OECD vs United States: Average annual hours actually worked per worker — Hours worked
Average annual hours actually worked per worker — Hours worked over time
- OECD
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1,800 Hours per year per person against 1,736 Hours per year per person in OECD, a difference of 64 Hours per year per person.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was OECD ahead.
OECD ranks 15th and United States ranks 13th of 36 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, OECD averaged higher in 2 and United States in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | OECD | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,975 Hours per year per person | 1,906 Hours per year per person | 68.28 Hours per year per person | OECD |
| 1980s | 1,897 Hours per year per person | 1,873 Hours per year per person | 23.7 Hours per year per person | OECD |
| 1990s | 1,856 Hours per year per person | 1,882 Hours per year per person | 26.81 Hours per year per person | United States |
| 2000s | 1,818 Hours per year per person | 1,844 Hours per year per person | 26.05 Hours per year per person | United States |
| 2010s | 1,787 Hours per year per person | 1,824 Hours per year per person | 36.6 Hours per year per person | United States |
| 2020s | 1,733 Hours per year per person | 1,805 Hours per year per person | 71.88 Hours per year per person | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average annual hours actually worked per worker — hours worked, OECD or United States?
- United States, at 1,800 Hours per year per person against 1,736 Hours per year per person in OECD as of 2025.
- What is the difference in average annual hours actually worked per worker — hours worked between OECD and United States?
- 64 Hours per year per person, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for OECD and United States?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do OECD and United States rank globally for average annual hours actually worked per worker — hours worked?
- OECD ranks 15th and United States ranks 13th of 36 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Average annual hours actually worked per worker — Hours worked. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The concept used is the total number of hours worked over the year divided by the average number of people in employment. The data are intended for comparisons of trends over time; they are unsuitable for comparisons of the level of average annual hours of work for a given year, because of differences in their sources. Part-time workers are covered as well as full-time workers. Detailed notes and sources can be found in LFS_NOTES_SOURCES. In order to facilitate analysis and comparisons over time, historical data for OECD members have been provided over as long a period as possible, often even before a country became a member of the Organisation. Information on the membership dates of all OECD countries can be found at OECD Ratification Dates.