Labour cost index by NACE Rev. 2 activity - nominal value, annual data by country
Countries reporting
41
Highest
186.5 Index, 2020=100
Serbia
Lowest
110 Index, 2020=100
Italy
Median
131.3 Index, 2020=100
Years covered
30
1996–2025
Data points
1,040
What the numbers show
Labour cost index by NACE Rev. 2 activity - nominal value, annual data is currently reported for 41 countries. The highest value is 186.5 Index, 2020=100 in Serbia; the lowest is 110 Index, 2020=100 in Italy.
The median across all reporting countries is 131.3 Index, 2020=100, and the mean is 141.36 Index, 2020=100.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Labour cost index by NACE Rev. 2 activity - nominal value, annual data: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbia | 186.5 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 127.2% | rising |
| 1 | Serbia | 186.5 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 127.2% | rising |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 183.4 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 186.6% | volatile |
| 4 | Hungary | 174.7 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 160.7% | volatile |
| 5 | Lithuania | 171.8 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 150.8% | volatile |
| 5 | Lithuania | 171.8 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 150.8% | volatile |
| 7 | Romania | 170 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 219.5% | volatile |
| 8 | Poland | 167.1 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 123.1% | rising |
| 8 | Poland | 167.1 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 123.1% | rising |
| 10 | Croatia | 164.5 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 76.1% | rising |
| 10 | Croatia | 164.5 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 76.1% | rising |
| 12 | Latvia | 153.4 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 122.6% | volatile |
| 12 | Latvia | 153.4 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 122.6% | volatile |
| 14 | Estonia | 149.8 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 100.3% | rising |
| 14 | Estonia | 149.8 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 100.3% | rising |
| 16 | Iceland | 144.3 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 94.0% | rising |
| 17 | Slovakia | 144.2 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 97.8% | rising |
| 17 | Slovakia | 144.2 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 97.8% | rising |
| 19 | Slovenia | 143.1 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 74.7% | rising |
| 19 | Slovenia | 143.1 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 74.7% | rising |
| 21 | Ireland | 131.3 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 40.7% | rising |
| 22 | Austria | 127.8 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 23 | Portugal | 127.7 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 51.3% | rising |
| 24 | Netherlands | 127.5 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 42.3% | rising |
| 25 | Netherlands | 127.3 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 42.1% | rising |
| 26 | Norway | 126.3 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 49.3% | rising |
| 27 | Greece | 125.5 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 41.3% | rising |
| 28 | Czechia | 124.9 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 78.2% | rising |
| 28 | Cyprus | 124.9 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 32.6% | rising |
| 30 | European Union (EU6-1958, EU9-1973, EU10-1981, EU12-1986, EU15-1995, EU25-2004, EU27-2007, EU28-2013, EU27-2020) | 122.4 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 38.8% | rising |
| 31 | Malta | 122 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 33.6% | rising |
| 32 | Germany | 121.7 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 39.7% | rising |
| 33 | Luxembourg | 120.7 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 33.2% | rising |
| 34 | Euro area (EA11-1999, EA12-2001, EA13-2007, EA15-2008, EA16-2009, EA17-2011, EA18-2014, EA19-2015, EA20-2023, EA21-2026) | 120.1 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 33.9% | rising |
| 35 | Sweden | 119.9 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 36.2% | rising |
| 36 | Belgium | 118.8 Index, 2020=100 | 2024 | up 26.8% | rising |
| 37 | Finland | 116.9 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 19.7% | rising |
| 38 | Spain | 116.5 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 27.9% | rising |
| 39 | Denmark | 115.3 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 26.4% | rising |
| 40 | France | 115.1 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 41 | Italy | 110 Index, 2020=100 | 2025 | up 18.7% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) 122.4 Index, 2020=100
- Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) 120.3 Index, 2020=100
- Euro area – 20 countries (2023-2025) 120.1 Index, 2020=100
- Euro area - 19 countries (2015-2022) 119.9 Index, 2020=100