Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Widget HTML #1

Home / economics / europe / minimum wage / work and pay / workers

Top to Bottom: Minimum Wage Earners in Europe

By Newby

Overview of Minimum Wage in the EU

Eurostat has revealed that approximately 13 million workers across 21 European Union (EU) countries earn the minimum wage or less. This figure highlights the significant portion of the workforce that relies on this income level. The European Commission is committed to promoting fair and adequate minimum wages, ensuring that all workers can maintain a decent standard of living.

Countries with the Highest Share of Minimum Wage Earners

In 2022, the share of employees earning less than 105% of the minimum wage varied significantly across the EU. The lowest was recorded in Czechia at 2.6%, while Bulgaria had the highest at 13.0%. Eurostat uses a 105% threshold to approximate the share of minimum-wage earners due to differences in how earnings are defined in the minimum wage and earnings surveys.

The data was only released in late 2025, as Eurostat publishes these estimates every four years to monitor long-term trends and provide a clearer understanding of the situation.

Key Countries with Significant Proportions

At least one in ten workers in seven EU countries earns the minimum wage or less. These include:

  • Bulgaria: 13.0%
  • France: 12.7%
  • Slovenia: 12.6%
  • Romania: 10.5%
  • Greece: 10.2%
  • Poland: 10.1%
  • Hungary: 10%

On the other end of the spectrum, countries like Czechia (2.6%), Portugal (3.1%), Estonia (3.3%), the Netherlands (3.5%), Malta (3.5%), and Spain (3.6%) have the lowest proportions of minimum wage earners.

Among the largest economies in Europe, France has the highest percentage of minimum wage earners at 12.7%, compared to 8% in Germany, 6.5% in the UK, and 3.6% in Spain.

Role of Collective Bargaining

According to the OECD, collective bargaining plays a crucial role in shaping these figures. Dr Stefano Filauro from Sapienza University of Rome explained that countries with stronger labor institutions and collective agreements tend to have fewer cases of workers being paid below the minimum wage. He also noted that advanced economies with more high-skilled, high-paid sectors generally have fewer low-wage workers. Conversely, weak labor inspections and limited penalties for non-compliance often allow underpayment to persist.

No Statutory Minimum Wage in Certain Countries

It is worth noting that there is no statutory minimum wage in Italy, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, or Finland. These countries rely on other mechanisms to ensure fair wages.

Turkey: A Major Outlier

Turkey stands out as a major outlier, with a much larger share of workers on or below the minimum wage. The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) reported that 37.5% of Turkish workers earned the minimum wage or less in 2022. This figure is significantly higher than in most EU countries.

Data for the UK and Turkey comes from national sources rather than Eurostat, making direct comparisons with EU figures challenging. In the mid-2010s, Eurostat estimated that around 43% of Turkish workers earned the minimum wage, with similar figures reported in 2020.

Challenges in Determining Exact Numbers

Determining the exact number of minimum wage earners is difficult and varies between data sources. Eurostat provides its own estimates, but small firms are often excluded, meaning the true number is likely higher.

Using 2022 data, France had the highest number of minimum wage earners in 2024 — about 3.5 million people — followed by Germany with 3.2 million. Across 21 EU countries, the total stood at 12.8 million. The UK had around 1.9 million, while Turkey recorded 11.2 million — just 1.6 million fewer than the combined total of those 21 EU states.

Impact on Income Inequality

A report titled “The impact of minimum wages on income inequality in the EU” published by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre highlighted that minimum wage policies influence national income distributions across EU countries. This, in turn, affects the distribution of income across the overall EU population.

The purchasing power of the minimum wage varies widely across Europe. The five countries with the highest minimum wages in purchasing power standards (PPS) are:

  • Luxembourg: 2,035
  • Germany: 1,989
  • Netherlands: 1,937
  • Belgium: 1,812
  • Ireland: 1,653

The lowest figures are recorded in:

  • Estonia: 886
  • Latvia: 905
  • Bulgaria: 922
  • Czechia: 936
  • Slovakia: 963

EU candidate countries such as North Macedonia (1,069), Turkey (1,062), and Montenegro (1,058) have higher minimum wages in PPS than several EU member states.

Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages

In October 2022, the European Commission adopted a directive on adequate minimum wages in the EU. This initiative aims to ensure that workers’ earnings are sufficient to provide a decent standard of living across the Union.