Salaries in Europe (2026): Net Earnings, Median Hourly Pay and Labour Costs by Country, From Eurostat
A job offer in euros means nothing until you know what the same money buys and what is left after tax. Eurostat's wages and labour-costs release, updated on 1 October 2026, gives three numbers that together answer that: what an employer pays per hour, what the median worker earns per hour, and what an average worker takes home per year. This guide reproduces the figures and the country extremes, in euro and in purchasing power.
Quick answer
In 2025 the average hourly labour cost in the EU was €34.9, from €12.0 in Bulgaria to €56.8 in Luxembourg; the euro area averaged €38.2. Median gross hourly earnings (2022) were €14.9 in the EU, from €4.1 in Bulgaria to €29.8 in Denmark. In 2025 the net annual earnings of a single worker without children on the average wage were €29,954 in the EU, ranging from €13,877 in Romania to €55,877 in Luxembourg; for a two-earner couple with two children the range was €29,192 to €121,401. The EU tax wedge on labour costs was 39.5% in 2025. In purchasing power the gap between the highest and lowest median hourly earnings shrinks from 7.4 to 3.3 times.
Three numbers, three questions
| Measure | What it answers | EU figure | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly labour cost, 2025 | What an employer pays, wages plus non-wage costs | €34.9 (euro area €38.2) | Bulgaria €12.0 | Luxembourg €56.8 |
| Median gross hourly earnings, 2022 | What the middle worker earns before tax | €14.9 | Bulgaria €4.1 | Denmark €29.8 |
| Net annual earnings, single worker, no children, 2025 | What an average worker takes home | €29,954 | Romania €13,877 | Luxembourg €55,877 |
| Net annual earnings, couple, two earners, two children, 2025 | Household take-home | €64,605 | Romania €29,192 | Luxembourg €121,401 |
Source: Eurostat, Wages and labour costs (Statistics Explained), data extracted 1 October 2026; planned update 31 March 2027.
Median hourly earnings: the full top and bottom
In 2022 the highest median gross hourly earnings in euro were in Denmark (€29.8), ahead of Luxembourg (€24.0), Belgium (€23.8), Ireland (€20.3), Germany (€19.4), Finland and Sweden (€19.3 each) and the Netherlands (€19.0). The lowest were in Bulgaria (€4.1), Romania (€5.6), Hungary (€5.7), Portugal (€6.2), Croatia (€6.8) and Poland (€6.9). The highest national figure was 7.4 times the lowest.
Expressed in purchasing power standards, which strip out price differences, the ranking changes and the gap narrows to 3.3 times. The highest median hourly earnings in PPS were in Denmark (22.4), Belgium (21.3), Luxembourg (18.4), Germany (17.3) and Ireland (17.0); the lowest in Bulgaria (6.7), Portugal (7.4), Hungary and Latvia (8.9 each), Croatia (9.4), Slovakia (9.7), Greece (9.8) and Romania (9.9).
Labour costs and the non-wage share
Labour costs are wages and salaries plus non-wage costs such as employers' social contributions. In 2025 the non-wage share of total labour costs was 24.8% in the EU and 25.6% in the euro area. It was highest in France (32.3%) and Sweden (31.7%) and lowest in Romania (4.8%), Lithuania (5.5%) and Malta (5.8%). That is why a French gross salary costs an employer far more than the payslip shows, and why a Romanian one costs little more than the wage.
Net earnings: what is left
Eurostat estimates net earnings with the OECD and JRC models: gross earnings minus income tax and employee social contributions, plus family allowances where there are children. In 2025 a single person on the average wage without children kept €13,877 in Romania and €55,877 in Luxembourg. A married couple with a single earner and two children kept €15,726 in Romania and €80,254 in Luxembourg. Among two-earner couples on the average wage, Luxembourg recorded €121,401 with two children and €113,631 without; Romania €29,192 and €27,755.
The tax wedge
The tax wedge is income tax plus employee and employer social contributions as a share of total labour costs. For the EU it was 39.5% in 2025, the same as the euro area. For low-wage earners the highest wedges were in Germany (44.7%), Slovenia (44.4%) and Slovakia (43.6%), the lowest in Ireland.
Low-wage earners
Eurostat counts as low-wage earners employees earning two-thirds or less of the national median gross hourly earnings. In 2022 that was 14.7% of EU employees, down from 15.2% in 2018. The shares were highest in Bulgaria (26.8%), Romania (23.9%), Latvia (23.3%), Greece (21.7%), Estonia (21.2%) and Cyprus (20.0%), and below 10% in Portugal (1.8%), Sweden (4.1%), Finland (6.5%), Italy (8.8%), Slovenia (9.4%), France and Denmark (9.7% each).
How to read an offer with these numbers
- Compare your gross hourly rate with the national median gross hourly earnings: above it, you are in the upper half of that market.
- Use the net-earnings figure for your household type to estimate take-home, then the price-level index for what it buys.
- Remember the employer's view: a high non-wage share (France, Sweden) means less room to negotiate gross pay upward.
Frequently asked questions
Which European country has the highest salaries?
Luxembourg has the highest net annual earnings (€55,877 for a single worker in 2025) and the highest hourly labour cost (€56.8); Denmark has the highest median gross hourly earnings (€29.8 in 2022).
What is the average net salary in the EU?
€29,954 a year in 2025 for a single worker without children on the average wage, by Eurostat's estimate.
Which EU country has the lowest wages?
Bulgaria has the lowest median gross hourly earnings (€4.1) and hourly labour cost (€12.0); Romania the lowest net annual earnings (€13,877).
What is the tax wedge in the EU?
39.5% of total labour costs in 2025, the same in the euro area.
Why do purchasing-power figures look so different?
Because prices differ: in PPS the gap between the highest and lowest median hourly earnings is 3.3 times, against 7.4 times in euro.