Vietnam’s output per hour grew 4.5% a year in 2019–2024
A new regional report places Vietnam above the Asia28 average of 3.7%, offering a historical benchmark for investment planning.
Vietnam’s economic output per hour worked grew by an average of 4.5% a year over 2019–2024, according to the Asian Productivity Organization’s 2026 Productivity Databook, announced on 7 October. The figure measures historical labour productivity across the economy, rather than current GDP growth, wages or the performance of an individual business.
The report places Vietnam among the faster-growing economies in its Asia28 productivity accounts. China recorded annual per-hour productivity growth of 5.8% over the same period, followed by Vietnam, India at 4.4% and Bangladesh at 3.9%. The Asia28 aggregate was 3.7% a year.
A benchmark for planning assumptions
For operations and investment teams assessing Vietnam, the comparison provides context for workforce and capital planning. It can help teams question assumptions in a business plan; the national measure cannot establish a particular factory’s productivity or future output.
The broader picture varies with the group being measured. Across the APO’s 21 member economies, average annual per-hour labour productivity growth slowed from 2.9% in 2015–2019 to 2.5% in 2019–2024. That member-economy measure differs from Asia28, which adds seven nonmember economies, including China.
The underlying database also provides regional productivity accounts for ASEAN6 and CLMV, the group comprising Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. These accounts separate the contributions of capital, labour and total factor productivity to economic growth, giving researchers more detail than a single headline growth rate.
October announcement, earlier observations
The 19th edition covers economic growth and labour productivity indicators for 38 Asian economies. It compares historical data from 1970 through 2024 and includes projections through 2035; those projections are separate from the observed period behind Vietnam’s 4.5% figure.
The edition incorporates revisions to national accounts and related statistics released up to May 2026. Its productivity accounts combine harmonised national accounts with quality-adjusted labour inputs, capital services and estimates of natural-resource stocks.
The APO’s database page lists its 2026 Version 1 files as updated on 1 October. The 7 October announcement therefore concerns the Databook, rather than first availability of the dataset. The intergovernmental organisation says the Databook can be downloaded free.
Source: APO’s 7 October 2026 Productivity Databook announcement; APO Productivity Database 2026 and update dates.
