Which EU nations have seen the fastest and slowest increases in minimum wages?

Which EU nations have seen the fastest and slowest increases in minimum wages? Romania saw the largest increase in the EU’s minimum wage over the past ten years. The number of member states without a national minimum wage is just five.

Between January 2015 and January 2025, the EU’s highest average annual minimum wage growth rates were recorded in Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Poland.

According to the most recent data from Eurostat, they indicate an increase of 14% to 10%.

France and Malta, on the other hand, had the lowest average annual growth rates among EU nations, at +2.1% and +2.9%, respectively.

Nonetheless, there are significant differences in the monthly minimum wages among EU nations.

The only exceptions are Denmark, Italy, Austria, Finland, and Sweden.

Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Ireland, and the Netherlands are the six nations with minimum wages exceeding €1,500 per month.

The national minimum wage in France was €1,802, while in Luxembourg it was €2,638.

However, the lowest minimum wages, which fall below €1,000 per month, are found in Croatia, Greece, Malta, Estonia, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, Hungary, and Bulgaria.

In Bulgaria, the minimum wage was €551, while in Croatia, it was €970.

Is there another rating metric besides salary?
Because living costs, especially housing costs, differ greatly among European nations, the purchasing power standard (PPS), which calculates the price of particular goods, can offer a more equitable comparison.

After accounting for variations in price levels, the minimum wage differences in EU nations are significantly less.

EU nations were categorized by Eurostat into three groups: those with PPSs above 1,500, those with PPSs between 1,000 and less than 1,500, and those with PPSs below 1,000.

The seven countries in the PPS 1,500 band above are Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, France, and Poland.

The six nations in the PPS 1,000 band below are Slovakia, Czechia, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Latvia.

However, because living expenses are lower in nations with lower absolute minimum wages, they might provide comparable purchasing power to those in wealthier countries.

After adjusting for its purchasing power standard, Poland, for instance, rises to the top tier, indicating that its minimum wage has significant purchasing power in relation to its cost of living.