Hong Kong vs South Korea: Productivity: output per hour worked
Hong Kong
51.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2023
South Korea
53.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2023
Hong Kong rank
28th
South Korea rank
25th
Productivity: output per hour worked over time
- Hong Kong
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 53.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour against 51.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in Hong Kong, a difference of 2.09 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 64 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Hong Kong ahead.
Hong Kong ranks 28th and South Korea ranks 25th of 130 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Hong Kong averaged higher in 6 and South Korea in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Hong Kong | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.05 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 2.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 6.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Hong Kong |
| 1970s | 14.53 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4.63 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 9.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Hong Kong |
| 1980s | 23.6 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 8.4 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 15.2 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Hong Kong |
| 1990s | 39.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 19.86 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 19.69 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Hong Kong |
| 2000s | 51.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 31.72 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 19.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Hong Kong |
| 2010s | 52.63 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 42.53 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Hong Kong |
| 2020s | 51.4 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 53.35 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 1.95 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher productivity: output per hour worked, Hong Kong or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 53.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour against 51.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in Hong Kong as of 2023.
- What is the difference in productivity: output per hour worked between Hong Kong and South Korea?
- 2.09 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Hong Kong and South Korea?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2023.
- How do Hong Kong and South Korea rank globally for productivity: output per hour worked?
- Hong Kong ranks 28th and South Korea ranks 25th 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
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.