On the eve of the First World War in 1913, the United Kingdom was the only major Western European economy with productivity rates similar to the United States, although U.S. GDP per hour worked was still 14 percent higher. Across Western Europe, average productivity was below 60 percent of the U.S.' rate in 1914. By the end of the Second World War's recovery period in 1950, the U.S. had actually widened this gap, as it did not experience the same level of destruction that was felt across most of Western Europe, and economic output was not affected in this way. By the end of the century however, the economies of Western Europe had largely caught up with the U.S. in terms of productivity, with France even exceeding the U.S.' rate by two percent. Of the major economies in Western Europe, the United Kingdom went from having the highest productivity rates in 1913 and 1950, to having the lowest in the 1990s.
Productivity in terms of GDP per hour worked in Western European countries in 1913, 1950, and the 1990s
(as a share of U.S. productivity)
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Cambridge University Press. (December 31, 2006). Productivity in terms of GDP per hour worked in Western European countries in 1913, 1950, and the 1990s (as a share of U.S. productivity) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072836/productivity-comparison-us-vs-eu/
Cambridge University Press. "Productivity in terms of GDP per hour worked in Western European countries in 1913, 1950, and the 1990s (as a share of U.S. productivity)." Chart. December 31, 2006. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072836/productivity-comparison-us-vs-eu/
Cambridge University Press. (2006). Productivity in terms of GDP per hour worked in Western European countries in 1913, 1950, and the 1990s (as a share of U.S. productivity). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072836/productivity-comparison-us-vs-eu/
Cambridge University Press. "Productivity in Terms of Gdp per Hour Worked in Western European Countries in 1913, 1950, and The 1990s (as a Share of U.S. Productivity)." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Dec 2006, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072836/productivity-comparison-us-vs-eu/
Cambridge University Press, Productivity in terms of GDP per hour worked in Western European countries in 1913, 1950, and the 1990s (as a share of U.S. productivity) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072836/productivity-comparison-us-vs-eu/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Productivity in terms of GDP per hour worked in Western European countries in 1913, 1950, and the 1990s (as a share of U.S. productivity) [Graph], Cambridge University Press, December 31, 2006. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072836/productivity-comparison-us-vs-eu/
