Minimum wages for the second half of 2026 have been released by Eurostat, showing that only eight of 29 European countries increased their gross minimum wage between January and July 2026, while consumer inflation in the euro area was 3.2% over the same six-month period. That means minimum wage earners lost ground in real terms in several countries where inflation was particularly high.
So, which European countries pay the highest minimum wages based on the latest data? And how does the ranking change when adjusted for purchasing power?
In nominal terms, Luxembourg has the highest gross monthly minimum wage in Europe as of July 2026, at €2,771. Within the EU, the minimum wage is lowest in Bulgaria, at €620. When EU candidate countries are included, Ukraine has the lowest minimum wage, at €169.
Looking at the distribution of minimum wage levels, five countries have a gross monthly minimum wage above €2,000. Nine countries fall between €1,000 and €2,000, although the range is heavily concentrated towards the lower end, with only one country above €1,500.
In 15 countries, the gross monthly minimum wage is below €1,000, meaning that more than half of the countries with available data fall into this group. However, seven of these are EU candidate countries.
