Top 10 · work
Top 10 countries by minimum wage
Statutory hourly minimum wage, PPP-adjusted USD. OECD (real minimum wages) data, each country's latest year, 2023–2024, covering 36 countries.
The top 10
1st of 36 · 2024
Germany$17.15
- 2ndLuxembourg$16.79
- 3rdAustralia$16.49
- 4thUnited Kingdom$15.91
- 5thFrance$15.78
- 6thNetherlands$15.65
- 7thNew Zealand$15.5
- 8thBelgium$15.18
- 9thSpain$13.95
- 10thIreland$13.81
The other end · bottom 5 of 36
Where the big countries land
- 28thUnited States$7.25
Common questions
Questions people ask about minimum wage
Which country ranks highest for minimum wage?
Germany ranks 1st of 36 countries at $17.15 (2024 data). Source: OECD (real minimum wages).
Which countries are in the top 10 for minimum wage?
The top 10 are Germany, Luxembourg, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Belgium, Spain and Ireland — computed from OECD (real minimum wages) data, each country's latest year, 2023–2024.
Where does the United States rank in minimum wage?
The United States ranks 28th of 36 countries at $7.25 (2024 data). Source: OECD (real minimum wages).
What is the median minimum wage worldwide?
Across the 36 countries covered, the median is $9.33. Values run from $17.15 (Germany, ranked 1st) to $1.79 (Malta, ranked 36th).
Is minimum wage higher in Europe or the US?
The median across 22 European countries is $9.98, against $7.25 in the United States — it is higher in Europe. Source: OECD (real minimum wages).
Which country ranks lowest for minimum wage?
Malta sits at the other end of the list: $1.79 ranks 36th of 36 (2024 data). Source: OECD (real minimum wages).
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More on work
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- Statutory paid holidayStatutory minimum paid annual leave, in working days.
- UnemploymentUnemployed share of the labour force.
- Labor force participationShare of the adult population working or looking for work.
- Average wagesAverage monthly pay of employees, adjusted for price levels.
- Life expectancyPeriod life expectancy at birth.
Who leads the world
- Monacotops life expectancy86.5 years
- Singaporetops homicide rate0.1 per 100k
- Bulgariatops paid maternity leave59 weeks
Germany leads on minimum wage — see where it lands on every other measure, and which US state it most resembles.
From the blog: Pinned snapshots: when we deliberately don't auto-refresh
All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →