Annual working hours vs. productivity in India
India: Annual working hours vs. productivity was 2,383 hours per worker in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2,383 hours per worker
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
11th
of 129 countries
All-time high
2,605 hours per worker
in 2019
All-time low
2,383 hours per worker
in 2023
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Annual working hours vs. productivity in India, 1970–2023
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 India is 2,383 hours per worker, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 54 years on record.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours vs. productivity in India peaked at 2,605 hours per worker in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2,383 hours per worker, in 2023.
That places India 11th out of 129 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Annual working hours vs. productivity in India, year by year
| Year | hours per worker | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,434 hours per worker | — |
| 1971 | 2,434 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 2,433 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 2,431 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 2,428 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 2,426 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 2,422 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 2,420 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 2,419 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 2,419 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 2,419 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 2,418 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 2,419 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2,420 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2,422 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 2,424 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 2,427 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 2,429 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 2,432 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 2,436 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 2,436 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2,437 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2,434 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 2,433 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 2,433 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 2,434 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 2,438 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 2,437 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 2,439 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 2,441 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 2,446 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 2,446 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2,448 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 2,452 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 2,456 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 2,458 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 2,455 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 2,460 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 2,481 hours per worker | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 2,502 hours per worker | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 2,506 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 2,521 hours per worker | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 2,544 hours per worker | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 2,549 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 2,570 hours per worker | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 2,573 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 2,570 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 2,580 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 2,594 hours per worker | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 2,605 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 2,528 hours per worker | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 2,480 hours per worker | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 2,430 hours per worker | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 2,383 hours per worker | -2.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 2,383 hours per worker is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,182 hours per worker, 1.1× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2,427 hours per worker | 2,419 hours per worker | 2,434 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,424 hours per worker | 2,418 hours per worker | 2,436 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,436 hours per worker | 2,433 hours per worker | 2,441 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,460 hours per worker | 2,446 hours per worker | 2,502 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,561 hours per worker | 2,506 hours per worker | 2,605 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,455 hours per worker | 2,383 hours per worker | 2,528 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More economy & growth data for India
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 5.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 35.69 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.009 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 24.38 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 39.10 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 44.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0099 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 26.71 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 8.87 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours vs. productivity in India?
- Annual working hours vs. productivity in India was 2,383 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 2,605 hours per worker in 2019.
- What is the lowest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,383 hours per worker in 2023.
- How does India rank for annual working hours vs. productivity?
- India ranks 11th out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours vs. productivity rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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 — 54 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.