In spite of increase, Bulgaria still has lowest minimum wage in EU
Of the 22 European Union countries that have a minimum wage, Bulgaria continues to have the lowest, according to figures published on July 30 2024 by EU statistics agency Eurostat.
This is even though the minimum wage in Bulgaria has had an annual average growth rate between July 2014 and July 2024 of more than 10 per cent.
In July 2024, minimum wages in the EU countries ranged from the equivalent of 477 euro a month in Bulgaria to 2571 euro a month in Luxembourg, Eurostat said.
Eurostat said that as of July 1 2024, a total of 22 out of the 27 EU countries had a national minimum wage (including Cyprus as of January 1 2023).
The EU countries that do not have a national minimum wage are Denmark, Italy, Austria, Finland and Sweden.
Eurostat said that based on the level of their national gross monthly minimum wages applicable on July 1 this year, expressed in euro, the EU countries concerned may be classified into three different groups.
Group 1, with a national minimum wage above 1500 euro per month: Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France. Their national minimum wages ranged from 1767 euro in France to 2571 euro in Luxembourg.
Group 2, with a national minimum wage above 1000 euro and below 1500 euro a month: Spain and Slovenia. Their national minimum wages were 1254 euro in Slovenia and 1323 euro in Spain.
Group 3, with a national minimum wage equal or below 1000 euro a month: Cyprus, Poland, Greece, Portugal, Malta, Lithuania, Croatia, Estonia, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, Hungary and Bulgaria. Their national minimum wages ranged from 477 euro in Bulgaria to 1000 euro in Cyprus.
The average annual growth rate between July 2014 and July 2024 was highest in Romania (13.7 per cent) followed by Lithuania (12.3 per cent), Bulgaria (10.6 per cent), Poland (9.5 per cent) and Czechia (9.3 per cent) .
The lowest average annual growth rates among EU countries were recorded in France (two per cent), Malta (2.6 per cent) and Luxembourg (three per cent), Eurostat said.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
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