Updated 25 October 2026
Quick answer: The highest minimum wages in the world in 2026 are in Luxembourg (€2,771 a month, about $3,100), Australia (A$26.44 an hour from July 2026, about $3,060 a month), the United Kingdom (£12.71 an hour, about $2,950 a month), Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands (all about $2,600 a month). New Zealand (NZ$23.95), Canada's federal rate (C$18.15) and France follow at $2,100 to $2,400. The US federal minimum of $7.25 an hour, unchanged since 2009, comes to about $1,260 a month, below Poland and Lithuania, although 30 states and Washington DC set higher rates, up to $17.13 in Washington state. In emerging economies, minimum wages are typically $300 to $500 a month: about $510 in Mexico, $410 in Shanghai and $320 in Brazil, South Africa and Jakarta. The interactive table below compares 41 countries in local currency and US dollars.
Minimum wage tables online are often years out of date, mix hourly, daily and monthly figures, or leave out the rises that took effect in 2026. This guide uses the European Union's official statistics for 25 countries and each government's own published rate for the rest, converted to a month of full-time work so they can be compared fairly.
| Country | Minimum wage | ≈ US$/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Luxembourg | €2,771/month | $3,102 |
| Australia | A$26.44/hour | $3,058 |
| United Kingdom | £12.71/hour | $2,945 |
| Ireland | €2,391/month | $2,676 |
| Germany | €2,343/month | $2,623 |
| Netherlands | €2,338/month | $2,617 |
| Belgium | €2,234/month | $2,501 |
| New Zealand | NZ$23.95/hour | $2,361 |
| Canada (federal) | C$18.15/hour | $2,248 |
| France | €1,867/month | $2,090 |
| Slovenia | €1,482/month | $1,659 |
| Spain | €1,425/month | $1,595 |
| South Korea | ₩10,320/hour | $1,351 |
| Japan | ¥1,177/hour (average) | $1,301 |
| Lithuania | €1,153/month | $1,291 |
| United States (federal) | $7.25/hour | $1,257 |
| Poland | €1,119/month | $1,252 |
| Cyprus | €1,088/month | $1,218 |
| Greece | €1,073/month | $1,201 |
| Portugal | €1,073/month | $1,201 |
| Croatia | €1,050/month | $1,175 |
| Malta | €994/month | $1,113 |
| Estonia | €946/month | $1,059 |
| Czechia | €923/month | $1,033 |
| Slovakia | €915/month | $1,024 |
| Hungary | €906/month | $1,014 |
| Romania | €825/month | $923 |
| Latvia | €780/month | $873 |
| Serbia | €743/month | $832 |
| Türkiye | €621/month | $695 |
| Bulgaria | €620/month | $694 |
| Mexico | MX$315.04/day | $510 |
| China (Shanghai) | ¥2,740/month | $411 |
| Brazil | R$1,621/month | $321 |
| South Africa | R30.23/hour | $316 |
| Indonesia (Jakarta) | Rp5,729,876/month | $316 |
| Thailand (Bangkok) | ฿400/day | $308 |
| India | ₹178/day (national floor) | $49 |
| Colombia | COP 1,750,905/month | — |
| Chile | CLP 539,000/month | — |
| Vietnam (Region I) | ₫5,310,000/month | — |
How Minimum Wages Are Compared
Countries set minimum wages in different units. The UK, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea set hourly rates; most of Europe and Latin America set monthly rates; Thailand, Mexico and India set daily rates. To compare them, we convert each to a month of full-time work: 40 hours a week (38 in Australia, where the standard week is shorter), or 26 working days for daily rates (30.4 days for Mexico, which counts every day of the month). For EU countries, we use Eurostat's monthly figures, which follow each country's own definition of full-time work.
Two other choices matter:
- Which rate. We use the main adult rate. Many countries have lower rates for young workers, apprentices or trainees, and some have higher rates for particular sectors.
- Which region. Where minimum wages vary by region, as in China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, we show the highest regional rate, which applies in the capital or main business city, and note the range.
The Highest Minimum Wages
- Luxembourg: €2,771 a month (about $3,100). The highest statutory minimum wage in the world. Skilled workers with qualifications are entitled to 20% more.
- Australia: A$26.44 an hour (about $3,060 a month). The Fair Work Commission raised the national minimum wage by about 6% from 1 July 2026, taking the weekly rate above A$1,000 for the first time. It cited higher inflation and uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict.
- United Kingdom: £12.71 an hour (about $2,950). The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over rose 4.1% on 1 April 2026. The government's target is two-thirds of median hourly pay.
- Ireland (€14.15 an hour), Germany (€13.90) and the Netherlands: about $2,600 to $2,700 a month. Germany's rate rose from €12.82 in January 2026, and a further rise to €14.60 is scheduled for 2027.
- Belgium, New Zealand and Canada: about $2,250 to $2,500 a month. New Zealand's adult rate rose to NZ$23.95 in April; Canada's federal rate, which applies to federally regulated industries such as banking and transport, rose to C$18.15.
The United States: Low Federal Floor, High State Rates
The US federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since July 2009, the longest period without a rise since it was introduced in 1938. Adjusted for inflation, it buys about a third less than it did in 2009. At $1,257 a month for full-time work, it is lower than the minimum in Poland, Lithuania and Slovenia.
In practice, most American workers are covered by a higher state or local rate. Thirty states and Washington DC set their own minimums above $7.25. Washington state has the highest statewide rate in 2026, at $17.13, followed by New York ($16 to $17), Connecticut ($16.94) and California ($16.90). Several cities go further: Seattle's minimum is $21.30 and Tukwila's $21.65. About 20 states, mainly in the South and Midwest, still use the federal $7.25.
That means the US effectively has two minimum wages: about $16 to $17 an hour in high-cost states, comparable with Western Europe, and $7.25 in others, comparable with Central Europe.
Europe
Twenty-two of the 27 EU countries have a national statutory minimum wage. They range from €620 a month in Bulgaria to €2,771 in Luxembourg, more than four times higher. The EU's 2022 Adequate Minimum Wages Directive asks countries to assess whether their minimum wages are adequate, using reference values such as 60% of the median wage or 50% of the average wage, and most countries have raised their rates faster than inflation since.
The fastest increases in recent years have been in Central and Eastern Europe. Lithuania, Croatia, Poland, Slovenia and Bulgaria have roughly doubled their minimum wages in euro terms over the past decade, narrowing the gap with Western Europe.
Five EU countries, Denmark, Italy, Austria, Finland and Sweden, have no statutory minimum wage. Neither do Norway or Switzerland at national level. In these countries, pay floors are set by collective agreements between unions and employers that cover most workers, and they are often higher than statutory minimums elsewhere. Several Swiss cantons, including Geneva, Zurich city and Basel, have their own minimum wages.
Asia-Pacific
Australia and New Zealand have among the highest minimum wages in the world. Elsewhere in the region:
- Japan: the national weighted average rose to ¥1,177 an hour for fiscal 2026, up about 5%, with new rates taking effect in each prefecture from October. Tokyo's rate is ¥1,280. In 2024 the government set a goal of a ¥1,500 average by the end of the decade.
- South Korea: ₩10,320 an hour in 2026, up 2.9%.
- China: rates are set by each province. Shanghai's is the highest at ¥2,740 a month (about $410).
- Indonesia: Jakarta's provincial minimum is Rp5.73 million a month (about $320) in 2026, up 6.2%.
- Thailand: ฿400 a day in Bangkok, and ฿337 to ฿400 in other provinces.
- Vietnam: ₫5.31 million a month in Region I, which includes central Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, up about 7% from January 2026.
- India: the national floor wage of ₹178 a day is not binding. Each state sets its own minimum wages by skill level and industry, usually much higher, and the government is expected to set a new statutory national floor under the Code on Wages.
Latin America and Africa
Latin American minimum wages have risen sharply in recent years. Mexico has more than tripled its general minimum wage since 2018, with a 13% rise to MX$315.04 a day in 2026, and now has one of the highest minimum wages in the region. Colombia raised its minimum by 23% for 2026, to COP 1,750,905 a month plus a transport allowance, one of the largest increases in the world this year. Brazil's rose 6.8% to R$1,621 a month, and Chile's to CLP 539,000.
South Africa's national minimum wage rose to R30.23 an hour in March 2026, about $316 a month. It now covers farm and domestic workers at the same rate as other workers.
What a Minimum Wage Buys
Dollar comparisons show how much a minimum wage would be worth if spent in the United States. But a minimum-wage worker in Mexico or Thailand spends their wages at home, where rent, food and transport cost much less. Adjusted for local prices (purchasing power parity), the gap between rich and emerging economies roughly halves.
Another useful measure is the minimum wage as a share of the typical (median) wage in each country, which the OECD publishes. In France, Portugal and Colombia, the minimum wage is roughly 60% or more of the median, so it is close to what an ordinary worker earns. In the US, the federal minimum is less than 30% of the median wage, among the lowest ratios in the developed world. The UK, Germany, New Zealand and South Korea are at roughly 60% to 66%.
This matters for workers and employers: a high minimum relative to typical pay affects a large share of jobs, while a low one affects few.
Changes in 2026
- Australia: +6% to A$26.44 an hour from 1 July.
- United Kingdom: +4.1% to £12.71 from 1 April.
- Germany: +8.4% to €13.90 from 1 January, with €14.60 scheduled for 2027.
- Japan: +5% to an average of ¥1,177 from October.
- Mexico: +13% from 1 January.
- Colombia: +23% from 1 January.
- Brazil: +6.8% from 1 January.
- South Africa: +5% from 1 March.
- Vietnam: +7.2% from 1 January.
- US federal: no change since 2009, though many states raised their own rates on 1 January.
With inflation rising again in many countries in 2026, minimum wage rises have outpaced average pay increases in most of the countries above; our guide Salary Increase Forecasts 2027 by Country: Every Major Survey in One Table compares planned pay rises with inflation.
Minimum Wage, Living Wage and Real Wages
Three terms are often confused:
- Minimum wage: the legal floor. Employers must pay at least this, and paying less is against the law.
- Living wage: an estimate of what a worker needs to cover basic living costs in a particular place. It is usually voluntary. In the UK, the Living Wage Foundation's rate, which thousands of employers pay voluntarily, is higher than the legal National Living Wage, and in the US, the MIT Living Wage Calculator shows that a single adult needs well above $7.25 an hour in every state.
- Real minimum wage: the minimum wage adjusted for inflation. A 5% rise in a year when prices rise 4% is a real rise of only about 1%.
The gap between minimum and living wages is widest where minimum wages have not kept up with housing costs. In many big cities, including London, Sydney, Dublin and much of the US, full-time work at the minimum wage leaves little after rent. That is why several cities set their own higher minimums, and why the debate about minimum wages is increasingly tied to housing.
For workers, the practical point is that the national figure in the table is a floor, not a fair wage. If you are on or near the minimum, it is worth comparing your pay with typical pay for your job in your area, and asking about training or responsibilities that would take you above it. Our guide What Is a Fair Pay Raise in 2026? How to Work Out Your Real Raise After Inflation shows how to work out what a raise is worth after inflation.
Are You Being Paid the Minimum?
- Check the right rate. Your rate may depend on your age, region, industry or whether you are an apprentice. Use your government's official calculator or website.
- Check your hours. If you are paid a salary, divide it by the hours you actually work, including unpaid overtime, training and time spent travelling between jobs. If the result is below the hourly minimum, you may be underpaid.
- Check deductions. In many countries, deductions for uniforms, equipment or accommodation cannot take your pay below the minimum.
- Know where to complain. The UK's new Fair Work Agency, the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, Australia's Fair Work Ombudsman and Employment New Zealand all accept complaints, usually free and confidentially.
Data Notes
EU countries, Serbia, Türkiye and the US federal rate use Eurostat's July 2026 monthly figures. Other countries use rates published by governments or wage commissions, converted to a month of full-time work as described above. US dollar values use European Central Bank reference rates for 23 October 2026; the ECB publishes no rate for the Colombian and Chilean pesos or the Vietnamese dong, so those countries show local values only. Where a rate varies by region, the highest is shown. We will update the table as new rates take effect, most of them on 1 January.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has the highest minimum wage in 2026?
Luxembourg, at €2,771 a month (about $3,100), followed by Australia (A$26.44 an hour, about $3,060 a month) and the United Kingdom (£12.71 an hour, about $2,950 a month).
What is the minimum wage in the US in 2026?
The federal minimum is $7.25 an hour, unchanged since 2009. Thirty states and Washington DC set higher rates; Washington state's is the highest statewide rate, at $17.13.
What is the UK minimum wage in 2026?
£12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over since 1 April 2026, and £10.85 for those aged 18 to 20.
What is the minimum wage in Germany in 2026?
€13.90 an hour since 1 January 2026, rising to €14.60 in January 2027.
What is the minimum wage in Australia?
A$26.44 an hour, or A$1,004.90 for a 38-hour week, from 1 July 2026. Many workers are covered by award rates, which are often higher.
Which countries have no minimum wage?
Denmark, Italy, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland have no national statutory minimum wage. Collective agreements set minimum pay for most workers instead.
Is a higher minimum wage always better for workers?
Not automatically. Most research finds that moderate increases raise pay without large job losses, but very high minimums relative to local wages can reduce hiring, especially for young and low-skilled workers. That is why many countries tie their minimum to a share of the median wage.
Final Thoughts
Minimum wages have risen faster than prices in most countries since 2022, and 2026 brought another round of large increases in Australia, Germany, Mexico and Colombia. The gap between countries remains huge: a full-time minimum-wage job pays about $3,000 a month in Luxembourg or Australia, $1,260 at the US federal level and under $500 in much of Asia, Africa and Latin America, although lower living costs narrow that gap.
Whatever country you work in, it is worth checking that you are receiving at least the correct rate for your age, region and job. We will keep this table up to date as rates change.
Sources
- Eurostat: monthly minimum wages (earn_mw_cur)
- GOV.UK: National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
- Squire Patton Boggs: Fair Work Commission 2026 Annual Wage Review decision
- Employment New Zealand: minimum wage increase from 1 April 2026
- Immigration.ca: federal minimum wage from 1 April 2026
- Jiji via Adnkronos: Japan's minimum wage panel recommends a ¥55 rise for fiscal 2026
- Presidency of Brazil: Decree 12,797 setting the 2026 minimum wage
- CONASAMI: Mexico's National Minimum Wage Commission
- South Africa Department of Employment and Labour
- China Briefing: minimum wages in China, 2026
- Databoks: Indonesia's 2026 provincial minimum wages
- ASEAN Briefing: Vietnam's regional minimum wage from 1 January 2026
- Consultorsalud: Colombia's 2026 minimum wage decrees
- US Department of Labor: state minimum wage laws
- OECD: minimum wages relative to median wages
- European Central Bank: euro foreign exchange reference rates
Related Guides
- Compare Countries 2026: Minimum Wage, Tax, Mortgage Rates, Energy and Pension Age in 35 Countries
- Salary Increase Forecasts 2027 by Country: Every Major Survey in One Table
- What Is a Fair Pay Raise in 2026? How to Work Out Your Real Raise After Inflation
- Why Are Prices Still So High When Inflation Has Come Down?
- Jobs AI Is Replacing in 2026, and the Skills That Keep You Employed
- Retirement Age by Country 2026: State Pension Ages in 39 Countries
Rates in force in October 2026, from Eurostat and national governments. This article is for information only; check your exact rate with your government's labour department.
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