Labor productivity in select regions of Europe 1950-1992

When comparing labor productivity in 1950 with 1992's rate, there is a stark contrast in regional development over time. In 1950, Western Europe had approximately double the economic output per hour worked than Mediterranean countries, and slightly more again than Central and Eastern Europe. By 1992, Western Europe's output was almost four times larger than that of Central and Eastern Europe, whereas Southern Europe's output was over 70 percent of Western Europe's rate. Although 1992 was shortly after the collapse of the communist system in Eastern Europe, and the period was marred by political transition and economic instability (and conflict in some regions), the region's economic situation had been steadily deteriorating since the late 1970s. Much of the progress gained over the 1950s and 1960s was gradually lost in these decades.