Annual working hours per worker in India
India: Annual working hours per worker was 2,383 hours per worker in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2,383 hours per worker
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
11th
of 130 countries
All-time high
2,605 hours per worker
in 2019
All-time low
2,383 hours per worker
in 2023
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Annual working hours per worker in India, 1970–2023
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
In 2023, annual working hours per worker in India stood at 2,383 hours per worker. That is the lowest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in India peaked at 2,605 hours per worker in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2,383 hours per worker, in 2023.
India ranks 11th of 130 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Annual working hours per worker in India, year by year
| Year | hours per worker | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,434 hours per worker | — |
| 1971 | 2,434 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 2,433 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 2,431 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 2,428 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 2,426 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 2,422 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 2,420 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 2,419 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 2,419 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 2,419 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 2,418 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 2,419 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2,420 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2,422 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 2,424 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 2,427 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 2,429 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 2,432 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 2,436 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 2,436 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2,437 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2,434 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 2,433 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 2,433 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 2,434 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 2,438 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 2,437 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 2,439 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 2,441 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 2,446 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 2,446 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2,448 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 2,452 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 2,456 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 2,458 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 2,455 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 2,460 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 2,481 hours per worker | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 2,502 hours per worker | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 2,506 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 2,521 hours per worker | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 2,544 hours per worker | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 2,549 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 2,570 hours per worker | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 2,573 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 2,570 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 2,580 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 2,594 hours per worker | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 2,605 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 2,528 hours per worker | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 2,480 hours per worker | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 2,430 hours per worker | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 2,383 hours per worker | -2.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 2,383 hours per worker is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,182 hours per worker, 1.1× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2,427 hours per worker | 2,419 hours per worker | 2,434 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,424 hours per worker | 2,418 hours per worker | 2,436 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,436 hours per worker | 2,433 hours per worker | 2,441 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,460 hours per worker | 2,446 hours per worker | 2,502 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,561 hours per worker | 2,506 hours per worker | 2,605 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,455 hours per worker | 2,383 hours per worker | 2,528 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More work & labour data for India
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5078 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 876,613 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 782,365 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 743,542 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 761,710 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 1.51 million 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in India?
- Annual working hours per worker in India was 2,383 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 2,605 hours per worker in 2019.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,383 hours per worker in 2023.
- How does India rank for annual working hours per worker?
- India ranks 11th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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 — 54 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.