--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-3/the-icop-manufacturing-database-international-comparisons-of-productivity-levels/" title: "The ICOP Manufacturing Database: International Comparisons of Productivity Levels" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T05:42:40+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T06:38:12+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Fall 2001" ipm_keyword: - "benchmark" - "Groningen" - "ICOP" - "international comparisons" - "manufacturing productivity" - "purchasing power parities" - "unit value ratios" ipm_research_theme: - "Measurement and methodology" ipm_country_focus: - "International" - "Netherlands" - "OECD" - "United States" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # The ICOP Manufacturing Database: International Comparisons of Productivity Levels Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-3/the-icop-manufacturing-database-international-comparisons-of-productivity-levels/ # The ICOP Manufacturing Database: International Comparisons of Productivity Levels [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-3-4-van-Ark-Timmer.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: van Ark, Bart, and Marcel Timmer. 2001. “The ICOP Manufacturing Database: International Comparisons of Productivity Levels.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 3 (Fall 2001): 44–51. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-3/the-icop-manufacturing-database-international-comparisons-of-productivity-levels/ ## Authors: - Bart van Ark University of Manchester / The Productivity Institute - Marcel Timmer Groningen Growth and Development Centre, University of Groningen ## IPM Issue 3 Fall 2001 pp. 44–51 ## Related IPM articles [The Falling Productivity in West Asian Arab Countries Since the 1980s: Causes, Consequences, and Cures Abdul Erumban Spring 2023 | IPM Issue 44 | pp. 89–119](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-44/the-falling-productivity-in-west-asian-arab-countries-since-the-1980s-causes-consequences-and-cures/) [Capital Measurement and Productivity Growth Across International Databases Reitze Gouma, Robert Inklaar Spring 2023 | IPM Issue 44 | pp. 67–88](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-44/capital-measurement-and-productivity-growth-across-international-databases/) [Is Egypt Really More Productive than the United States? 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Abhay Gupta Fall 2010 | IPM Issue 20 | pp. 85–102](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-20/indian-manufacturing-productivity-what-caused-the-growth-stagnation-before-the-1990s/) [EU KLEMS Growth and Productivity Accounts: An Overview Marcel Timmer, Mary O’Mahony, Bart van Ark Spring 2007 | IPM Issue 14 | pp. 71–85](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-14/eu-klems-growth-and-productivity-accounts-an-overview/) [Manufacturing Productivity in Sweden: An International Perspective Since 1960 Daniel Lind Fall 2005 | IPM Issue 11 | pp. 47–56](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-11/manufacturing-productivity-in-sweden-an-international-perspective-since-1960/) [Measuring the Canada-U.S. Productivity Gap: Industry Dimensions Someshwar Rao, Jianmin Tang, Weimin Wang Fall 2004 | IPM Issue 9 | pp. 3–14](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-9/measuring-the-canada-u-s-productivity-gap-industry-dimensions/) [The OECD Productivity Database: An Overview Dirk Pilat, Paul Schreyer Spring 2004 | IPM Issue 8 | pp. 59–65](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-8/the-oecd-productivity-database-an-overview/) [International Productivity Comparisons: An Examination of Data Sources Jeremy Smith Spring 2003 | IPM Issue 6 | pp. 64–71](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-6/international-productivity-comparisons-an-examination-of-data-sources/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn This article describes the ICOP (International Comparisons of Output and Productivity) project’s methodology for constructing industry-of-origin international comparisons of manufacturing output and productivity using unit value ratios (UVRs) derived from manufacturing censuses. It presents benchmark results for over 30 countries at various stages of development. The article notes that when the more appropriate output-per-hour measure is used, the United States is no longer the manufacturing productivity leader, being surpassed by the Netherlands and Belgium. Cet article décrit la méthodologie du projet ICOP (International Comparisons of Output and Productivity) pour la construction de comparaisons internationales de la production et de la productivité manufacturières au niveau des industries d’origine, à l’aide de rapports de valeurs unitaires (RVU) dérivés des recensements industriels. Il présente des résultats de référence pour plus de 30 pays à différents stades de développement. L’article note que lorsque la mesure plus appropriée de la production par heure est utilisée, les États-Unis ne sont plus le leader de la productivité manufacturière, étant dépassés par les Pays-Bas et la Belgique. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-3-4-van-Ark-Timmer.pdf)