The United States has been experiencing one of its longest periods of economic prosperity in ages. The country has had its longest ever period of uninterrupted monthly employment growth, adding jobs every month since October 2010. Since the end of 2009, GDP has expanded without interruption. It is the largest highly-affluent nation on earth, but adjusting for population, it is barely among the 10 most productive nations.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed World Bank data on the 50 countries with the highest GDP per person employed in 2018. These nations, some of which represent the economic powerhouses of the world, range in population from major countries like the United States, to small but influential nations and special administrative regions like Qatar and Hong Kong with populations smaller than many U.S. states.
Many of the most productive nations on the planet benefit from a wealth of natural resources. In Middle Eastern nations such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, petroleum activity accounts for a large share of GDP. However, in many of the world’s most oil-rich countries, petroleum reserves and factors of production are almost entirely owned by national oil companies — and not all citizens benefit equally. Indeed, GDP per person employed is not the same as average personal wealth.
Some countries, lacking natural resources or other major economic advantages, have successfully adopted targeted development plans that focus on strengthening specific aspects of their economies. Macao, for example, legalized gambling in the 19th century and has since developed into a tourism hub for much of Asia.
Source: Diether / Wikimedia Commons
45. Poland
> GDP per person employed: $61,557
> Gross domestic product: $549.5 billion
> Unemployment rate: 4.1%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 2,039
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Source: mtcurado / Getty Images
44. Gabon
> GDP per person employed: $62,111
> Gross domestic product: $17.2 billion
> Unemployment rate: N/A
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
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Source: Roman Babakin / Getty Images
43. Lithuania
> GDP per person employed: $62,442
> Gross domestic product: $52.5 billion
> Unemployment rate: 6.5%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,834
Source: silverjohn / Getty Images
42. Iran
> GDP per person employed: $64,136
> Gross domestic product: $430.1 billion
> Unemployment rate: 12.8%
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
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Source: Kalamazadkhan / Wikimedia Commons
41. Trinidad and Tobago
> GDP per person employed: $65,813
> Gross domestic product: $23.3 billion
> Unemployment rate: 5.0%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,583
Source: QQ7 / Getty Images
40. Slovakia
> GDP per person employed: $66,446
> Gross domestic product: $106.9 billion
> Unemployment rate: 7.5%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,763
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Source: Aetherial / Getty Images
39. Greece
> GDP per person employed: $67,610
> Gross domestic product: $218.1 billion
> Unemployment rate: 19.9%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 2,042
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Source: DaLiu / Getty Images
38. Czech Republic
> GDP per person employed: $67,696
> Gross domestic product: $244.5 billion
> Unemployment rate: 2.5%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,771
Source: Marcus Holland-Moritz / Wikimedia Commons
37. New Zealand
> GDP per person employed: $69,956
> Gross domestic product: $206.0 billion
> Unemployment rate: 4.5%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,762
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Source: Reabirdna / Getty Images
36. South Korea
> GDP per person employed: $71,077
> Gross domestic product: $1.7 trillion
> Unemployment rate: 3.7%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 2,124
Source: Mostafameraji / Wikimedia Commons
35. Oman
> GDP per person employed: $71,186
> Gross domestic product: $81.7 billion
> Unemployment rate: N/A
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
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Source: kasto80 / Getty Images
34. Slovenia
> GDP per person employed: $73,199
> Gross domestic product: $55.0 billion
> Unemployment rate: 5.8%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,561
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Source: B.alotaby / Wikimedia Commons
33. Bahrain
> GDP per person employed: $73,208
> Gross domestic product: $39.3 billion
> Unemployment rate: 3.8%
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
Source: Seqoya / Getty Images
32. Turkey
> GDP per person employed: $73,665
> Gross domestic product: $713.5 billion
> Unemployment rate: 11.0%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,832
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Source: Keith Pomakis / Wikimedia Commons
31. Japan
> GDP per person employed: $77,262
> Gross domestic product: $5.1 trillion
> Unemployment rate: 2.9%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,729
Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
30. Israel
> GDP per person employed: $79,182
> Gross domestic product: $365.6 billion
> Unemployment rate: 3.9%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,880
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Source: Moyan Brenn from Anzio, Italy / Wikimedia Commons
29. Iceland
> GDP per person employed: $80,508
> Gross domestic product: $26.7 billion
> Unemployment rate: 3.2%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,864
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Source: Leonid Andronov / iStock
28. United Kingdom
> GDP per person employed: $80,545
> Gross domestic product: $2.8 trillion
> Unemployment rate: 4.1%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,675
Source: Diliff / Wikimedia Commons
27. Spain
> GDP per person employed: $84,155
> Gross domestic product: $1.4 trillion
> Unemployment rate: 15.6%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,689
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Source: Maria Azzurra Mugnai / Wikimedia Commons
26. Canada
> GDP per person employed: $86,418
> Gross domestic product: $1.7 trillion
> Unemployment rate: 6.1%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,688
Source: Boguslaw Garbacz / Wikimedia Commons
25. Malta
> GDP per person employed: $90,841
> Gross domestic product: $14.3 billion
> Unemployment rate: 4.1%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,962
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Source: Stefan Kühn / Wikimedia Commons
24. Germany
> GDP per person employed: $91,770
> Gross domestic product: $4.0 trillion
> Unemployment rate: 3.5%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,371
Source: africanpix / Getty Images
23. Australia
> GDP per person employed: $91,885
> Gross domestic product: $1.4 trillion
> Unemployment rate: 5.3%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,803
Source: scanrail / Getty Images
22. Finland
> GDP per person employed: $92,576
> Gross domestic product: $276.6 billion
> Unemployment rate: 7.7%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,643
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Source: MissPassionPhotography / Getty Images
21. Denmark
> GDP per person employed: $95,225
> Gross domestic product: $354.7 billion
> Unemployment rate: 5.4%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,438
Source: pipimaru / Wikimedia Commons
20. Austria
> GDP per person employed: $95,292
> Gross domestic product: $459.4 billion
> Unemployment rate: 5.2%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,629
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Source: manjik / Getty Images
19. France
> GDP per person employed: $95,712
> Gross domestic product: $2.8 trillion
> Unemployment rate: 8.8%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,473
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Source: vwalakte / Getty Images
18. Italy
> GDP per person employed: $97,318
> Gross domestic product: $2.1 trillion
> Unemployment rate: 10.8%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,734
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
17. Netherlands
> GDP per person employed: $97,349
> Gross domestic product: $909.9 billion
> Unemployment rate: 3.9%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,420
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Source: Kabelleger / David Gubler / Wikimedia Commons
16. Sweden
> GDP per person employed: $98,396
> Gross domestic product: $554.7 billion
> Unemployment rate: 6.2%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,609
Source: Basil D Soufi / Wikimedia Commons
15. United Arab Emirates
> GDP per person employed: $101,641
> Gross domestic product: $432.6 billion
> Unemployment rate: N/A
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
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Source: AleksandarGeorgiev / Getty Images
14. Switzerland
> GDP per person employed: $103,810
> Gross domestic product: $709.1 billion
> Unemployment rate: 2.8%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,568
Source: Francisco Antunes / Flickr
13. Belgium
> GDP per person employed: $104,033
> Gross domestic product: $536.1 billion
> Unemployment rate: 6.4%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,575
Source: Sergio Calleja (Life is a trip) / Wikimedia Commons
12. French Polynesia
> GDP per person employed: $111,572
> Gross domestic product: N/A
> Unemployment rate: N/A
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
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Source: WiNG / Wikimedia Commons
11. Hong Kong SAR
> GDP per person employed: $111,637
> Gross domestic product: $360.3 billion
> Unemployment rate: 2.0%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 2,234
Source: frankpeters / iStock
10. United States
> GDP per person employed: $115,484
> Gross domestic product: $20.5 trillion
> Unemployment rate: 3.8%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,765
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Source: swisshippo / Getty Images
9. Saudi Arabia
> GDP per person employed: $123,254
> Gross domestic product: $769.9 billion
> Unemployment rate: N/A
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
Source: Anson Fernandez Dionisio / Getty Images
8. Kuwait
> GDP per person employed: $128,031
> Gross domestic product: $144.5 billion
> Unemployment rate: 1.1%
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
Source: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) / Wikimedia Commons
7. Norway
> GDP per person employed: $128,152
> Gross domestic product: $441.4 billion
> Unemployment rate: 3.8%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,427
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Source: chensiyuan / Wikimedia Commons
6. Singapore
> GDP per person employed: $150,843
> Gross domestic product: $346.6 billion
> Unemployment rate: 2.0%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 2,263
Source: IgorP1976 / Getty Images
5. Brunei Darussalam
> GDP per person employed: $154,946
> Gross domestic product: $14.7 billion
> Unemployment rate: 6.9%
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
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Source: Ahmed_Abdel_Hamid / Getty Images
4. Qatar
> GDP per person employed: $158,032
> Gross domestic product: $188.3 billion
> Unemployment rate: N/A
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
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Source: yktr / Getty Images
3. Ireland
> GDP per person employed: $160,809
> Gross domestic product: $366.4 billion
> Unemployment rate: 5.3%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,821
Source: Jui-Chi Chan / Getty Images
2. Macao SAR
> GDP per person employed: $179,392
> Gross domestic product: $54.0 billion
> Unemployment rate: N/A
> Avg. annual hours worked: N/A
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Source: Vincent de Groot - http://www.videgro.net / Wikimedia Commons
1. Luxembourg
> GDP per person employed: $224,334
> Gross domestic product: $69.0 billion
> Unemployment rate: 5.4%
> Avg. annual hours worked: 1,502
Methodology
To identify the most productive countries in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the countries with the highest GDP per person employed in 2018 from the World Bank. Population statistics were obtained from the World Bank and are as of 2018.
GDP per person employed is gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total employment in the economy. Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is GDP converted to 2011 constant international dollars using PPP rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP that a U.S. dollar has in the United States.
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