Annual working hours per worker in Norway
Norway: Annual working hours per worker was 1,412 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1,412 hours per worker
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
127th
of 130 countries
All-time high
2,115 hours per worker
in 1950
All-time low
1,401 hours per worker
in 2003
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Annual working hours per worker in Norway, 1950–2023
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 Norway is 1,412 hours per worker, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in Norway peaked at 2,115 hours per worker in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1,401 hours per worker, in 2003.
That places Norway 127th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Annual working hours per worker in Norway, year by year
| Year | hours per worker | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2,115 hours per worker | — |
| 1951 | 2,105 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1952 | 2,094 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1953 | 2,083 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1954 | 2,073 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1955 | 2,062 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 2,052 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1957 | 2,041 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1958 | 2,031 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1959 | 2,021 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 2,011 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 2,003 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 1,995 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 1,986 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 1,996 hours per worker | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 1,951 hours per worker | -2.3% |
| 1966 | 1,952 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 1,936 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 1,897 hours per worker | -2.0% |
| 1969 | 1,849 hours per worker | -2.5% |
| 1970 | 1,819 hours per worker | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 1,798 hours per worker | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 1,765 hours per worker | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 1,751 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 1,731 hours per worker | -1.2% |
| 1975 | 1,715 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 1,663 hours per worker | -3.1% |
| 1977 | 1,628 hours per worker | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 1,592 hours per worker | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 1,570 hours per worker | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 1,569 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 1,560 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 1,549 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 1,543 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 1,538 hours per worker | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 1,532 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 1,528 hours per worker | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 1,500 hours per worker | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 1,504 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 1,500 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 1,493 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 1,490 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 1,500 hours per worker | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 1,497 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 1,494 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 1,479 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 1,474 hours per worker | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 1,468 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 1,467 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 1,465 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 1,448 hours per worker | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 1,424 hours per worker | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 1,412 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 1,401 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 1,423 hours per worker | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 1,429 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 1,426 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 1,438 hours per worker | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 1,443 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 1,422 hours per worker | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 1,430 hours per worker | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 1,435 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 1,431 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 1,421 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 1,424 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 1,427 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 1,430 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 1,419 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 1,419 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1,419 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 1,410 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 1,426 hours per worker | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 1,422 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 1,412 hours per worker | -0.7% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 1,412 hours per worker is below the median for high income countries, which is 1,668 hours per worker, 85% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Norway's 1,412 hours per worker is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1,735 hours per worker, 81% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,068 hours per worker | 2,021 hours per worker | 2,115 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,957 hours per worker | 1,849 hours per worker | 2,011 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,703 hours per worker | 1,570 hours per worker | 1,819 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,532 hours per worker | 1,500 hours per worker | 1,569 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,483 hours per worker | 1,465 hours per worker | 1,500 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,427 hours per worker | 1,401 hours per worker | 1,448 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,425 hours per worker | 1,419 hours per worker | 1,435 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,417 hours per worker | 1,410 hours per worker | 1,426 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More work & labour data for Norway
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2322 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2413 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.2229 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.14 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7506 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,138 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 663.52 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,690 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,724 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,414 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in Norway?
- Annual working hours per worker in Norway was 1,412 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 2,115 hours per worker in 1950.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,401 hours per worker in 2003.
- How does Norway rank for annual working hours per worker?
- Norway ranks 127th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway 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 — 74 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.