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

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

Ireland had the highest real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth of 27 EU countries in 2020, at 18%. Croatia had the lowest, at -6.4%. The median was 1.4% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 1.4%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest18Ireland
Lowest-6.4Croatia
Median1.427 EU countries
European Union (27)1.4History

Map of EU countries, 2020

Austria: 2.7 %Belgium: 3.7 %Bulgaria: 1 %Cyprus: 2.1 %Czechia: 3.3 %Germany: 1 %Denmark: 1.7 %Estonia: 3.3 %Spain: 0 %Finland: 0.3 %France: 0.2 %Greece: 3 %Croatia: -6.4 %Hungary: 1.3 %Ireland: 18 %Italy: 3.4 %Lithuania: 6.6 %Luxembourg: 5.2 %Latvia: 2.7 %Malta: 1.4 %Netherlands: 0.4 %Poland: -1.3 %Portugal: 0 %Romania: 1.2 %Sweden: 1.3 %Slovenia: 0.9 %Slovakia: 7.2 %
  • Under -3.8
  • -3.8 to 0
  • 0 to 1.2
  • 1.2 to 3
  • 3 and over
%, 2020. Red areas are below zero and blue areas above it. 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, 2020

Ireland: 18 %Ireland18Slovakia: 7.2 %Slovakia7.2Lithuania: 6.6 %Lithuania6.6Luxembourg: 5.2 %Luxembourg5.2Belgium: 3.7 %Belgium3.7Italy: 3.4 %Italy3.4Czechia: 3.3 %Czechia3.3Estonia: 3.3 %Estonia3.3Greece: 3 %Greece3Austria: 2.7 %Austria2.7Latvia: 2.7 %Latvia2.7Cyprus: 2.1 %Cyprus2.1Denmark: 1.7 %Denmark1.7Malta: 1.4 %Malta1.4Hungary: 1.3 %Hungary1.3Sweden: 1.3 %Sweden1.3Romania: 1.2 %Romania1.2Bulgaria: 1 %Bulgaria1Germany: 1 %Germany1Slovenia: 0.9 %Slovenia0.9Netherlands: 0.4 %Netherlands0.4Finland: 0.3 %Finland0.3France: 0.2 %France0.2Portugal: 0 %Portugal0Spain: 0 %Spain0Poland: -1.3 %Poland-1.3Croatia: -6.4 %Croatia-6.4Ireland: 18 %Ireland18Slovakia: 7.2 %Slovakia7.2Lithuania: 6.6 %Lithuania6.6Luxembourg: 5.2 %Luxembourg5.2Belgium: 3.7 %Belgium3.7Italy: 3.4 %Italy3.4Czechia: 3.3 %Czechia3.3Estonia: 3.3 %Estonia3.3Greece: 3 %Greece3Austria: 2.7 %Austria2.7Latvia: 2.7 %Latvia2.7Cyprus: 2.1 %Cyprus2.1Denmark: 1.7 %Denmark1.7Malta: 1.4 %Malta1.4Hungary: 1.3 %Hungary1.3Sweden: 1.3 %Sweden1.3Romania: 1.2 %Romania1.2Bulgaria: 1 %Bulgaria1Germany: 1 %Germany1Slovenia: 0.9 %Slovenia0.9Netherlands: 0.4 %Netherlands0.4Finland: 0.3 %Finland0.3France: 0.2 %France0.2Portugal: 0 %Portugal0Spain: 0 %Spain0Poland: -1.3 %Poland-1.3Croatia: -6.4 %Croatia-6.4
%. 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 countries2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Ireland18+16.3 pts
2Slovakia7.2+5.3 pts
3Lithuania6.6+2.4 pts
4Luxembourg5.2+5.6 pts
5Belgium3.7+2.8 pts
6Italy3.4+2.9 pts
7Czechia3.3-0.4 pts
7Estonia3.3+0.1 pts
9Greece3+0.6 pts
10Austria2.7+2.6 pts
10Latvia2.7+4 pts
12Cyprus2.1+1.4 pts
13Denmark1.7+0.8 pts
14Malta1.4+6.2 pts
15Hungary1.3-3 pts
15Sweden1.3-1.6 pts
17Romania1.2-2.2 pts
18Bulgaria1-4.2 pts
18Germany1+0.2 pts
20Slovenia0.9-0.2 pts
21Netherlands0.4+0.7 pts
22Finland0.3-0.2 pts
23France0.2-0.3 pts
24Portugal0-1.6 pts
24Spain0-0.2 pts
26Poland-1.3-2.9 pts
27Croatia-6.4n/a

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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_real_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries?period=2020.
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 18% in 2020, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Croatia, with -6.4% in 2020.

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