Spain's average salary surpasses Italy's almost 30 years later
The average salary in the State has increased by 14.7% in the last four years, more than three percentage points above the European average.
BrusselsSince 1995, the adjusted average salary of full-time Spanish workers has not exceeded that of Italians. According to data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Commission, the average salary was... in the State in 2024 it is 33,700 euros per yearthat's almost 200 more than Italy's. However, Spain still falls below the European average, which reaches 39,808 euros annually.
The average public sector salary has not been among the highest in the European Union in recent years, but it has increased more than Italy's. From 2021 to 2024, for example, the earnings of full-time Spanish workers grew by 14.7%, while Italian salaries only increased by 9.1%. It should be noted that during this period, Spain also registered a higher percentage increase in average salary than the European Union as a whole, which stood at 11.5%.
However, in the other major economies of the European Union, such as Germany and France, wages grew more than the European average. The increase recorded for German workers between 2021 and 2024 was 17.7%, and for French workers, it was 12.7%. Furthermore, Poland is one of the largest EU countries with the highest growth rate, and its average salary grew by 50%: in just four years, it rose from €14,166 to €21,246. Portugal also stands out with a 25% increase. Luxembourg and Denmark have the highest salaries.
The EU member state where full-time workers earn the best living is Luxembourg, where the average salary exceeds €80,000 annually, while Denmark remains above €70,000. Countries like Belgium, Ireland, and Austria average around €60,000, and Germany is further down the list at around €55,000. In France, the average salary reaches €43,790, which is still considerably higher than the European average and, especially, the Spanish average. Conversely, the countries at the bottom of the European Union in terms of average salaries are primarily in Eastern Europe. Bulgaria and Hungary, for example, do not even reach €20,000, nor does Greece. In a similar situation, with average annual salaries just exceeding €20,000, are countries like Slovakia, Romania, Poland, and Latvia, although the vast majority of these countries have registered the greatest increase in average wages in recent years.
