Top 10 countries with the highest labour productivity by GDP per hour: Where does India stand globally?

Contrary to popular belief, longer working hours do not always lead to higher or better outputs and productivity; in fact, the opposite is often true.

Gallup’s statistics on employee burnout indicate that the number of hours worked each week is significant, with the risk of burnout increasing significantly when employees exceed 50 hours and rising further after 60 hours.

The International Labour Organisation has ranked countries based on their labour productivity, defined as the amount of production (measured as GDP) generated per unit of labour (hours worked) during a specific period—a key economic indicator that is directly related to the economy’s growth, competitiveness, and living standards.

Top 10 countries with the highest labour productivity by GDP per hour, as of 2023-24

European countries are recognized for their healthy workplace culture, with the EU also enforcing strong worker protections and mandates a significant amount of paid time off, which can enhance work-life balance and overall productivity.

Notably, nine of the top ten most productive countries, based on GDP per hour, are in Europe, with Singapore being the only exception.

According to the OECD, nations with higher productivity have shorter average working hours, leading to higher productivity per hour compared to countries with longer working hours.

Here are the top 10 most productive nations by GDP per hour, as of ILO’s Statistics of Labour Productivity of 2023-24: