--- description: Longer hours at work don't guarantee greater productivity, according to data from the OECD. See which countries are most productive here. title: These Are the Most Productive Countries in the World image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt13d50ccf3c84fbf9/6988b4588e06016ef3468b2c/productive-countries.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Economy](/tag/economy/) ## Economy Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These Are the Most Productive Countries in the World by [David Johnson](/author/dave-johnson/) ## David Johnson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 4, 2017 5:22 PM CUT  industry factory iron works steel and machine parts modern indoor hall for assambly industry factory iron works steel and machine parts modern indoor hall for assamblyGetty Images by [David Johnson](/author/dave-johnson/) ## David Johnson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 4, 2017 5:22 PM CUT With a [new law barring work e-mail after hours](http://fortune.com/2017/01/01/french-right-to-disconnect-law/ "undefined"), the French have honored a truth long recognized by economists: working longer hours doesn’t necessarily result in increased productivity. Mexico—the least productive of the 38 countries listed in 2015 data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)—has the world’s longest average work week at 41.2 hours (including full-time and part-time workers). At the other end of the spectrum, Luxembourg, the most productive country, has an average workweek of just 29 hours. The United States ranks fifth, according to the OECD, contributing $68.30 to the country’s [GDP per hour worked](https://data.oecd.org/lprdty/gdp-per-hour-worked.htm "undefined"), countering [claims](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jul/27/joe-biden/biden-almost-right-us-workers-most-productive/ "undefined") that Americans are the most productive workers in the world. America put in more hours—33.6 per week on average—than all four of the European countries with higher productivity rankings. **Methodology** [Productivity](https://data.oecd.org/lprdty/gdp-per-hour-worked.htm "undefined") is calculated by dividing each country’s GDP by the average number of hours worked annually by all employed citizens. [Hours worked](https://data.oecd.org/emp/hours-worked.htm "undefined") include full-time and part-time workers, excluding holidays and vacation time. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4621185/worker-productivity-countries/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4621185/worker-productivity-countries/"},"headline":"These Are the Most Productive Countries in the World","datePublished":"2017-01-04T17:22:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:31:47.321Z","description":"The U.S. isn't at the top of the list","url":"https://time.com/4621185/worker-productivity-countries/","keywords":["Economy","U.S.","interactive studio","apester"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt13d50ccf3c84fbf9/6988b4588e06016ef3468b2c/productive-countries.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"David Johnson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dave-johnson/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt13d50ccf3c84fbf9/6988b4588e06016ef3468b2c/productive-countries.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"metal industy factory indoor","caption":"metal industy factory indoor","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/economy/","name":"Economy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4621185/worker-productivity-countries/","name":"These Are the Most Productive Countries in the World"}}]}] ```