Annual working hours per worker in Sweden
Sweden: Annual working hours per worker was 1,432 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours per worker in Sweden, 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
In 2023, annual working hours per worker in Sweden stood at 1,432 hours per worker.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in Sweden peaked at 3,436 hours per worker in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1,362 hours per worker, in 1981.
Sweden ranks 126th of 130 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 81 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 3,436 hours per worker | 3,436 hours per worker | 3,436 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1880s | 3,187 hours per worker | 3,187 hours per worker | 3,187 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1890s | 2,937 hours per worker | 2,937 hours per worker | 2,937 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1900s | 2,745 hours per worker | 2,745 hours per worker | 2,745 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1910s | 2,745 hours per worker | 2,745 hours per worker | 2,745 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1920s | 2,152 hours per worker | 2,152 hours per worker | 2,152 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1930s | 2,131 hours per worker | 2,131 hours per worker | 2,131 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1950s | 1,764 hours per worker | 1,700 hours per worker | 1,800 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,640 hours per worker | 1,545 hours per worker | 1,697 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,448 hours per worker | 1,370 hours per worker | 1,545 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,387 hours per worker | 1,362 hours per worker | 1,414 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,461 hours per worker | 1,398 hours per worker | 1,506 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,459 hours per worker | 1,433 hours per worker | 1,489 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,470 hours per worker | 1,451 hours per worker | 1,487 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,433 hours per worker | 1,423 hours per worker | 1,441 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More work & labour data for Sweden
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 91.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 61.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 83.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 85.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 82.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in Sweden?
- Annual working hours per worker in Sweden was 1,432 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 3,436 hours per worker in 1870.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,362 hours per worker in 1981.
- How does Sweden rank for annual working hours per worker?
- Sweden ranks 126th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.
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About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.