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

EU countries by nominal unit labour cost, annual growth

Lithuania had the highest nominal unit labour cost, annual growth of 27 EU countries in 2021, at 7.4%. Croatia had the lowest, at -5.1%. The median was 0.8% and the figure for the European Union (27) was -0.2%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest7.4Lithuania
Lowest-5.1Croatia
Median0.827 EU countries
European Union (27)-0.2History

Map of EU countries, 2021

Austria: 0.1 %Belgium: 0.4 %Bulgaria: 3.3 %Cyprus: -3.4 %Czechia: 3.1 %Germany: -0.6 %Denmark: -1 %Estonia: 1.2 %Spain: 0.8 %Finland: 3.7 %France: 0.8 %Greece: -1.7 %Croatia: -5.1 %Hungary: 3 %Ireland: -4.2 %Italy: -1.3 %Lithuania: 7.4 %Luxembourg: 1.3 %Latvia: -0.7 %Malta: -4.3 %Netherlands: -1.6 %Poland: 0.8 %Portugal: 1.7 %Romania: 1.2 %Sweden: 0.9 %Slovenia: 0.9 %Slovakia: 0.6 %
  • Under -3.4
  • -3.4 to -1.3
  • -1.3 to 0
  • 0 to 0.8
  • 0.8 to 1.6
  • 1.6 and over
%, 2021. Red areas are below zero and blue areas above it. 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, 2021

Lithuania: 7.4 %Lithuania7.4Finland: 3.7 %Finland3.7Bulgaria: 3.3 %Bulgaria3.3Czechia: 3.1 %Czechia3.1Hungary: 3 %Hungary3Portugal: 1.7 %Portugal1.7Luxembourg: 1.3 %Luxembourg1.3Estonia: 1.2 %Estonia1.2Romania: 1.2 %Romania1.2Slovenia: 0.9 %Slovenia0.9Sweden: 0.9 %Sweden0.9France: 0.8 %France0.8Poland: 0.8 %Poland0.8Spain: 0.8 %Spain0.8Slovakia: 0.6 %Slovakia0.6Belgium: 0.4 %Belgium0.4Austria: 0.1 %Austria0.1Germany: -0.6 %Germany-0.6Latvia: -0.7 %Latvia-0.7Denmark: -1 %Denmark-1Italy: -1.3 %Italy-1.3Netherlands: -1.6 %Netherlands-1.6Greece: -1.7 %Greece-1.7Cyprus: -3.4 %Cyprus-3.4Ireland: -4.2 %Ireland-4.2Malta: -4.3 %Malta-4.3Croatia: -5.1 %Croatia-5.1Lithuania: 7.4 %Lithuania7.4Finland: 3.7 %Finland3.7Bulgaria: 3.3 %Bulgaria3.3Czechia: 3.1 %Czechia3.1Hungary: 3 %Hungary3Portugal: 1.7 %Portugal1.7Luxembourg: 1.3 %Luxembourg1.3Estonia: 1.2 %Estonia1.2Romania: 1.2 %Romania1.2Slovenia: 0.9 %Slovenia0.9Sweden: 0.9 %Sweden0.9France: 0.8 %France0.8Poland: 0.8 %Poland0.8Spain: 0.8 %Spain0.8Slovakia: 0.6 %Slovakia0.6Belgium: 0.4 %Belgium0.4Austria: 0.1 %Austria0.1Germany: -0.6 %Germany-0.6Latvia: -0.7 %Latvia-0.7Denmark: -1 %Denmark-1Italy: -1.3 %Italy-1.3Netherlands: -1.6 %Netherlands-1.6Greece: -1.7 %Greece-1.7Cyprus: -3.4 %Cyprus-3.4Ireland: -4.2 %Ireland-4.2Malta: -4.3 %Malta-4.3Croatia: -5.1 %Croatia-5.1
%. 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 countries2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Lithuania7.4+3 pts
2Finland3.7+2.9 pts
3Bulgaria3.3-5.4 pts
4Czechia3.1-4.2 pts
5Hungary3-3.7 pts
6Portugal1.7-7 pts
7Luxembourg1.3-2.1 pts
8Estonia1.2-3.4 pts
8Romania1.2-4.3 pts
10Slovenia0.9-6.6 pts
10Sweden0.9-2.2 pts
12France0.8-3.4 pts
12Poland0.8-6.5 pts
12Spain0.8-7.4 pts
15Slovakia0.6-4 pts
16Belgium0.4-3.2 pts
17Austria0.1-6.7 pts
18Germany-0.6-4.3 pts
19Latvia-0.7-6.4 pts
20Denmark-1-4.2 pts
21Italy-1.3-4.3 pts
22Netherlands-1.6-9.4 pts
23Greece-1.7-8.5 pts
24Cyprus-3.4-6.9 pts
25Ireland-4.2+2 pts
26Malta-4.3-12.8 pts
27Croatia-5.1-14.3 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, 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 unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc), EU countries by nominal unit labour cost, annual growth, 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/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2021. 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, 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/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_nominal_2021,
  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, 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/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2021. 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, 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/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nominal-unit-labour-cost-growth/eu-countries?period=2021.
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?

Lithuania, with 7.4% in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Croatia, with -5.1% 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 unit labour cost based on persons, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

EU countries: more rankings