 2016. 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, 2016

Romania: 11 %Romania11Lithuania: 5.8 %Lithuania5.8Malta: 5.3 %Malta5.3Ireland: 5 %Ireland5Hungary: 4 %Hungary4Latvia: 3.9 %Latvia3.9Czechia: 3.4 %Czechia3.4Estonia: 3.3 %Estonia3.3Bulgaria: 3.2 %Bulgaria3.2Slovakia: 2.7 %Slovakia2.7Poland: 2.5 %Poland2.5Sweden: 2.2 %Sweden2.2Slovenia: 2 %Slovenia2Austria: 1.5 %Austria1.5Germany: 1.4 %Germany1.4France: 1 %France1Netherlands: 1 %Netherlands1Portugal: 0.9 %Portugal0.9Belgium: 0.8 %Belgium0.8Italy: 0.2 %Italy0.2Denmark: 0 %Denmark0Greece: -0.4 %Greece-0.4Spain: -0.8 %Spain-0.8Finland: -1 %Finland-1Luxembourg: -1.2 %Luxembourg-1.2Cyprus: -2.7 %Cyprus-2.7Romania: 11 %Romania11Lithuania: 5.8 %Lithuania5.8Malta: 5.3 %Malta5.3Ireland: 5 %Ireland5Hungary: 4 %Hungary4Latvia: 3.9 %Latvia3.9Czechia: 3.4 %Czechia3.4Estonia: 3.3 %Estonia3.3Bulgaria: 3.2 %Bulgaria3.2Slovakia: 2.7 %Slovakia2.7Poland: 2.5 %Poland2.5Sweden: 2.2 %Sweden2.2Slovenia: 2 %Slovenia2Austria: 1.5 %Austria1.5Germany: 1.4 %Germany1.4France: 1 %France1Netherlands: 1 %Netherlands1Portugal: 0.9 %Portugal0.9Belgium: 0.8 %Belgium0.8Italy: 0.2 %Italy0.2Denmark: 0 %Denmark0Greece: -0.4 %Greece-0.4Spain: -0.8 %Spain-0.8Finland: -1 %Finland-1Luxembourg: -1.2 %Luxembourg-1.2Cyprus: -2.7 %Cyprus-2.7
%. 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 countries2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Romania11+13.5 pts
2Lithuania5.8+1.5 pts
3Malta5.3+5.3 pts
4Ireland5+20.1 pts
5Hungary4+3.1 pts
6Latvia3.9-1.3 pts
7Czechia3.4+3.7 pts
8Estonia3.3-1.3 pts
9Bulgaria3.2+0.7 pts
10Slovakia2.7+2.3 pts
11Poland2.5+3 pts
12Sweden2.2+2.4 pts
13Slovenia2+1.6 pts
14Austria1.5+0.2 pts
15Germany1.4-0.6 pts
16France1+0.7 pts
16Netherlands1+2.5 pts
18Portugal0.9+0.7 pts
19Belgium0.8+1.2 pts
20Italy0.2-0.5 pts
21Denmark0-1 pts
22Greece-0.4+2.9 pts
23Spain-0.8-0.8 pts
24Finland-1-1.9 pts
25Luxembourg-1.2-3.1 pts
26Cyprus-2.7+0.4 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, 2016) [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, 2016. 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=2016. 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, 2016. 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=2016.

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, 2016 [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=2016 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_nominal_2016,
  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, 2016}},
  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=2016. 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, 2016
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=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2016.
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?

Romania, with 11% in 2016, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Cyprus, with -2.7% in 2016.

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