Annual working hours per worker in Australia
Australia: Annual working hours per worker was 1,611 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1,611 hours per worker
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
105th
of 130 countries
All-time high
2,792 hours per worker
in 1870
All-time low
1,588 hours per worker
in 2022
Years of data
81
1870–2023
Annual working hours per worker in Australia, 1870–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual working hours per worker in Australia is 1,611 hours per worker, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in Australia peaked at 2,792 hours per worker in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1,588 hours per worker, in 2022.
That places Australia 105th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 81 years of available data.
Annual working hours per worker in Australia, year by year
| Year | hours per worker | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 2,792 hours per worker | — |
| 1880 | 2,647 hours per worker | -5.2% |
| 1890 | 2,501 hours per worker | -5.5% |
| 1900 | 2,385 hours per worker | -4.6% |
| 1913 | 2,214 hours per worker | -7.2% |
| 1929 | 2,186 hours per worker | -1.3% |
| 1938 | 2,109 hours per worker | -3.5% |
| 1950 | 2,030 hours per worker | -3.8% |
| 1951 | 2,011 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1952 | 1,992 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1953 | 1,974 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1954 | 1,955 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1955 | 1,937 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1956 | 1,919 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1957 | 1,902 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1958 | 1,884 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1959 | 1,867 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1960 | 1,849 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1961 | 1,846 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 1,843 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 1,839 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 1,836 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 1,832 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 1,829 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 1,826 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 1,822 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 1,819 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 1,816 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 1,798 hours per worker | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 1,779 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 1,767 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 1,783 hours per worker | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 1,770 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 1,780 hours per worker | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 1,782 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 1,783 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1,788 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 1,785 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 1,771 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 1,751 hours per worker | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 1,734 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 1,754 hours per worker | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 1,746 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 1,750 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 1,748 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 1,745 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 1,755 hours per worker | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 1,741 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 1,728 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 1,725 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 1,740 hours per worker | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 1,745 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 1,746 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 1,749 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 1,746 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 1,735 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 1,724 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 1,738 hours per worker | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 1,716 hours per worker | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 1,698 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 1,694 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 1,686 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 1,686 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 1,677 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 1,674 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 1,678 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 1,672 hours per worker | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 1,655 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 1,660 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 1,662 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 1,653 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 1,656 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 1,650 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 1,644 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 1,642 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 1,634 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 1,632 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 1,601 hours per worker | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 1,598 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 1,588 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 1,611 hours per worker | +1.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1,611 hours per worker is below the median for high income countries, which is 1,668 hours per worker, 97% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1,611 hours per worker is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,169 hours per worker, 74% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 2,792 hours per worker | 2,792 hours per worker | 2,792 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1880s | 2,647 hours per worker | 2,647 hours per worker | 2,647 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1890s | 2,501 hours per worker | 2,501 hours per worker | 2,501 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1900s | 2,385 hours per worker | 2,385 hours per worker | 2,385 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1910s | 2,214 hours per worker | 2,214 hours per worker | 2,214 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1920s | 2,186 hours per worker | 2,186 hours per worker | 2,186 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1930s | 2,109 hours per worker | 2,109 hours per worker | 2,109 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1950s | 1,947 hours per worker | 1,867 hours per worker | 2,030 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,834 hours per worker | 1,819 hours per worker | 1,849 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,785 hours per worker | 1,767 hours per worker | 1,816 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,754 hours per worker | 1,734 hours per worker | 1,785 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,738 hours per worker | 1,724 hours per worker | 1,749 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,692 hours per worker | 1,672 hours per worker | 1,738 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,649 hours per worker | 1,632 hours per worker | 1,662 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,599 hours per worker | 1,588 hours per worker | 1,611 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More work & labour data for Australia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4907 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5202 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9895 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8931 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 30,186 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 3,001 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 21,642 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 21,502 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 43,144 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in Australia?
- Annual working hours per worker in Australia was 1,611 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2,792 hours per worker in 1870.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,588 hours per worker in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for annual working hours per worker?
- Australia ranks 105th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 81 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.