Historical trend
Trend summary
UK output per hour worked was flat in 2024 and remains around 15–20% below the pre-financial-crisis trend.
Trend
- Labour productivity growth averaged around 2% per year before 2008; the post-2010 average has been below 1%.
- The UK productivity gap versus the US has persisted and in some measures widened since 2010.
- The UK ranks 6th of 7 in the G7 on output per hour worked.
Context
- ONS publishes productivity statistics quarterly; measurement of services productivity is acknowledged to be difficult.
- Productivity comparisons across countries use OECD purchasing-power-parity exchange rates.
Commentary contains no editorial judgement — describes direction, magnitude, and official projections only.
G7 comparison
🇺🇸 United States
108 index
🇨🇦 Canada
106 index
🇫🇷 France
104 index
🇩🇪 Germany
103 index
🇯🇵 Japan
102 index
🇮🇹 Italy
102 index
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
99 index