Annual working hours vs. productivity in China
China: Annual working hours vs. productivity was 2,328 hours per worker in 2023. ▲ Rising
Annual working hours vs. productivity 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
China recorded 2,328 hours per worker for annual working hours vs. productivity in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours vs. productivity in China peaked at 2,486 hours per worker in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2,110 hours per worker, in 1954.
China ranks 15th of 129 countries on this measure, 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 economy & growth data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.9% (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure 7.56 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2024)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure 5.0% (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added 4.82 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure per capita 5,364 constant 2015 US$ (2024)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure per capita growth 5.1% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 9.76 trillion constant LCU (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 4.5% (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 10.72 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 76.41 trillion current LCU (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours vs. productivity in China?
- Annual working hours vs. productivity 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. productivity recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2,486 hours per worker in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,110 hours per worker in 1954.
- How does China rank for annual working hours vs. productivity?
- China ranks 15th out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours vs. productivity 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. productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 72 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.