Which EU countries have the highest and lowest minimum wage growth?

In the last 10 years, Romania had the highest minimum wage growth in the EU. Only five member states do not have a national minimum wage.

Transcript

00:00which EU countries have experienced the highest and the lowest growth in their national minimum wage.

00:10In the EU, 22 out of 27 member states have set a national minimum wage.

00:16Only Denmark, Italy, Austria, Finland and Sweden are the exceptions.

00:22In January 2025, the monthly minimum wage in EU countries ranged from 551 euros in Bulgaria

00:30to 2638 euros in Luxembourg. The average annual growth rate between January 2015 and January 2025

00:41was the highest in Romania, with an increase of 14.1%. This is followed by Lithuania at 13.2%,

00:50Bulgaria at 11.6% and Poland at 10.3%. By contrast, the lowest average annual growth

00:59rates among EU countries were recorded in France at 2.1% and Malta at 2.9%.

01:07Purchasing power standard, which measures the price of specific goods, can provide a fair

01:13comparison given that living costs vary significantly across European countries.

01:18Poland, for example, moves into the top tier when adjusted for the purchasing power standard,

01:24suggesting its minimum wage has strong purchasing power compared to its cost of living.