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

Croatia had the highest real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth of 27 EU countries in 2021, at 11.6%. Greece had the lowest, at -3.2%. The median was 1.6% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 0.6%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest11.6Croatia

Lowest-3.2Greece

Median1.627 EU countries

European Union (27)0.6History

Map of EU countries, 2021

Under -1.9
-1.9 to -1.2
-1.2 to 0
0 to 1.5
1.5 to 3.9
3.9 and over

%, 2021. 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, 2021

%. Source: Eurostat, Labour productivity and unit labour costs, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Retrieved 2026-10-20.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2021 (%)	Change on 2020
1	Croatia	11.6	+18 pts
2	Malta	9.7	+8.3 pts
3	Estonia	8.9	+5.6 pts
4	Ireland	8.3	-9.7 pts
5	Bulgaria	7	+6 pts
6	Latvia	6.5	+3.8 pts
7	Slovakia	5.6	-1.3 pts
8	Slovenia	3	+2.1 pts
9	Hungary	2.8	+1.5 pts
10	Cyprus	2.7	+0.6 pts
11	Sweden	2.6	+1.3 pts
12	Lithuania	2.5	-4.1 pts
13	Germany	1.6	+0.6 pts
13	Netherlands	1.6	+1.2 pts
15	Romania	1.3	+0.1 pts
16	Poland	1.2	+2.5 pts
17	Portugal	1	+1 pts
18	Denmark	0.5	-1.2 pts
18	Finland	0.5	+0.2 pts
20	Czechia	0.1	-3.2 pts
21	Austria	0	-2.7 pts
22	Spain	-0.5	-0.5 pts
23	Italy	-0.9	-4.3 pts
24	France	-1.4	-1.6 pts
25	Belgium	-1.7	-5.4 pts
26	Luxembourg	-2.2	-7.4 pts
27	Greece	-3.2	-6.2 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 2026-10-20.

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, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 20, 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, 2021. Eurostat, European Commission, 19 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=2021. Accessed 20 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, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 20, 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 20 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_real_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_lp_ulc/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-20},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries?period=2021. 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 2026-10-20.},
}

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, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/19
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/20
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-labour-productivity-per-hour-growth/eu-countries?period=2021.
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 2026-10-20.
ER  -

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Rank EU countries by real labour productivity per hour worked, annual growth using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

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

Croatia, with 11.6% in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Greece, with -3.2% 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, real labour productivity per hour worked, percentage change on previous period (nama_10_lp_ulc). Retrieved 2026-10-20.