Japan ranked 19th in terms of productivity in 1999 among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's 28 industrialized members, up only one place from the previous year, a think tank said Wednesday.
The Japan Productivity Center for Socioeconomic Development said the nation's productivity — measured by dividing a nation's real gross domestic product by its total workforce — came to $48,282 per worker.
The think tank analyzed the productivity of the 28 countries on available comparative data.
Luxembourg led the productivity ranking with $72,289 per worker, followed by the United States with $68,579, and Belgium with $65,906.
Among the Group of Seven industrialized countries, Japan was lowest ranked, it said. Other G7 members are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the U.S.
"In 1999, Japan's economy grew somewhat, but its productivity improved by only 1 percent from the previous year," said an official at the think tank.