Mapped: Minimum Wages Across Europe

Mapped: Minimum Wages Across Europe

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Europe’s minimum wages vary dramatically from country to country.

This map uses data from Eurostat to show monthly minimum pay across the continent, revealing a stark divide between Western and Eastern Europe, along with a surprising group of wealthy countries that operate without a statutory national minimum wage.

The East-West Split in Europe’s Minimum Wages

Luxembourg has Europe’s highest monthly minimum wage at €2,704, while Ukraine sits at just €164.

That means a minimum wage worker in Luxembourg earns more than 16 times as much per month as one in Ukraine.

Rank	Country	Country	Monthly minimum wage (€)
1	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	2,704
2	Ireland	Ireland	2,282
3	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	2,279
4	Netherlands	Netherlands	2,246
5	Germany	Germany	2,161
6	Belgium	Belgium	2,112
7	France	France	1,802
10	Spain	Spain	1,381
11	Slovenia	Slovenia	1,278
12	Poland	Poland	1,100
13	Lithuania	Lithuania	1,038
14	Greece	Greece	1,027
15	Portugal	Portugal	1,015
16	Cyprus	Cyprus	1,000
17	Croatia	Croatia	970
18	Malta	Malta	961
19	Estonia	Estonia	886
20	Czechia	Czechia	841
21	Slovakia	Slovakia	816
22	Romania	Romania	797
23	Latvia	Latvia	740
24	Hungary	Hungary	727
25	Montenegro	Montenegro	670
26	Serbia	Serbia	618
27	North Macedonia	North Macedonia	584
28	Türkiye	Türkiye	558
29	Bulgaria	Bulgaria	551
30	Albania	Albania	408
31	Moldova	Moldova	279
32	Ukraine	Ukraine	164
—	Austria	Austria	NA
—	Italy	Italy	NA
—	Switzerland	Switzerland	NA
—	Denmark	Denmark	NA
—	Finland	Finland	NA
—	Iceland	Iceland	NA
—	Norway	Norway	NA
—	Sweden	Sweden	NA

People in Ireland are paid the second-highest in Europe, at €2,282. The island has become the de-facto hub for U.S. firms in Europe, and is home to many large tech companies, which means average salaries are likely to be much more.

The UK followed at €2,279, a figure calculated from the statutory hourly minimum wage from the Gov.uk website for a 37.5 hour work-week, which is typical in the country. The UK was the first European country to introduce a minimum wage, in 1909.

There’s a clear split between the eastern and western sides of Europe, with only two countries in Eastern Europe—Poland and Slovenia—seeing monthly minimum wages above €1,000.

Countries Without a Legal Minimum Wage

Some countries don’t have statutory minimum wages inscribed into law, but they do exist. In Nordic countries — Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland — wages are set by collective agreements instead.

Switzerland also doesn’t have a statutory minimum wage, but salary floors are set by states or sectors. In Geneva, one of the most well-paid areas, minimum wage would amount to €4,667 per a 40-hour work week.

In Austria, a €1,700 benchmark has been set via agreements. Italy’s minimum wage is also set by sectoral agreements but it differs widely depending on sector and skill level.

Interestingly, countries without statutory minimum wages are also some of the world’s happiest and richest.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about minimum wages, check out this graphic which ranks salaries across U.S. states.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-minimum-wages-across-europe/