Capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany

Germany: Capital intensity vs. labor productivity was 218 in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
218
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
5th
of 23 countries
All-time high
218
in 2015
All-time low
9
in 1890
Years of data
126
1890–2015

Capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany, 1890–2015

050100150200189019522015

Source: Bergeaud et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2015, capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany stood at 218. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany peaked at 218 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 9, in 1890.

Germany ranks 5th of 23 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany, year by year

Annual values for Capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany, 1890 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1890 9
1891 9 +0.0%
1892 10 +11.1%
1893 10 +0.0%
1894 10 +0.0%
1895 10 +0.0%
1896 10 +0.0%
1897 10 +0.0%
1898 10 +0.0%
1899 11 +10.0%
1900 11 +0.0%
1901 11 +0.0%
1902 11 +0.0%
1903 12 +9.1%
1904 12 +0.0%
1905 12 +0.0%
1906 13 +8.3%
1907 13 +0.0%
1908 13 +0.0%
1909 13 +0.0%
1910 13 +0.0%
1911 13 +0.0%
1912 13 +0.0%
1913 14 +7.7%
1914 14 +0.0%
1915 15 +7.1%
1916 16 +6.7%
1917 17 +6.2%
1918 18 +5.9%
1919 18 +0.0%
1920 18 +0.0%
1921 19 +5.6%
1922 19 +0.0%
1923 20 +5.3%
1924 19 -5.0%
1925 18 -5.3%
1926 20 +11.1%
1927 18 -10.0%
1928 18 +0.0%
1929 18 +0.0%
1930 20 +11.1%
1931 23 +15.0%
1932 25 +8.7%
1933 23 -8.0%
1934 20 -13.0%
1935 20 +0.0%
1936 19 -5.0%
1937 19 +0.0%
1938 18 -5.3%
1939 17 -5.6%
1940 15 -11.8%
1941 15 +0.0%
1942 14 -6.7%
1943 14 +0.0%
1944 14 +0.0%
1945 16 +14.3%
1946 22 +37.5%
1947 23 +4.5%
1948 21 -8.7%
1949 19 -9.5%
1950 19 +0.0%
1951 19 +0.0%
1952 20 +5.3%
1953 20 +0.0%
1954 21 +5.0%
1955 22 +4.8%
1956 23 +4.5%
1957 24 +4.3%
1958 26 +8.3%
1959 27 +3.8%
1960 29 +7.4%
1961 31 +6.9%
1962 34 +9.7%
1963 37 +8.8%
1964 39 +5.4%
1965 42 +7.7%
1966 45 +7.1%
1967 49 +8.9%
1968 52 +6.1%
1969 55 +5.8%
1970 58 +5.5%
1971 62 +6.9%
1972 66 +6.5%
1973 70 +6.1%
1974 75 +7.1%
1975 81 +8.0%
1976 83 +2.5%
1977 86 +3.6%
1978 90 +4.7%
1979 92 +2.2%
1980 93 +1.1%
1981 95 +2.2%
1982 98 +3.2%
1983 101 +3.1%
1984 102 +1.0%
1985 104 +2.0%
1986 106 +1.9%
1987 108 +1.9%
1988 110 +1.9%
1989 112 +1.8%
1990 117 +4.5%
1991 127 +8.5%
1992 133 +4.7%
1993 142 +6.8%
1994 148 +4.2%
1995 153 +3.4%
1996 160 +4.6%
1997 166 +3.8%
1998 169 +1.8%
1999 173 +2.4%
2000 177 +2.3%
2001 183 +3.4%
2002 189 +3.3%
2003 195 +3.2%
2004 197 +1.0%
2005 202 +2.5%
2006 201 -0.5%
2007 201 +0.0%
2008 203 +1.0%
2009 212 +4.4%
2010 211 -0.5%
2011 211 +0.0%
2012 214 +1.4%
2013 217 +1.4%
2014 217 +0.0%
2015 218 +0.5%

Germany compared with similar countries

  • Germany's 218 is above the median for high income countries, which is 198, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
  • Germany's 218 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 200, 1.1× the median. (14 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1946 +37.5% 16 22

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1890s 9.9 9 11 10
1900s 12.1 11 13 10
1910s 15.1 13 18 10
1920s 18.7 18 20 10
1930s 20.4 17 25 10
1940s 17.3 14 23 10
1950s 22.1 19 27 10
1960s 41.3 29 55 10
1970s 76.3 58 92 10
1980s 102.9 93 112 10
1990s 148.8 117 173 10
2000s 196 177 212 10
2010s 214.67 211 218 6

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 2 France 243 compare
  2. 3 Netherlands 242 compare
  3. 4 Belgium 235 compare
  4. 6 Austria 210 compare
  5. 7 Finland 200 compare
  6. 7 Sweden 200 compare

See the full ranking of 23 places →

More work & labour data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany?
Capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany was 218 in 2015, according to Bergeaud et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest capital intensity vs. labor productivity recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 218 in 2015.
What is the lowest capital intensity vs. labor productivity recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 9 in 1890.
How does Germany rank for capital intensity vs. labor productivity?
Germany ranks 5th out of 23 countries with data for 2015.
Is capital intensity vs. labor productivity rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from Bergeaud et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Capital intensity vs. labor productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on Bergeaud et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/capital-intensity-vs-labor-productivity/germany/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/capital-intensity-vs-labor-productivity/germany/">Capital intensity vs. labor productivity in Germany</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Capital intensity vs. labor productivity
Source
Bergeaud et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
23 places, 2,898 data points, 1890–2015
Last refreshed

Figure illustrates capital intensity; the ratio of total capital stock over total hours worked and labor productivity; the ratio of GDP over total hours worked. Both measured in 2010 US$ PPP per hour.