Annual working hours vs. productivity in France

France: Annual working hours vs. productivity was 1,487 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1,487 hours per worker
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
119th
of 129 countries
All-time high
2,361 hours per worker
in 1951
All-time low
1,391 hours per worker
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Annual working hours vs. productivity in France, 1950–2023

05001.0k1.5k2.0k2.5k195019862023

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 France is 1,487 hours per worker, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual working hours vs. productivity in France peaked at 2,361 hours per worker in 1951 and was at its lowest, 1,391 hours per worker, in 2020.

That places France 119th out of 129 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 2,277 hours per worker 2,179 hours per worker 2,361 hours per worker 10
1960s 2,136 hours per worker 2,012 hours per worker 2,188 hours per worker 10
1970s 1,890 hours per worker 1,785 hours per worker 1,993 hours per worker 10
1980s 1,667 hours per worker 1,619 hours per worker 1,776 hours per worker 10
1990s 1,590 hours per worker 1,561 hours per worker 1,622 hours per worker 10
2000s 1,516 hours per worker 1,490 hours per worker 1,542 hours per worker 10
2010s 1,511 hours per worker 1,492 hours per worker 1,534 hours per worker 10
2020s 1,460 hours per worker 1,391 hours per worker 1,492 hours per worker 4

Countries ranked near France

  1. 116 United Kingdom 1,523 hours per worker compare
  2. 117 Mozambique 1,507 hours per worker compare
  3. 118 Finland 1,497 hours per worker compare
  4. 120 Uruguay 1,481 hours per worker compare
  5. 121 Luxembourg 1,452 hours per worker compare
  6. 122 Iceland 1,452 hours per worker compare

See the full ranking of 129 places →

More economy & growth data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual working hours vs. productivity in France?
Annual working hours vs. productivity in France was 1,487 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 France?
The highest recorded value was 2,361 hours per worker in 1951.
What is the lowest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 1,391 hours per worker in 2020.
How does France rank for annual working hours vs. productivity?
France ranks 119th out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
Is annual working hours vs. productivity rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this France 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

Indicator
Annual working hours vs. productivity
Unit
hours per worker
Source
Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
129 places, 4,891 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

This is the average sum of hours worked by employees and self-employed people during each year in a country.