Annual working hours vs. productivity in Germany
Germany: Annual working hours vs. productivity was 1,335 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1,335 hours per worker
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
129th
of 129 countries
All-time high
2,427 hours per worker
in 1950
All-time low
1,314 hours per worker
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Annual working hours vs. productivity in Germany, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual working hours vs. productivity in Germany is 1,335 hours per worker, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours vs. productivity in Germany peaked at 2,427 hours per worker in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1,314 hours per worker, in 2020.
Germany ranks 129th of 129 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Annual working hours vs. productivity in Germany, year by year
| Year | hours per worker | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2,427 hours per worker | — |
| 1951 | 2,402 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1952 | 2,376 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1953 | 2,351 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1954 | 2,326 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1955 | 2,301 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1956 | 2,276 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1957 | 2,252 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1958 | 2,228 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1959 | 2,205 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1960 | 2,181 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1961 | 2,154 hours per worker | -1.2% |
| 1962 | 2,117 hours per worker | -1.7% |
| 1963 | 2,087 hours per worker | -1.4% |
| 1964 | 2,098 hours per worker | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 2,084 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 2,058 hours per worker | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 2,020 hours per worker | -1.8% |
| 1968 | 2,008 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 1,988 hours per worker | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 1,972 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 1,941 hours per worker | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 1,915 hours per worker | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 1,885 hours per worker | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 1,852 hours per worker | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 1,812 hours per worker | -2.1% |
| 1976 | 1,824 hours per worker | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 1,806 hours per worker | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 1,787 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 1,775 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 1,756 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 1,734 hours per worker | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 1,723 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 1,710 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 1,699 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 1,676 hours per worker | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 1,657 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 1,634 hours per worker | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 1,629 hours per worker | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 1,606 hours per worker | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 1,583 hours per worker | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 1,554 hours per worker | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 1,565 hours per worker | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 1,539 hours per worker | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 1,534 hours per worker | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 1,529 hours per worker | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 1,516 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 1,506 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 1,503 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 1,490 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 1,465 hours per worker | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 1,457 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 1,448 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 1,443 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 1,443 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 1,432 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 1,452 hours per worker | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 1,454 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 1,447 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 1,407 hours per worker | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 1,425 hours per worker | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 1,427 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 1,406 hours per worker | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 1,396 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 1,400 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 1,402 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 1,396 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 1,388 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 1,381 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 1,372 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 1,314 hours per worker | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 1,342 hours per worker | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 1,340 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 1,335 hours per worker | -0.4% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 1,335 hours per worker is below the median for high income countries, which is 1,685 hours per worker, 79% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Germany's 1,335 hours per worker is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1,741 hours per worker, 77% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,314 hours per worker | 2,205 hours per worker | 2,427 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 2,080 hours per worker | 1,988 hours per worker | 2,181 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,857 hours per worker | 1,775 hours per worker | 1,972 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,682 hours per worker | 1,606 hours per worker | 1,756 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,532 hours per worker | 1,490 hours per worker | 1,583 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,445 hours per worker | 1,407 hours per worker | 1,465 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,399 hours per worker | 1,372 hours per worker | 1,427 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,333 hours per worker | 1,314 hours per worker | 1,342 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More economy & growth data for Germany
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.7761 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.6565 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 108.13 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0214 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,295 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 95.19 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 51.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0188 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,140 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 51.4 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours vs. productivity in Germany?
- Annual working hours vs. productivity in Germany was 1,335 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 2,427 hours per worker in 1950.
- What is the lowest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,314 hours per worker in 2020.
- How does Germany rank for annual working hours vs. productivity?
- Germany ranks 129th out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours vs. productivity rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours vs. productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This is the average sum of hours worked by employees and self-employed people during each year in a country.