Denmark vs Germany: Annual working hours per worker
Denmark
1,380 hours per worker
in 2023
Germany
1,335 hours per worker
in 2023
Denmark rank
129th
Germany rank
130th
Annual working hours per worker over time
- Denmark
- Germany
How they compare
Denmark currently reports 1,380 hours per worker against 1,335 hours per worker in Germany, a difference of 45 hours per worker.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 81 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Denmark ahead.
Denmark ranks 129th and Germany ranks 130th of 130 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 7 and Germany in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 3,434 hours per worker | 3,284 hours per worker | 150 hours per worker | Denmark |
| 1880s | 3,172 hours per worker | 3,223 hours per worker | 51 hours per worker | Germany |
| 1890s | 2,933 hours per worker | 3,108 hours per worker | 175 hours per worker | Germany |
| 1900s | 2,742 hours per worker | 3,056 hours per worker | 314 hours per worker | Germany |
| 1910s | 2,731 hours per worker | 2,723 hours per worker | 8 hours per worker | Denmark |
| 1920s | 2,301 hours per worker | 2,128 hours per worker | 173 hours per worker | Denmark |
| 1930s | 2,203 hours per worker | 2,187 hours per worker | 16 hours per worker | Denmark |
| 1950s | 1,986 hours per worker | 2,314 hours per worker | 328.71 hours per worker | Germany |
| 1960s | 1,935 hours per worker | 2,080 hours per worker | 144.36 hours per worker | Germany |
| 1970s | 1,679 hours per worker | 1,857 hours per worker | 178.43 hours per worker | Germany |
| 1980s | 1,524 hours per worker | 1,682 hours per worker | 158.17 hours per worker | Germany |
| 1990s | 1,434 hours per worker | 1,532 hours per worker | 97.48 hours per worker | Germany |
| 2000s | 1,450 hours per worker | 1,445 hours per worker | 5.2 hours per worker | Denmark |
| 2010s | 1,410 hours per worker | 1,399 hours per worker | 10.53 hours per worker | Denmark |
| 2020s | 1,374 hours per worker | 1,333 hours per worker | 40.91 hours per worker | Denmark |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual working hours per worker, Denmark or Germany?
- Denmark, at 1,380 hours per worker against 1,335 hours per worker in Germany as of 2023.
- What is the difference in annual working hours per worker between Denmark and Germany?
- 45 hours per worker, with Denmark ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Germany?
- 81 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2023.
- How do Denmark and Germany rank globally for annual working hours per worker?
- Denmark ranks 129th and Germany ranks 130th of 130 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.