Annual working hours vs. GDP per capita in China
China: Annual working hours vs. GDP per capita was 2,328 hours per worker in 2023. ▲ Rising
Annual working hours vs. GDP per capita in China, 1952–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
In 2023, annual working hours vs. gdp per capita in China stood at 2,328 hours per worker.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours vs. gdp per capita in China peaked at 2,486 hours per worker in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2,110 hours per worker, in 1954.
That places China 15th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 72 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,235 hours per worker | 2,110 hours per worker | 2,453 hours per worker | 8 |
| 1960s | 2,225 hours per worker | 2,163 hours per worker | 2,249 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 2,241 hours per worker | 2,236 hours per worker | 2,247 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,247 hours per worker | 2,243 hours per worker | 2,253 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,258 hours per worker | 2,233 hours per worker | 2,318 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,377 hours per worker | 2,319 hours per worker | 2,486 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,402 hours per worker | 2,357 hours per worker | 2,444 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,303 hours per worker | 2,255 hours per worker | 2,339 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More work & labour data for China
- 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+) 69.9% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 84.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 59.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 74.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 69.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours vs. gdp per capita in China?
- Annual working hours vs. gdp per capita in China was 2,328 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2,486 hours per worker in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual working hours vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,110 hours per worker in 1954.
- How does China rank for annual working hours vs. gdp per capita?
- China ranks 15th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This is the average sum of hours worked by employees and self-employed people during each year in a country.