Highest & Lowest Minimum Wage by Country in 2025

Global expansion empowers companies to take advantage of various growth opportunities, such as access to new markets, lucrative tax incentives, and engaging a larger talent pool.

However, to avoid fines, damaged business reputation, and even jail time, global businesses must comply with minimum wage requirements in each jurisdiction in which they operate.

Understanding wage requirements worldwide is also critical for measuring total employee costs as you plan for and build a distributed workforce. Our employee cost calculator can help with estimating the total costs of employees around the globe, too.

Read this guide for a breakdown of minimum wage requirements by country and region. Plus, learn how partnering with a global expert eliminates compliance risks when hiring internationally.

10 countries with the highest minimum wages

Minimum wage requirements vary drastically worldwide. Below is a list of countries that offer the highest minimum wages in the world.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg offers the highest minimum wage of any country worldwide at US$3,214 (€3,085) per month for skilled talent over the age of 18.

Unskilled talent and talent under the age of 18 receive a lower monthly minimum wage:

Unskilled workers 18 years of age and older: US$2,679 (€2,571)
17 to 18 years of age: US$2,143 (€2,057)
15 to 17 years of age: US$2,009 (€1,928)

The Netherlands

As of January 1, 2025, the Netherlands’ hourly minimum wage will increase to US$14.83 (€14.06). The Government of the Netherlands no longer mandates a daily, weekly, or monthly minimum wage, leaving it up to employers to agree on a fixed number of working hours per week. Talent under the age of 21 receives a lower minimum wage:

Age 20: $11.82 (€10.94)
Age 19: $8.87 (€8.21)
Age 18: $7.39 (€6.84)
Age 17: $5.83 (€5.40)
Age 16: $5.10 (€4.72)
Age 15: $4.43 (€4.10)

New Zealand

New Zealand’s minimum wage is US$13.67 (NZ$23.15) per hour for workers 16 years of age and older, or about US$2,368 (NZ$4,010) per month.

The monthly minimum wage for New Zealanders in training or starting a new job is US$10.94 (NZ$18.52) per hour, or about US$1,895 (NZ$3,208) per month.

Australia

Australia’s minimum wage is US$15.57 (AU$24.10) per hour for adults over the age of 21 or about US$2,562 (AU$3,966) per month.

Germany

Germany’s hourly minimum wage is US$12.93 (€12.41), or US$2,172 (€2,085) per month.

United Kingdom

The U.K. applies two minimum wage structures: the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage.

The current National Living Wage guarantees US$14.43 (£11.44) per hour to talent 21 years of age and older, or roughly US$2,499 (£1,981) per month. In April 2025, the National Living Wage will increase to US$15.40 (£12.21) per hour or US$2,501 (£1,983) per month, applicable to talent aged 21 and over.

The current National Minimum Wage applies to apprentices up to age 20 and is adjusted as follows:

Apprentice rate: £6.40 (US$8.08) per hour, approximately £1,108 ($1,398) per month
Under 18: £6.40 (US$8.08) per hour, approximately £1,108 ($1,398) per month
18-20 years of age: £8.60 (US$10.85) per hour, approximately £1,490 ($1,880) per month

As of April 2024, the U.K. National Minimum Wage is the following:

Apprentice rate: £7.55 ($9.53) per hour, approximately £1,307 ($1,649) per month
Under 18: £7.55 ($9.53) per hour, approximately £1,307 ($1,649) per month
18-20 years of age: £10.00 ($12.62) per hour, approximately £1,732 ($2,186) per month

Also as of April 2024, the minimum wage per hour is US$9.53 (£7.55) for anyone under 19 years of age working as an apprentice or over 19 and in their first year of apprenticeship.

Belgium

Belgium’s monthly minimum wage is US$2,181 (€2,070).

Ireland

Ireland’s hourly minimum wage is US$14.22 (£13.50), or US$2,402 (€2,280) per month, for talent 20 years of age and older. Talent under the age of 20 receives a lower minimum wage:

Age 18-19: €12.15 per hour (90% of adult rate), approximately €2,053 (US$2,233) per month
Under 18: €9.45 per hour (70% of adult rate), approximately €1,597 (US$1,737) per month

Canada

Previously, Canadian employers were only subject to the minimum wage requirements of the province or territory where they operated.

However, in December 2021, Canada adopted a nationwide basic federal minimum wage of US$10.69 (CA$15.00) per hour for employees in federally regulated private industries, such as banking, postal services, and interprovincial transportation.

Today, the federal minimum wage in Canada is US$12.28 (CA$17.30), or about US$2,070 (CA$2,797) per month.

France

The minimum wage in France is $12.41 (€11.65) per hour or $1,841 (€1,767) per month.

Israel

Israel offers a different minimum wage for hourly, daily, and monthly wages. The hourly minimum wage in the country is US$8.61 (ILS 32.30).

Daily employees who work five days per week earn a minimum of US$72.38 (NIS 271.39) per day, and those who work six days per week earn a minimum of US$62.73 (NIS 235.20) per day. Employees who earn a monthly wage are guaranteed a monthly minimum of US$1,568 (ILS 5,880).

U.S.

The national minimum wage in the U.S. is US$7.25 per hour or about US$1,218 per month. However, states may set minimum wages above the federal floor level at their own discretion.

For example, Washington state offers the highest minimum wage of all 50 U.S. states at US$16.28 per hour or about US$2,735 per month.

10 countries with the lowest minimum wages

Below is a list of countries that offer the lowest minimum wages in the world.

India

India’s minimum wage is US$2.13 (INR 178) per day or US$64 (INR 5,340) per month. However, minimum wages vary depending on skillset, industry, and place of employment.

Nigeria

Nigeria’s minimum wage is one of the lowest in the world, at US$42 (NGN 70,000) per month.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s monthly minimum wage is US$90 (UZS 1,155,000).

Pakistan

Pakistan’s monthly minimum wage is US$115 (PKR 32,000).

Armenia

Armenia’s monthly minimum wage is US$193 (AMD 75,000).

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s monthly minimum wage is US$170 (KZT 85,000).

The Philippines

The minimum wage in the Philippines varies by region, ranging from US$5.79 (PHP 341) per day in the ARMM region to US$10.35 (PHP 610) per day in the National Capital Region, or about US$121 (PHP 7,161) to US$217 (PHP 12,810) per month.

Ukraine

Ukraine’s monthly minimum wage is US$193 (UAH 8,000).

Vietnam

Vietnam applies two minimum wage structures: the common monthly minimum wage and the Regional Minimum Wage.

The common monthly minimum wage applies to public employees only and amounts to US$93 (VND 2,340,000).

The Regional Minimum Wage applies to private employees and ranges from US$137 (VND 3,450,000) to US$196 (VND 4,960,000) per month, depending on the region.

Indonesia

Monthly minimum wages in Indonesia vary by province, ranging from US$128 (IDR 2,036,947) in Central Java to US$318 (IDR 5,067,381) in DKI Jakarta.

Minimum wages by region

Below, we list countries with the highest and lowest monthly minimum wages in each region of the world.

Europe

Highest Minimum Wages

Luxembourg: US$3,214 (€3,085)
Netherlands: US$2,500 (€2,300)
Ireland: US$2,402 (€2,280)
Germany: US$2,172 (€2,085
United Kingdom: US$2,499 (£1,981)
Belgium: US$2,181 (€2,070)

Lowest Minimum Wages

North Macedonia: US$366 (MKD 22,567)
Albania: US$402 (ALL 40,000)
Bulgaria: US$534 (BGN 933)
Turkey: US$581 (TRY 20,002)
Romania: US$885 (RON 4,050)

Asia

Highest Minimum Wages

South Korea: US$1,570 (KRW 2,060,740)
Japan: US$1,054 (JPY 176,000)
Taiwan: US$846 (TWD 27,470)
Hong Kong: US$1,063 (HKD 8,314)
China: US$370 (CNY 2,690)

Lowest Minimum Wages

Kyrgyzstan: US$27 (KGS 2,534)
Sri Lanka: US$54 (LKR 17,500)
India: US$64 (INR 5,340)
Myanmar: US$84 (MMK 176,800)
Tajikistan: US$73 (JS 800)

Latin and South America

Highest Minimum Wages

Costa Rica: US$704 (CRC 358,609)
Uruguay: US$683 (UYU 22,751)
Chile: US$530 (CLP 500,000)
Ecuador: US$594
Dominican Republic: US$488 (DOP 25,116)

Lowest Minimum Wages

Venezuela: US$2.84 (VES 130)
Argentina: US$272 (ARS 271,571)
Nicaragua: US$155 (NIO 5,721)
Dominican Republic: US$255 (DOP 15,428)
Peru: US$269 (PEN 1,025)

Africa

Highest minimum wages

Tunisia: US$124 (TND 391)
Cape Verde: US$144 (CVE 15,000)
Algeria: US$150 (DZD 20,000)
South Africa: US$264 (ZAR 4,772)
Mauritius: US$357 (MUR 16,500)

Lowest minimum wages

Tanzania: US$23 (TZS 60,000)
Ghana: US$22 (GHS 352)
Uganda: US$35 (UGX 130,000)
Angola: US$77 (AOA 70,000)
Madagascar: US$40 (MGA 184,653)

Oceania

Highest Minimum Wages

New Zealand: US$2,368 (NZD 4,010)
Australia: US$2,562 (AUD 3,966)
New Caledonia: US$1,473 (CFP 166,536)
Guam: US$1,560
North Mariana Islands: US$1,218

Lowest Minimum Wages

Kiribati: US$147 (AUS 225)
Papua New Guinea: US$170 (PGK 683)
Solomon Islands: US$166 (SBD 1,385)
Samoa: US$253 (WST 693)
Fiji: US$344 (FJD 779)

North America

Highest Monthly Minimum Wages

Canada: US$2,070 (CAD 2,797)
United States: US$1,218
Mexico: US$376 (MXN 7,567)

Sources: See News, Wage Indicator, Trading Economics, Zee Business, World Bank

Countries without statutory minimum wages

Below is a list of countries that offer no minimum wage guarantees to their workforce. In many of these countries, employers set wages according to relevant collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) or union regulations within their industry.

Denmark

The average minimum monthly salary in Denmark is about US$3,210 (DKK 22,600) per month.

CBAs establish minimum wages for about 84% of the Danish workforce, including most employees in the public sector and certain private industries, such as construction and hospitality.

El Salvador

There is no nationally mandated minimum wage in El Salvador. Instead, the country has minimum wages that vary across sectors. The minimum wage in El Salvador ranges from US$243 to US$365 per month, depending on the industry.

Finland

The average minimum monthly salary in Finland is about US$1,452 (€1,370). CBAs establish minimum wages for about 95% of the Finnish workforce.

Iceland

The average minimum monthly salary in Iceland is about US$1,820 (ISK 250,000). CBAs establish minimum wages for about 90% of Iceland’s workforce as well.

Italy

The average minimum monthly salary in Italy ranges from US$1,348 (€1,294) in the agriculture and mining sectors to US$2,267 (€2,176) in the finance and insurance sectors. CBAs establish minimum wages for around 95% of Italy’s workforce.

Norway

The average minimum monthly salary in Norway is about US$1,822 (NOK 20,000) after tax.

The federal government establishes minimum wages for nine select industries, including construction, agriculture, and fishing, leaving worker’s unions to establish minimum wages for all other industries.

Singapore

While there is no statutory minimum wage, the Singapore government has highlighted a “reasonable starting point” for a living wage of $2,170 (SGD 2,906) per month.

Singapore’s Progressive Wage Model (PWM) establishes minimum wages in specific industries, such as retail, cleaning, and security. However, in other sectors, employers usually agree on wages with relevant trade unions or employees during the hiring process.

Sweden

The average minimum wage in Sweden is about US$1,630 (SEK 17,800) per month. Collective bargaining agreements in Sweden generally include minimum wage agreements, which vary widely between roles and industries.

Switzerland

The average minimum monthly salary in Switzerland depends on the city or region. For instance, in Geneva, the minimum wage rate is US$27.57 (CHF 24.32) per hour or about US$4,774 (CHF 4,212) per month. Employers in Switzerland negotiate wages with their employees on an individual basis.

Ensure compliance with global minimum wage laws

Keeping track of minimum wage changes across multiple jurisdictions demands continuous attention and puts global companies at risk of fines, back pay, and the denial of employee work authorizations. Eliminate the risk by partnering with Velocity Global.

As an employer of record (EOR), Velocity Global supports international companies throughout each stage of global expansion. We handle everything from hiring and onboarding to ensuring compliance and running global payroll on your behalf so you can build a distributed workforce and enter new markets without the added burden.

With expertise in local minimum wage and employment law in more than 185 countries, we ensure compliant international hires so you can recruit talent in any market with peace of mind.

Get in touch with Velocity Global today to learn how to navigate international markets and compliantly build global teams with ease.

Disclaimer: The intent of this document is solely to provide general and preliminary information for private use. Do not rely on it as an alternative to legal, financial, taxation, or accountancy advice from an appropriately qualified professional. © 2024 Velocity Global, LLC. All rights reserved.

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