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

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

Poland had the highest real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth of 26 EU countries in 2018, at 7.1%. Greece had the lowest, at -3.1%. The median was 0.8% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 0.8%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest7.1Poland
Lowest-3.1Greece
Median0.826 EU countries
European Union (27)0.8History

Map of EU countries, 2018

Austria: 0.4 %Belgium: 0.2 %Bulgaria: 2.4 %Cyprus: 1.1 %Czechia: 1.2 %Germany: 0.5 %Denmark: 2 %Estonia: 6.4 %Spain: -0.1 %Finland: -1.3 %France: 0.2 %Greece: -3.1 %Hungary: 4.6 %Ireland: 3.7 %Italy: 0 %Lithuania: 3.1 %Luxembourg: -1.2 %Latvia: 1.5 %Malta: -1.1 %Netherlands: -0.4 %Poland: 7.1 %Portugal: 0 %Romania: 5.1 %Sweden: 0.1 %Slovenia: 2.3 %Slovakia: 2.6 %
  • Under -1.2
  • -1.2 to -0.9
  • -0.9 to 0
  • 0 to 0.7
  • 0.7 to 2.5
  • 2.5 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, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2018

Poland: 7.1 %Poland7.1Estonia: 6.4 %Estonia6.4Romania: 5.1 %Romania5.1Hungary: 4.6 %Hungary4.6Ireland: 3.7 %Ireland3.7Lithuania: 3.1 %Lithuania3.1Slovakia: 2.6 %Slovakia2.6Bulgaria: 2.4 %Bulgaria2.4Slovenia: 2.3 %Slovenia2.3Denmark: 2 %Denmark2Latvia: 1.5 %Latvia1.5Czechia: 1.2 %Czechia1.2Cyprus: 1.1 %Cyprus1.1Germany: 0.5 %Germany0.5Austria: 0.4 %Austria0.4Belgium: 0.2 %Belgium0.2France: 0.2 %France0.2Sweden: 0.1 %Sweden0.1Italy: 0 %Italy0Portugal: 0 %Portugal0Spain: -0.1 %Spain-0.1Netherlands: -0.4 %Netherlands-0.4Malta: -1.1 %Malta-1.1Luxembourg: -1.2 %Luxembourg-1.2Finland: -1.3 %Finland-1.3Greece: -3.1 %Greece-3.1Poland: 7.1 %Poland7.1Estonia: 6.4 %Estonia6.4Romania: 5.1 %Romania5.1Hungary: 4.6 %Hungary4.6Ireland: 3.7 %Ireland3.7Lithuania: 3.1 %Lithuania3.1Slovakia: 2.6 %Slovakia2.6Bulgaria: 2.4 %Bulgaria2.4Slovenia: 2.3 %Slovenia2.3Denmark: 2 %Denmark2Latvia: 1.5 %Latvia1.5Czechia: 1.2 %Czechia1.2Cyprus: 1.1 %Cyprus1.1Germany: 0.5 %Germany0.5Austria: 0.4 %Austria0.4Belgium: 0.2 %Belgium0.2France: 0.2 %France0.2Sweden: 0.1 %Sweden0.1Italy: 0 %Italy0Portugal: 0 %Portugal0Spain: -0.1 %Spain-0.1Netherlands: -0.4 %Netherlands-0.4Malta: -1.1 %Malta-1.1Luxembourg: -1.2 %Luxembourg-1.2Finland: -1.3 %Finland-1.3Greece: -3.1 %Greece-3.1
%. 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 countries2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Poland7.1+2.2 pts
2Estonia6.4+3.6 pts
3Romania5.1-1.9 pts
4Hungary4.6+1.4 pts
5Ireland3.7-1.7 pts
6Lithuania3.1-4.6 pts
7Slovakia2.6+0.4 pts
8Bulgaria2.4+1.4 pts
9Slovenia2.3-1.9 pts
10Denmark2-0.1 pts
11Latvia1.5-2.8 pts
12Czechia1.2-2.4 pts
13Cyprus1.1-0.2 pts
14Germany0.5-1.6 pts
15Austria0.4-0.9 pts
16Belgium0.2+0.4 pts
16France0.2-1.8 pts
18Sweden0.1-0.1 pts
19Italy0-0.6 pts
19Portugal0-0.6 pts
21Spain-0.1-0.8 pts
22Netherlands-0.4-0.8 pts
23Malta-1.1-9.7 pts
24Luxembourg-1.2+0.3 pts
25Finland-1.3-4.4 pts
26Greece-3.1-4.9 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. 1 EU countries with data in other periods have no value for 2018 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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, 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, 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, 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/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries?period=2018. 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, 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/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries?period=2018.

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

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_real_2018,
  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, 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/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries?period=2018. 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, 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/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries?period=2018.
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?

Poland, with 7.1% in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Greece, with -3.1% 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, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Retrieved 2026-10-18. 1 EU countries have no value for 2018 and are not ranked.

EU countries: more rankings