Top 10 · work
Top 10 countries by average wages
Average monthly pay of employees, adjusted for price levels. ILO (ILOSTAT) data, each country's latest year, 2010–2025, covering 157 countries.
The top 10
1st of 157 · 2025
Luxembourg9,275 $/month (PPP)
- 2ndBelgium8,077 $/month (PPP)
- 3rdNetherlands7,383 $/month (PPP)
- 4thAustria7,259 $/month (PPP)
- 5thFinland6,356 $/month (PPP)
- 6thUnited States6,273 $/month (PPP)
- 7thGermany6,135 $/month (PPP)
- 8thFrance6,069 $/month (PPP)
- 9thIreland5,577 $/month (PPP)
- 10thSlovenia5,515 $/month (PPP)
The other end · bottom 5 of 157
- 153rdGambia268 $/month (PPP)
- 154thMadagascar248 $/month (PPP)
- 155thRwanda193 $/month (PPP)
- 156thMalawi177 $/month (PPP)
- 157thBurundi153 $/month (PPP)
Where the big countries land
Common questions
Questions people ask about average wages
Which country ranks highest for average wages?
Luxembourg ranks 1st of 157 countries at 9,275 $/month (PPP) (2025 data). Source: ILO (ILOSTAT).
Which countries are in the top 10 for average wages?
The top 10 are Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Finland, United States, Germany, France, Ireland and Slovenia — computed from ILO (ILOSTAT) data, each country's latest year, 2010–2025.
Where does the United States rank in average wages?
The United States ranks 6th of 157 countries at 6,273 $/month (PPP) (2025 data). Source: ILO (ILOSTAT).
What is the median average wages worldwide?
Across the 157 countries covered, the median is 1,214 $/month (PPP). Values run from 9,275 $/month (PPP) (Luxembourg, ranked 1st) to 153 $/month (PPP) (Burundi, ranked 157th).
Is average wages higher in Europe or the US?
The median across 41 European countries is 4,138 $/month (PPP), against 6,273 $/month (PPP) in the United States — it is higher in the US. Source: ILO (ILOSTAT).
Which country ranks lowest for average wages?
Burundi sits at the other end of the list: 153 $/month (PPP) ranks 157th of 157 (2020 data). Source: ILO (ILOSTAT).
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More on work
- Paid maternity leaveStatutory paid leave available to mothers, in weeks.
- Statutory paid holidayStatutory minimum paid annual leave, in working days.
- Minimum wageStatutory hourly minimum wage, PPP-adjusted USD.
- UnemploymentUnemployed share of the labour force.
- Labor force participationShare of the adult population working or looking for work.
- Life expectancyPeriod life expectancy at birth.
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Luxembourg leads on average wages — see where it lands on every other measure, and which US state it most resembles.
From the blog: Census, BEA, CDC, BLS: why US state data is unusually good
All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →