From January 2024, the new minimum wage in Germany was 12.41 euros an hour. This was an increase of 41 cents from 2022. Furthermore, there has also been another raise planned at the beginning of 2025 to 12.82 euros.

As of 2023, the average annual wage of Germany was 48,301 euros per year, a growth of almost 6,000 Euros when compared with 2000. From 2000 until 2007, wages rose by less than a thousand euros, with wage growth accelerating mainly in the period after 2010. Comparisons with rest of the EU Within the European Union Luxembourg had an average annual salary of almost 80 thousand Euros, with Germany having an annual salary comparable to other large European Countries, such as the United Kingdom and France. In neighboring Poland, the average annual salary was just over 39 thousand U.S dollars, meaning that German’s earned, on average, 20 percent more than what their Polish counterparts did. German economy slowing in 2023 While Germany initially had one of the strongest recoveries from the 2008 financial crash and as of 2020 had the largest economy in Europe its economy has started to slow in recent years. For 2023 the German economy is contracted by 0.26 percent, and while 2024 marked a slight improvement, the expectations are that 2025 remains a year of slow growth.

The country with the highest minimum wage rate in Europe during the first half of 2025 was Luxembourg, with a minimum wage of 2638 euros. Ireland, the Netherlands, and Germany were the countries with the next highest minimum wages, all above 2000 euros a month, while Albania, Bulgaria, and Montenegro had the lowest minimum wages in the same period.

Since 2005, the gross minimum wage per hour in France has been gradually increasing. In July 2005, the gross minimum wage per hour in France amounted to 8.03 euros. Nineteen years later the hourly minimum wage increased by more than three euros, reaching 11.88 euros in November 2024. In 2023, France had an average annual wage higher than countries like Spain and Italy, but lower than those in Germany or Belgium. Minimum wage is increasing For years now, wages in France have been increasing progressively. In 2013 the gross minimum wage per month in France was 1,430.22 euros, compared to 1766.92 euros in 2024. Thus, the average annual wage in France has risen since the beginning of the 2000s despite the 2008 financial crisis. The issue of purchasing power In recent years purchasing power has become one of the most worrying issues of households in France. In 2024, a large part of the French perceived their purchasing power as decreasing, while six years before it had become one of the main causes of the Yellow Vests protests in the country. Studies have shown that the purchasing power in the country reached its lowest level between 2010 and 2014. Household expenditure doubled since 1990, while 52.4 percent of French middle-income households stated having difficulties making ends meet in 2017.

Minimum Wages in Germany increased to 12.82 EUR/Hour in 2025 from 12.41 EUR/Hour in 2024. This dataset provides - Germany Minimum Wages- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The average unemployment rate was six percent in Germany in 2024. Since 2005, the rate of unemployment has generally been declining, though a slight increase was evident in recent years. Unemployment in Germany and comparison with other countries Germany has a comparatively low unemployment rate compared to its European neighbors, and they are expected to stay at around three percent over the next few years. This is a result of the damage the economy suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the lockdown, most businesses were closed, and many companies lost revenue meaning employees were let go. It is also possible that higher unemployment figures will continue into later years because of inflation and rising energy prices. There is also a slightly higher unemployment rate among men than there is among women. Social support Social support is money paid out to those who are unable to work for some reason, its purpose is to protect those who are most vulnerable. The status of being unemployed is defined as when an employed person is laid off, fired, or quits his work and is still looking for a job, this is what qualifies someone to receive a citizens allowance (Bürgergeld) in Germany. The payments are only made if you are unemployed and worked for the last 12 months. Otherwise, benefits are received in the form of Arbeitslosengeld II, also called Hartz IV, which distributes social payments to people without an income who cannot work to make a living. Since January 2023 though, Arbeitlosengeld has been replaced by Bürgergeld, since this is a new transition, it is still possible that people will still refer to the benefits as Arbeitlosengeld or Hartz IV.

In 2023, there were 577,000 German households with a household net income of under 500 euros per month. Approximately 18 percent of households had a monthly income of 5,000 euros and more. Disposable net income While at first glance the aforementioned monthly income may seem manageable, based on general German standards of living, it is worth noting that flexibility and expenditure depends on the number of people living in a household, or rather the number of earners in relation to that number. In the case of employed population members, what remains as disposable net income is influenced by various regular payments made by households after the already taxed salary arrives. These payments include, but are not limited to, rent, different types of insurance, repaying loans, fees for internet and mobile phone services. Food and housing When looking at private household spending in Germany, consistent patterns emerge. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel made up the largest share and will increase even further in the coming months, followed by food, beverages, and tobacco.

Over this 23-year period, annual wages in Spain fluctuated greatly, ranging from a low of 28,685 euros in 2006 to a high of approximately 31,910 euros in 2009. The average annual wage stood at approximately 30,655 euros in 2023. Compared to other European countries, Spain ranked fairly low in 2022. The annual salary in the Iberian country was similar to salaries in Italy and Slovenia, but remained far from the figures that were registered in France, Ireland and Germany. Minimum wage Spain's minimum monthly wage was 1,134 euros as of 2024. Unlike the average annual wage, it has been constantly increasing on a nearly continuous basis since 2008, when the minimum wage was 600 euros per month. In 2019, the Socialist government of Spain passed a law by that increased the national minimum wage by 164 euros, therefore making it stand at 900 euros per month and reflecting the largest increase to date. Along with the monthly wage, the national minimum daily wage has also been raised consistently over the past years. In 2024, the gross minimum was 37.8 euros a day, whereas in 2000 it was 20 euros a day. Unequal pay The average salary in Spain diverges considerably according to different factors. For instance, the gender salary gap remains significant in the Mediterranean country, although it has shrunk in recent years. In 2021, the average salary for a male full-time employee was around nine percent higher than his female counterpart. The gender gap is even wider for permanent positions: that year, average annual salaries for women were roughly 6,000 euros less than average salaries for men. The salary gap is also conspicuous when looking at the wage for workers with disabilities, a gap that has increased in recent years. Geographic location is also important; the average net salary in regions such as Extremadura and the Canary Islands was less than 23,100 euros per year in 2022, far from the salary in the Basque Country and Madrid (32,300 and 31,200 euros, respectively).

The gross annual earnings of private equity investment managers working in banking and financial services sector in Germany remained unchanged from 2017 to 2020 but increased in 2021 and 2023. In 2023, private equity investment managers had a minimum salary of 120,000 euros per year.

Of the seven largest developed economies, in 2023, the United States had the highest average wage by a significant margin at over 77,000 U.S. dollars per year. Canada had the second highest annual average wages, followed by Germany. Meanwhile, Japan had the lowest average wages out of the seven largest developed economies.

The United States topped the list in 2018 for the country with the highest gap between CEO and worker pay. In that year, for every U.S. dollar an average worker received, the average CEO earned 265 U.S. dollars. India, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and the Netherlands rounded out the top five for countries with the highest CEO to worker pay.

The 99 percent

It is a well-known issue that wages for average workers in the United States have been stagnating. Average hourly earnings for American employees, which have been hovering just below 11 U.S. dollars, have not gone up by much over the past year. The federal minimum wage in the United States has been 2.13 U.S. dollars for tipped workers and 7.25 U.S. dollars for non-tipped workers since 2009 and would be much higher today if minimum wage was adjusted for inflation.

The one percent

The gap between normal workers and CEOs is particularly high in the U.S. The richest CEO in 2018 was Elon Musk, with an annual compensation of about 2.84 billion U.S. dollars. America is also home to the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, who is the head of Amazon.com.

Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2023. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 117.5 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.

Portugal had the highest combined corporate income tax rate in 2023, reaching 31.5 percent, and was followed by Germany with a rate of 29.94 percent. On the other hand, Hungary had the lowest combined corporate income tax rate, reaching just nine percent in 2023.