New figures show that wages in Ukraine are significantly lower than in many European countries, reflecting a large gap in income, living costs and labor productivity across the continent.
According to Euronews Business's compilation based on Eurostat data, about 12.8 million workers in 22 EU countries are receiving minimum wages or lower. In that context, the decisions to adjust the minimum wage at the beginning of 2026 are closely monitored by millions of people, with the expectation of improving income before the pressure of rising prices.
However, reality shows that nearly 1/3 of minimum wage workers in Europe have not received a salary increase compared to July 2025, and some countries even "freeze" wages throughout the year.
If considered by nominal value in euros, Ukraine is the most noteworthy case. The monthly minimum wage in this country is only about 173 euros, much lower than all EU member states and far behind many Eastern European countries that are considered low-income.
In the group of EU candidate countries, Moldova is behind Ukraine with 319 euros, while some other countries are still significantly higher.
Even within the EU, the minimum wage gap is also very large. Bulgaria is currently the country with the lowest level in the bloc with 620 euros/month. Meanwhile, Luxembourg leads Europe with 2,704 euros, more than 4 times higher than Bulgaria and more than 15 times higher than Ukraine.
Only 5 EU countries pay a minimum wage of over 20,000 euros, including Luxembourg, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The next group shows a significant disparity right between neighboring countries. France reached 1,823 euros, but Spain was only at 1,381 euros.
Eurostat therefore divides the European minimum wage into 3 main groups: Over 1,500 euros, from 1,000 to 1,500 euros and under 1,000 euros. Most Eastern and Southern European countries are in the two lower groups.
Among the 29 countries compared, including 22 EU countries and 7 candidate countries, up to 15 countries have a minimum wage of less than 1,000 euros.
In addition to Ukraine and Moldova, many Eastern European countries such as Romania, Hungary or Albania also belong to this group.
Even the three EU candidate countries currently pay a minimum wage higher than Bulgaria, showing a complex differentiation in the region.
However, the picture becomes less "haunted" when calculated according to purchasing power equivalent to PPS, a factor reflecting the actual cost of living in each country.
When converted according to PPS, the minimum wage gap between countries is significantly narrowed. In 22 EU countries, the minimum wage ranges from 886 PPS in Estonia to 2,157 PPS in Germany.
Some Eastern European countries and EU candidates improved their rankings significantly when considering purchasing power. Romania increased sharply from the bottom group to the middle group, while North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey also ranked higher than the nominal euro ranking.
However, Ukraine is still in the bottom group, reflecting a very low real income compared to the European average.
Experts from the European Trade Union Institute believe that the minimum wage gap stems from labor productivity, economic structure and the negotiating power of workers.
Economies with developed industry, finance and high technology often maintain higher and more stable wages.
