Sub-regional productivity: 2002 to 2023

Estimates for labour productivity ^{[footnote 1]} are calculated by dividing output (gross value added, GVA) by a measure of labour input (total hours worked or jobs).

The GVA figures for the regions use the UK as a base index of 100 and are percentages in comparison to the UK figure, where the UK equals 100%.

Estimates for Wales ^{[footnote 2]}

• GVA per hour worked (relative to the UK) was 84.9% in 2023, an increase of 1.3 percentage points over the previous year.
• This figure was the lowest of the twelve UK countries and English regions.
• Wales showed a cumulative average annual growth rate per hour worked of 0.2% from 2019 to 2023.
• In 2023, GVA per job filled was 82.3% of the UK figure, an increase of 0.3 percentage points over the previous year.
• This figure was the lowest of the 12 UK countries and English regions.
• Estimates published in June 2025 show that GVA per head (relative to the UK) was 72.2%. This was the second lowest GVA per head of the twelve UK countries and English regions.

Sub – Wales estimates ^{[footnote 3] [footnote 4] [footnote 5]}

• Mid-Wales had the second lowest GVA per hour worked of all the areas in the UK in 2023, (67.5% of the UK figure), ahead of Torbay. Gwynedd, and Conwy and Denbighshire had the third and fifth lowest GVA per hour worked (69.9% and 71.7% of the UK figure respectively).
• Similarly, Mid-Wales had the second lowest GVA per job in the UK in 2023 (at 64.3% of the UK figure). Gwynedd, and Conwy and Denbighshire had the third and fourth lowest GVA per job (64.9% and 67.5% of the UK figure respectively).
• Flintshire and Wrexham was the highest ranked Welsh area for both GVA per hour and GVA per job (at 101.9% and 100.4% of the UK figure respectively).
• Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan, and Monmouthshire and Newport, were the second and third highest Welsh areas respectively for both GVA per hour and GVA per job. (90.6% and 88.9% of the UK figure for Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan, 90.2% and 87.3% for Monmouthshire and Newport.)

[1] GVA per hour worked is considered a more comprehensive indicator of labour productivity than GVA per job filled, as it accounts for different working hours and how those differ across regions. Note that both measures are better to assess productivity than GVA per head, which includes people not in the workforce and can also be heavily biased by commuting flows.

[2] The Wales figures used in this headline are from the regional productivity data tables published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). 

[3] The sub-Wales estimates used in this headline are from the sub-regional productivity data tables published by ONS and are not directly comparable with the Wales level data from the regional productivity tables.

[4] International Territorial Levels (ITL) is the new UK geographies classification system. This has superseded the Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS) classification system. ITL is a geographical classification that divides the UK into regions at three different levels (ITL 1, 2 and 3, respectively, moving from larger to smaller units). The Sub-Wales estimates above refer to ITL3.

[5] Due to recent issues with sample sizes for the Annual Population Survey, users should be aware there may be an increase in volatility in the subregional productivity data for 2023.

Statistician: Emma Horncastle
Email: economic.stats@gov.wales

Media: 0300 025 8099