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 2018, at 7.4%. Ireland had the lowest, at -1.6%. The median was 2.8% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 1.9%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest7.4Romania
Lowest-1.6Ireland
Median2.826 EU countries
European Union (27)1.9History

Map of EU countries, 2018

Austria: 2.1 %Belgium: 1.4 %Bulgaria: 7.1 %Cyprus: 1.6 %Czechia: 6.5 %Germany: 3.2 %Denmark: 1.5 %Estonia: 6.5 %Spain: 1.5 %Finland: 2.6 %France: 0.9 %Greece: -1 %Hungary: 2.9 %Ireland: -1.6 %Italy: 1.6 %Lithuania: 4.3 %Luxembourg: 5.2 %Latvia: 5.3 %Malta: 6.9 %Netherlands: 2.7 %Poland: 1.9 %Portugal: 3.8 %Romania: 7.4 %Sweden: 3.8 %Slovenia: 2.8 %Slovakia: 3.8 %
  • Under -1.3
  • -1.3 to 0
  • 0 to 2.4
  • 2.4 to 4
  • 4 and over
  • No data
%, 2018. 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, 2018

Romania: 7.4 %Romania7.4Bulgaria: 7.1 %Bulgaria7.1Malta: 6.9 %Malta6.9Czechia: 6.5 %Czechia6.5Estonia: 6.5 %Estonia6.5Latvia: 5.3 %Latvia5.3Luxembourg: 5.2 %Luxembourg5.2Lithuania: 4.3 %Lithuania4.3Portugal: 3.8 %Portugal3.8Slovakia: 3.8 %Slovakia3.8Sweden: 3.8 %Sweden3.8Germany: 3.2 %Germany3.2Hungary: 2.9 %Hungary2.9Slovenia: 2.8 %Slovenia2.8Netherlands: 2.7 %Netherlands2.7Finland: 2.6 %Finland2.6Austria: 2.1 %Austria2.1Poland: 1.9 %Poland1.9Cyprus: 1.6 %Cyprus1.6Italy: 1.6 %Italy1.6Denmark: 1.5 %Denmark1.5Spain: 1.5 %Spain1.5Belgium: 1.4 %Belgium1.4France: 0.9 %France0.9Greece: -1 %Greece-1Ireland: -1.6 %Ireland-1.6Romania: 7.4 %Romania7.4Bulgaria: 7.1 %Bulgaria7.1Malta: 6.9 %Malta6.9Czechia: 6.5 %Czechia6.5Estonia: 6.5 %Estonia6.5Latvia: 5.3 %Latvia5.3Luxembourg: 5.2 %Luxembourg5.2Lithuania: 4.3 %Lithuania4.3Portugal: 3.8 %Portugal3.8Slovakia: 3.8 %Slovakia3.8Sweden: 3.8 %Sweden3.8Germany: 3.2 %Germany3.2Hungary: 2.9 %Hungary2.9Slovenia: 2.8 %Slovenia2.8Netherlands: 2.7 %Netherlands2.7Finland: 2.6 %Finland2.6Austria: 2.1 %Austria2.1Poland: 1.9 %Poland1.9Cyprus: 1.6 %Cyprus1.6Italy: 1.6 %Italy1.6Denmark: 1.5 %Denmark1.5Spain: 1.5 %Spain1.5Belgium: 1.4 %Belgium1.4France: 0.9 %France0.9Greece: -1 %Greece-1Ireland: -1.6 %Ireland-1.6
%. 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 countries2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Romania7.4-1.3 pts
2Bulgaria7.1-2.4 pts
3Malta6.9+10.2 pts
4Czechia6.5+3 pts
4Estonia6.5+2.4 pts
6Latvia5.3+1.4 pts
7Luxembourg5.2-0.1 pts
8Lithuania4.3+0.4 pts
9Portugal3.8+1.7 pts
9Slovakia3.8-0.7 pts
9Sweden3.8+1.1 pts
12Germany3.2+1.9 pts
13Hungary2.9-1.6 pts
14Slovenia2.8+2 pts
15Netherlands2.7+2.3 pts
16Finland2.6+5.7 pts
17Austria2.1+1.1 pts
18Poland1.9+0.2 pts
19Cyprus1.6+0.4 pts
19Italy1.6+1.6 pts
21Denmark1.5+1.4 pts
21Spain1.5+1 pts
23Belgium1.4-0.5 pts
24France0.9-0.2 pts
25Greece-10 pts
26Ireland-1.6+2.1 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_nominal_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2018.
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 7.4% in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Ireland, with -1.6% in 2018.

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