Ranked: Productivity of the World’s Largest 30 Economies (2005-2025)
Description
Productivity of the World’s Largest 30 Economies (2005-2025)
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Key Takeaways
- China’s productivity has surged by about 340% since 2005, driven by rapid industrial upgrades and investment in technology. However, growth has slowed in recent years.
- Ireland’s productivity appears high due to a tax system that lets global tech and pharma firms book profits and intellectual property earnings in the country, even though most of the money goes back to their parent companies.
- Saudi Arabia’s productivity has declined over the past two decades, mainly due to lower oil prices in the mid-2010s and OPEC+ production cuts that limited output. Non-oil sectors are growing, but the economy still depends heavily on hydrocarbons.
Economic productivity, measured by the value of goods and services produced per hour worked, is a key indicator of efficiency and overall prosperity.
This chart ranks the world’s 30 largest economies by GDP per hour worked (in U.S. dollars), revealing where output has grown or stagnated over the past two decades.
While advanced economies tend to dominate the top of the list, some emerging markets have seen extraordinary gains as they industrialize and integrate into global supply chains. The data for this visualization comes from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Ireland’s Exceptional Productivity Surge
Ireland tops the ranking for productivity growth, with output per hour rising from $68.8 in 2005 to $139.1 in 2025—a 102% increase. However, much of this is statistical, not structural.
The presence of global tech and pharmaceutical giants like Apple, Google, and Pfizer inflates Ireland’s GDP figures through profit-shifting and intellectual property accounting.
China’s Growth Story Slows but Stays Strong
China’s productivity has increased from $4.5 per hour in 2005 to $19.8 in 2025, up more than 340%. The early 2010s brought massive efficiency gains as factories modernized, infrastructure expanded, and manufacturing became more sophisticated.
| Rank | Country | 2005 | 2015 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ireland | $68.8 | $106.6 | $139.1 |
| 2 |  Norway | $108.6 | $113.6 | $123.6 |
| 3 |  Belgium | $81.5 | $85.4 | $91.6 |
| 4 |  Netherlands | $78.1 | $85.1 | $90.4 |
| 5 |  Sweden | $71.4 | $79.9 | $85.7 |
| 6 |  Switzerland | $70.3 | $77.9 | $85.4 |
| 7 |  France | $72.3 | $78.2 | $82.2 |
| 8 |  U.S. | $63.2 | $70.1 | $81.8 |
| 9 |  Germany | $66.3 | $73.7 | $80.5 |
| 10 | Italy | $73.1 | $74.2 | $74.4 |
| 11 |  UK | $63.2 | $66.1 | $69.5 |
| 12 |  Australia | $58.0 | $66.1 | $69.2 |
| 13 |  Spain | $53.7 | $61.4 | $67.9 |
| 14 |  Taiwan | $38.5 | $49.6 | $67.4 |
| 15 |  Canada | $57.5 | $62.8 | $67.0 |
| 16 |  Israel | $45.3 | $51.5 | $60.8 |
| 17 |  Saudi Arabia | $85.6 | $62.5 | $56.6 |
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