Minimum wage in European countries: Where it exceeds 2,000 euros - Greece's position

Minimum wages and purchasing power vary considerably across European nations, with high inflation particularly affecting employees whose wages are adjusted annually. Data from Eurostat for the first half of 2026 reveals that only eight of the 29 European countries implemented increases in their gross minimum wage between January and July.

During the same period, inflation in the Eurozone averaged 3.2%. This economic climate has led to a decline in the real value of minimum wages for workers, especially in countries experiencing higher inflation rates.

In nominal terms, Luxembourg leads with the highest gross monthly minimum wage, reaching 2,771 euros as of July 2026. Within the EU, Bulgaria records the lowest minimum wage at 620 euros. Among candidate countries, Ukraine has the lowest at 169 euros.

Five countries report gross monthly minimum wages exceeding 2,000 euros. Nine countries fall between 1,000 and 2,000 euros, with most clustered near the lower end of this range. Only one country surpasses 1,500 euros in this bracket.

Fifteen countries have gross monthly minimum wages below 1,000 euros, with more than half of the analyzed countries in this category. Seven of these are EU candidate countries. Besides Luxembourg, the top minimum wages are found in Ireland (2,391 euros), Germany (2,343 euros), the Netherlands (2,338 euros), and Belgium (2,234 euros). France follows with 1,867 euros.

The middle group includes Slovenia (1,482 euros), Spain (1,425 euros), Lithuania (1,153 euros), Poland (1,119 euros), Cyprus (1,088 euros), Greece (1,073 euros), Portugal (1,073 euros), and Croatia (1,050 euros). Most countries in this group are closer to the 1,000 euro mark.

At the lower end, Ukraine and Moldova stand out with 169 and 313 euros, respectively, while other countries remain above 500 euros. Four candidate countries have higher minimum wages than Bulgaria: Turkey (621 euros), North Macedonia (624 euros), Montenegro (670 euros), and Serbia (743 euros). Malta (994 euros), Estonia (946 euros), the Czech Republic (923 euros), Slovakia (915 euros), and Hungary (906 euros) are all near the 1,000 euro threshold.

When purchasing power parity (PPS) units are considered, the ranking shifts significantly, narrowing the gap between countries. PPS units offer a more equitable comparison by reflecting what workers can actually purchase in each country, with one PPS unit representing the same basket of goods and services everywhere. Based on PPS, minimum wages range from 705 euros in Albania to 2,164 euros in Germany. Data for Ukraine and Moldova is unavailable.