Germany vs United States: Productivity vs. educational attainment
Germany
82.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2023
United States
83.53 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2023
Germany rank
10th
United States rank
9th
Productivity vs. educational attainment over time
- Germany
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 83.53 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour against 82.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in Germany, a difference of 1.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was United States ahead.
Germany ranks 10th and United States ranks 9th of 130 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 2 and United States in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.77 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 24.18 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 16.41 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | United States |
| 1960s | 14.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 31.96 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 17.93 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | United States |
| 1970s | 23.35 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 39.68 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 16.34 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | United States |
| 1980s | 30.49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 45.01 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 14.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | United States |
| 1990s | 49.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 52.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 3.09 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | United States |
| 2000s | 65.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 65.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 0.1811 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | United States |
| 2010s | 75.64 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 74.91 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 0.7329 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Germany |
| 2020s | 82.55 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 82.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 0.3334 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Germany |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher productivity vs. educational attainment, Germany or United States?
- United States, at 83.53 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour against 82.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in Germany as of 2023.
- What is the difference in productivity vs. educational attainment between Germany and United States?
- 1.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United States?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Germany and United States rank globally for productivity vs. educational attainment?
- Germany ranks 10th and United States ranks 9th of 130 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Productivity vs. educational attainment. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.