Minimum Wage by Country in 2026: What Full-Time Workers Earn and Keep
Minimum wage figures are easy to find and surprisingly hard to compare. One country quotes an hourly rate, another a monthly salary, a third pays fourteen instalments a year, and several have no national minimum at all. This guide puts the fourteen countries in our calculators that do have a statutory minimum on the same footing: what a full-time worker earns in a year, what that is worth in US dollars, how much of it is lost to tax, and how it compares with average pay.
The minimum wage in 14 countries, side by side
| Country | Statutory minimum | Full-time per year | In US dollars | Take-home per month | Tax rate | Share of average wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | £12.71 per hour | £26,437 | $34,899 | £1,880 | 14.7% | 57% |
| United States | $7.25 per hour (federal) | $15,080 | $15,080 | $1,161 | 7.6% | 17% |
| Canada | $18.15 per hour (federal) | $37,752 | $26,512 | $2,652 | 15.7% | 44% |
| Australia | $26.44 per hour | $52,255 | $36,261 | $3,797 | 12.8% | 50% |
| New Zealand | $23.95 per hour | $49,816 | $27,956 | $3,487 | 16.0% | 53% |
| Ireland | €14.15 per hour | €29,432 | $33,037 | €2,157 | 12.1% | 46% |
| Germany | €13.90 per hour | €28,912 | $32,454 | €1,713 | 28.9% | 53% |
| France | €1,867 per month | €22,404 | $25,149 | €1,478 | 20.8% | 51% |
| Netherlands | €14.99 per hour | €31,179 | $34,999 | €2,372 | 8.7% | 51% |
| Belgium | €2,190 per month | €26,278 | $29,497 | €1,778 | 18.8% | 43% |
| Spain | €1,221 × 14 payments | €17,094 | $19,188 | €1,285 | 9.8% | 49% |
| Luxembourg | €2,771 per month | €33,256 | $37,330 | €2,409 | 13.1% | 39% |
| Malta | €229.44 per week | €11,931 | $13,392 | €895 | 10.0% | 57% |
| Japan | ¥1,121 per hour (average) | ¥2,331,680 | $14,788 | ¥157,921 | 18.7% | 45% |
Hourly rates are converted to a year at 40 hours a week for 52 weeks; countries that set a monthly or weekly minimum use that figure. Dollar values use European Central Bank exchange rates of 2026-10-02. Take-home pay is for a single employee without children in the default region of each calculator (Texas for the US, Ontario for Canada). “Average wage” is the OECD average annual wage for 2025.
How minimum wages are set
Most of the countries above set one national floor by law, reviewed once a year by a commission or the government: the Low Pay Commission in the UK and Ireland, the Mindestlohnkommission in Germany, the Fair Work Commission in Australia. France indexes its SMIC to inflation and re-sets it whenever prices rise by a trigger amount, which is why it can change mid-year. Spain’s SMI is set each year by royal decree, the Dutch rate is adjusted every January and July in line with collective wage growth, and Belgium and Luxembourg tie theirs to automatic wage indexation.
The United States and Canada split the job between levels of government. The US federal minimum of $7.25 has not changed since 2009, but 31 of 51 states and districts set a higher rate, topped by the District of Columbia at $18.40. In Canada each province and territory sets its own rate, from $15.00 in Alberta to $20.17 in Nunavut. Japan also has no single national figure: each of its 47 prefectures sets a rate, and the ¥1,121 shown is the national weighted average.
Five countries in our set have no statutory national minimum at all. Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Italy leave pay floors to collective agreements between unions and employers, and Singapore relies on a sector-by-sector Progressive Wage Model instead of a single rate. Workers in those countries are generally well covered, but there is no one number to put in the table.
What the numbers show
Highest in dollar terms. Luxembourg ($37,330 a year), Australia ($36,261 a year) and the Netherlands ($34,999 a year) lead the table once converted at market exchange rates, while Malta is the lowest at $13,392.
Closest to average pay. The picture changes when you compare each minimum with that country’s own average wage. Malta (57%), the United Kingdom (57%) and New Zealand (53%) have the highest minimum relative to average pay, while the United States (17%), Luxembourg (39%) and Belgium (43%) have the lowest. A high ratio means the floor sits close to typical earnings; a low one means a wider gap between the bottom and the middle.
How much tax a minimum-wage worker pays. Taxes bite hardest in Germany, where a full-time minimum wage worker loses 28.9% to tax and social contributions, and lightest in the United States at 7.6%. Allowances and credits in many countries mean workers at this level pay little or no income tax and the deduction is mostly social security.
Reading the table fairly
- Standard hours differ. A 35-hour French week and a 40-hour American week are not the same job. We use 40 hours for every hourly rate to keep the comparison simple.
- Exchange rates are not living costs. A dollar converted from Australian dollars buys a different basket than a dollar converted from Japanese yen. Use the conversion for scale, not as a verdict on who is better off; our cost of living calculators show what rent and groceries cost in six cities.
- Age bands and sectors. The figures are the adult rate. Younger workers, apprentices and some industries have lower rates in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Australia.
- Rates change. Several countries revise their minimum every year, in January, April or July. We review these figures each year and show the date above.
Check your own pay
If you earn the minimum wage where you live, our salary calculators show exactly where each euro, dollar or pound goes. Pick your country from the home page, enter an hourly rate and your weekly hours, and see the take-home pay by hour, week or month.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest minimum wage?
Of the 14 countries in our table that set a national minimum, Luxembourg is highest at about $37,330 a year for full-time work when converted to US dollars, and Malta is lowest at about $13,392. Exchange rates and living costs mean the ranking says little about purchasing power.
Which countries have no national minimum wage?
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Italy and Singapore have no statutory national minimum. Pay floors there come from collective agreements between unions and employers, or, in Singapore, from the Progressive Wage Model for specific sectors.
How is the annual minimum wage calculated in this guide?
Hourly rates are multiplied by 40 hours a week and 52 weeks. Countries that set a monthly or weekly minimum use that figure instead (for example 14 payments a year in Spain). Everything is gross, before tax.
Do minimum-wage workers pay income tax?
Usually very little. Tax and contributions take between 7.6% (the United States) and 28.9% (Germany) of a full-time minimum wage in our calculators, and in many countries it is mostly social security rather than income tax.
Sources
- GOV.UK, National Living Wage
- US Department of Labor
- Government of Canada and provincial governments
- Fair Work Commission (Australia)
- Employment New Zealand
- Mindestlohnkommission (Germany)
- OECD, Average annual wages
- European Central Bank, euro reference rates
Figures are estimates for a single employee and are updated each tax year. This article is general information, not tax advice.