Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus recorded increases in labour productivity during the first quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat, with output per employed person rising faster than the European Union average. Real labour productivity per person in Cyprus increased by 1 per cent year on year, while productivity per hour worked rose by 0.3 per cent.
Cyprus outpaces EU average
Across the European Union, labour productivity increased by 0.1 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2025 when measured by both persons employed and hours worked. This placed Cyprus above the bloc average in terms of output per employed person.
Growth slows across the bloc
The data showed a marked slowdown from the fourth quarter of 2025, when labour productivity across the European Union had risen by 0.8 per cent based on persons employed and by 0.7 per cent based on hours worked.
How productivity is measured
The calculation combines gross domestic product and employment data to determine the real output generated by each employed person or by each hour worked.
Country comparisons
The latest figures showed that labour productivity increased in most EU countries. Denmark registered the strongest growth based on persons employed, with productivity per person rising by 4.8 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2025. Lithuania followed with an increase of 3.5 per cent, while Slovenia recorded the third-highest rise at 2.7 per cent.
