The minimum wage in Ukraine (UAH 8,600) is the lowest among all European countries. At the same time, according to the latest data from the State Statistics Service, the average salary is UAH 30,300. This means that the minimum wage is approximately 28.4% of the average salary.
This is reported in a publication on the OBOZ.UA website.
The government is currently drafting a new Labor Code, which once again fails to address the issue of the low minimum wage. A “sufficient” minimum wage is considered to be about 40% of the average wage. The EU has Directive 2022/2041, which calls on EU countries to set a minimum wage that ensures a decent standard of living and is up to 60% of the average wage (a desirable target to strive for).
Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture Daryna Marchak stated that the government aims for the minimum wage to be 50% of the average wage. However, this ratio is not specified in the draft Labor Code.
"The Labor Code lays the foundation for addressing this issue in line with EU logic. It stipulates that the minimum wage must be derived from the national average. Ideally, we aim for the minimum wage to be at least 50% of the average wage. We have not included specific percentages or timelines in the text itself at this time, as this is the subject of complex discussions with the business community and the public sector—namely, how quickly we can financially sustain this. But the formula is already in place. We will refine the text before the second reading, taking into account amendments from lawmakers, as well as the positions of trade unions and business associations,” explained Marchak.
Minimum wage levels in various countries (Eurostat data in euros):
Ukraine – EUR 173
Moldova – EUR 319
Albania – EUR 517
North Macedonia – EUR 586
Bulgaria – EUR 620
Turkey – EUR 654
Montenegro – EUR 670
Serbia – EUR 744
Latvia – EUR 780
Romania – EUR 795
Hungary – EUR 838
Estonia – EUR 886
Slovakia – EUR 915
Czech Republic – EUR 924
Malta – EUR 994
Greece – EUR 1,027
Croatia – EUR 1,050
United States – EUR 1,070
Portugal – EUR 1,073
Cyprus – EUR 1,088
Poland – EUR 1,139
Lithuania – EUR 1,153
Slovenia – EUR 1,278
Spain – EUR 1,381
France – EUR 1,823
Belgium – EUR 2,112
Netherlands – EUR 2,295
Germany – EUR 2,343
Ireland – EUR 2,391
Luxembourg – EUR 2,704
Even if the minimum wage were raised to at least 40% of the average wage, that would already amount to about UAH 12,200. If Ukraine were to make a leap to 60%, following the EU’s recommendations, the minimum wage would already be around UAH 18,200.
However, most EU countries have not yet reached the 60% mark. According to Eurostat data for 2024 (the most recent data), the ratio between the minimum and median wages in EU countries ranged from 44% (in Estonia) to 69% (in Portugal).
The ratio exceeded 60% in eight EU member states: Portugal, Poland, France, Slovenia, Romania, Greece, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
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