Europe’s Minimum Wages Continue to Rise

Especially in the Baltic states as well as in Romania, Bulgaria and Poland the minimum wages grew considerably. With more than 7% between 2002 and 2009 the minimum salaries grew the strongest in Estonia and Latvia.

In Europe the highest minimum wages can be found in Luxemburg with 9,73 euro per hour. Countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Ireland follow in this ranking with wages of more than 8 euro per hour. At the end of the line in the EU is Bulgaria with a minimum wage of 0,80 euro per hour. But especially in countries like Bulgaria and Romania the wages grew considerably during the last decade. Between 2002 and 2009 the wages in Bulgaria grew by 5,8% and in Romania by 4,9% respectively. Therefore this results in a real plus even when considering inflation.

The minimum wage level in Western European countries is an average of around 6 euro per hour, in Eastern European countries around 1,4 euro per hour. This results in an average minimum gross salary per month of about
1 000 euro in Western Europe and around 210 euro in Eastern Europe.

Minimum wages are statutorily regulated minimal limits for wages of the employed population. The income of self-employed persons is not considered. Thus the minimum wage is only one of various indicators for showing the prosperity of countries.

The RegioData Purchasing Power Data give an overview on the prosperity level in a country not only according to the wages of the employed population but also including various transfer-payments and taxes. The data are available on different regional levels such as municipalities and postcode areas.