Germany vs Sweden: Productivity: output per hour worked

Germany
82.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2023
Sweden
80.74 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2023
Germany rank
10th
Sweden rank
11th

Productivity: output per hour worked over time

  • Germany
  • Sweden
020406080195019862023

How they compare

Germany currently reports 82.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour against 80.74 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in Sweden, a difference of 1.76 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Sweden ahead.

Germany ranks 10th and Sweden ranks 11th of 130 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 2 and Sweden in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany Sweden Difference Ahead
1950s 7.77 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 15.69 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 7.92 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour Sweden
1960s 14.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 22.92 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 8.89 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour Sweden
1970s 23.35 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 33.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 9.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour Sweden
1980s 30.49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 39.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 9.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour Sweden
1990s 49.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 51.78 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 2.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour Sweden
2000s 65.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 66.91 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 1.8 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour Sweden
2010s 75.64 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 74.8 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 0.8353 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour Germany
2020s 82.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 81.73 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 0.8146 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour Germany

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher productivity: output per hour worked, Germany or Sweden?
Germany, at 82.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour against 80.74 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in Sweden as of 2023.
What is the difference in productivity: output per hour worked between Germany and Sweden?
1.76 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Sweden?
74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
How do Germany and Sweden rank globally for productivity: output per hour worked?
Germany ranks 10th and Sweden ranks 11th of 130 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Productivity: output per hour worked. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Productivity: output per hour worked
Unit
international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Source
Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
130 places, 4,965 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.