Minimum wages for the second half of 2026 have been released by Eurostat, showing that only eight of 29 European countries increased their gross minimum wage between January and July 2026, while consumer inflation in the euro area was 3.2% over the same six-month period. That means minimum wage earners lost ground in real terms in several countries where inflation was particularly high, Euronews reports.

In nominal terms, Luxembourg has the highest gross monthly minimum wage in Europe as of July 2026, at €2,771. Within the EU, the minimum wage is lowest in Bulgaria, at €620. When EU candidate countries are included, Ukraine has the lowest minimum wage, at €169.

In addition to Luxembourg, the top group includes Ireland (€2,391), Germany (€2,343), the Netherlands (€2,338) and Belgium (€2,234). France is close behind at €1,867.

Slovenia (€1,482), Spain (€1,425), Lithuania (€1,153), Poland (€1,119), Cyprus (€1,088), Greece (€1,073), Portugal (€1,073) and Croatia (€1,050) make up the middle group. Most of them are closer to €1,000 than €1,500.

At the bottom, Ukraine and Moldova stand out as outliers at €169 and €313 respectively, with all other countries above the €500 level.

Four EU candidate countries have higher minimum wages than Bulgaria. They are Turkey (€621), North Macedonia (€624), Montenegro (€670), and Serbia (€743).

Malta (€994), Estonia (€946), Czechia (€923), Slovakia (€915) and Hungary (€906) are all closer to the €1,000 level.