Annual working hours vs. productivity in Australia
Australia: Annual working hours vs. productivity was 1,611 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours vs. productivity in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual working hours vs. productivity in Australia is 1,611 hours per worker, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours vs. productivity in Australia peaked at 2,030 hours per worker in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1,588 hours per worker, in 2022.
Australia ranks 104th of 129 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1,947 hours per worker | 1,867 hours per worker | 2,030 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,834 hours per worker | 1,819 hours per worker | 1,849 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,785 hours per worker | 1,767 hours per worker | 1,816 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,754 hours per worker | 1,734 hours per worker | 1,785 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,738 hours per worker | 1,724 hours per worker | 1,749 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,692 hours per worker | 1,672 hours per worker | 1,738 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,649 hours per worker | 1,632 hours per worker | 1,662 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,599 hours per worker | 1,588 hours per worker | 1,611 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More economy & growth data for Australia
- Exports of goods and services 0.8% (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 75.0% (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 1.79 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 2.76 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 99.5% (2025)
- Exports of goods and services 418.06 billion current US$ (2025)
- Exports of goods and services 645.94 billion current LCU (2025)
- Exports of goods and services 329.56 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation 437.56 billion current US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added -0.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours vs. productivity in Australia?
- Annual working hours vs. productivity in Australia was 1,611 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. productivity recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2,030 hours per worker in 1950.
- What is the lowest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,588 hours per worker in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for annual working hours vs. productivity?
- Australia ranks 104th out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours vs. productivity rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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. productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This is the average sum of hours worked by employees and self-employed people during each year in a country.