Data / Rankings / Real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth / EU countries

EU countries by real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth, 2025

Ireland had the highest real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth of 26 EU countries in 2025, at 6.2%. Italy had the lowest, at -0.5%. The median was 1.7% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 1.4%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest6.2Ireland
Lowest-0.5Italy
Median1.726 EU countries
European Union (27)1.4History

Map of EU countries, 2025

Austria: 0 %Belgium: 0.4 %Bulgaria: 1.9 %Cyprus: 1.4 %Czechia: 1.8 %Germany: 1.1 %Denmark: 2.9 %Estonia: 1.9 %Spain: 0.6 %Finland: 1.5 %France: 1.5 %Greece: 2.1 %Hungary: 0.5 %Ireland: 6.2 %Italy: -0.5 %Lithuania: 2.9 %Luxembourg: 0.9 %Latvia: 2.7 %Malta: -0.3 %Netherlands: 2.1 %Poland: 4.3 %Portugal: 0.2 %Romania: 2 %Sweden: 2.4 %Slovenia: 2.7 %Slovakia: 1.6 %
  • Under -0.4
  • -0.4 to 0
  • 0 to 1.5
  • 1.5 to 2.1
  • 2.1 and over
  • No data
%, 2025. 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, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2025

Ireland: 6.2 %Ireland6.2Poland: 4.3 %Poland4.3Denmark: 2.9 %Denmark2.9Lithuania: 2.9 %Lithuania2.9Latvia: 2.7 %Latvia2.7Slovenia: 2.7 %Slovenia2.7Sweden: 2.4 %Sweden2.4Greece: 2.1 %Greece2.1Netherlands: 2.1 %Netherlands2.1Romania: 2 %Romania2Bulgaria: 1.9 %Bulgaria1.9Estonia: 1.9 %Estonia1.9Czechia: 1.8 %Czechia1.8Slovakia: 1.6 %Slovakia1.6Finland: 1.5 %Finland1.5France: 1.5 %France1.5Cyprus: 1.4 %Cyprus1.4Germany: 1.1 %Germany1.1Luxembourg: 0.9 %Luxembourg0.9Spain: 0.6 %Spain0.6Hungary: 0.5 %Hungary0.5Belgium: 0.4 %Belgium0.4Portugal: 0.2 %Portugal0.2Austria: 0 %Austria0Malta: -0.3 %Malta-0.3Italy: -0.5 %Italy-0.5Ireland: 6.2 %Ireland6.2Poland: 4.3 %Poland4.3Denmark: 2.9 %Denmark2.9Lithuania: 2.9 %Lithuania2.9Latvia: 2.7 %Latvia2.7Slovenia: 2.7 %Slovenia2.7Sweden: 2.4 %Sweden2.4Greece: 2.1 %Greece2.1Netherlands: 2.1 %Netherlands2.1Romania: 2 %Romania2Bulgaria: 1.9 %Bulgaria1.9Estonia: 1.9 %Estonia1.9Czechia: 1.8 %Czechia1.8Slovakia: 1.6 %Slovakia1.6Finland: 1.5 %Finland1.5France: 1.5 %France1.5Cyprus: 1.4 %Cyprus1.4Germany: 1.1 %Germany1.1Luxembourg: 0.9 %Luxembourg0.9Spain: 0.6 %Spain0.6Hungary: 0.5 %Hungary0.5Belgium: 0.4 %Belgium0.4Portugal: 0.2 %Portugal0.2Austria: 0 %Austria0Malta: -0.3 %Malta-0.3Italy: -0.5 %Italy-0.5
%. Source: Eurostat, Labour productivity and unit labour costs, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2025 (%)Change on 2024
1Ireland6.2+4.7 pts
2Poland Provisional4.3-0.8 pts
3Denmark2.9-0.8 pts
3Lithuania2.9+2.6 pts
5Latvia2.7+2.7 pts
5Slovenia2.7+3.1 pts
7Sweden2.40 pts
8Greece Provisional2.1+1.6 pts
8Netherlands Provisional2.1+2.7 pts
10Romania Provisional2+2.9 pts
11Bulgaria Provisional1.9-2.5 pts
11Estonia1.9+2.3 pts
13Czechia1.8+2.1 pts
14Slovakia1.6-0.1 pts
15Finland1.5-0.3 pts
15France Provisional1.5+1.5 pts
17Cyprus Provisional1.40 pts
18Germany Provisional1.1+1.4 pts
19Luxembourg Provisional0.9-0.1 pts
20Spain Provisional0.6-0.3 pts
21Hungary Provisional0.5-0.9 pts
22Belgium Provisional0.4-0.6 pts
23Portugal Provisional0.2-0.9 pts
24Austria0-0.3 pts
25Malta-0.3-1.8 pts
26Italy-0.5+0.6 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Percentage change from the previous year in real labour productivity per hour worked: gross domestic product in chain-linked volumes divided by total hours worked by all employed people.

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, real labour productivity per hour worked, 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, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc) (EU countries by real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth, 2025) [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, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc), EU countries by real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth, 2025. Eurostat, European Commission, 16 Oct. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Labour productivity and unit labour costs, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). EU countries by real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth, 2025. 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/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Labour productivity and unit labour costs, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc), EU countries by real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth, 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_real_2025,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Labour productivity and unit labour costs, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama\_10\_lp\_ulc): EU countries by real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth, 2025}},
  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/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Labour productivity and unit labour costs, real labour productivity per hour worked, 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, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc): EU countries by real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth, 2025
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/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Labour productivity and unit labour costs, real labour productivity per hour worked, 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 real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth?

Ireland, with 6.2% in 2025, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth?

Italy, with -0.5% in 2025.

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, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

EU countries: more rankings