Strong long-term convergence
Several Central and Eastern European countries recorded much faster salary growth than the EU average, gradually reducing part of the historical income gap.
Average Salary in Europe
Salary growth, convergence and long-term wage differences
This page tracks average salaries across European countries from 2005 to 2024. The data is based on average full-time adjusted salary per employee and shows how salary levels evolved across Europe during two decades marked by EU enlargement, financial crises, post-2020 recovery and long-term economic convergence.
The time series highlights how salary differences between countries changed over time. While Western and Northern Europe continue to report the highest salary levels, several Central and Eastern European countries experienced substantially faster long-term growth and gradually narrowed part of the historical gap.
Explore the data
Key insights
Western and Northern Europe remain at the top
Luxembourg, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium and Austria continue to report the highest annual gross salary levels in Europe.
Growth paths differ substantially
Some countries experienced smooth long-term wage growth, while others saw temporary stagnation or setbacks during crises and recovery periods.
Key comparisons
Selected highlights from the average salary dataset, 2005–2024.
Extended analysis
1) Salary levels increased across most of the EU
Between 2005 and 2024, average salaries increased in almost all EU countries. The overall direction is clearly upward, although the pace and timing differed substantially across Europe.
Countries such as Luxembourg, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium and Austria remained at the top of the salary ranking throughout much of the observed period, maintaining a large lead in absolute salary levels.
2) Central and Eastern Europe recorded the fastest catch-up growth
The strongest long-term percentage growth was concentrated in Central and Eastern EU member states. These countries started from lower salary levels in 2005 and expanded rapidly during the following two decades.
The largest increases in the dataset were recorded in Bulgaria (+474%), Romania (+399%), Lithuania (+395%), Latvia (+297%) and Estonia (+289%).
This pattern reflects one of the most important long-term economic developments inside the EU: gradual salary convergence between older and newer member states.
3) The ranking changed less among mature high-income economies
Several Western and Southern European economies experienced slower relative growth over the full period. In these cases, long-term ranking positions tended to remain comparatively stable.
The weakest long-term performance in the dataset is observed in Greece (-1%), while Italy (+35%) also recorded relatively modest salary growth compared with the fastest-growing EU countries.
Percentage growth should however be interpreted carefully. Countries starting from a higher income base can still record large absolute salary increases while showing lower percentage growth.
4) The post-2020 recovery accelerated salary growth in many countries
The time series also shows the visible disruption around 2020 and the subsequent recovery period. In many countries, salary growth accelerated again after the pandemic-related slowdown.
The strongest nominal increases between 2021 and 2024 are especially visible in countries that already experienced rapid convergence before 2020, including Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania and several other Central and Eastern European economies.
Even after this catch-up process, substantial salary differences remain visible across Europe. In 2024, average salary still ranged from below €16,000 in Bulgaria to more than €82,000 in Luxembourg.
How to read this indicator
The indicator measures the average full-time adjusted salary per employee expressed in euros. The adjustment improves comparability between countries by accounting for differences in part-time employment. The data include employees across both private and public sectors and do not represent disposable household income or purchasing power.