Moldova Ranks Among the European Countries with the Lowest Minimum Wage

Eurostat has published data on minimum wages for the second half of 2026. According to the report, from January through July, only eight of the 29 European countries raised their pre-tax minimum wage. Meanwhile, consumer inflation in the Eurozone stood at 3.2% over the same period. This means that in many countries, the real incomes of workers earning the minimum wage have declined, according to rupor.md. As of July 2026, the highest gross monthly minimum wage was recorded in Luxembourg at 2,771 euros. Among EU countries, Bulgaria has the lowest minimum wage (620 euros). When EU candidate countries are included, Ukraine ranks last (169 euros). Five countries have a minimum wage above 2,000 euros: Luxembourg – 2,771 euros; Ireland – 2,391 euros; Germany – 2,343 euros; the Netherlands – 2,338 euros; Belgium – 2,234 euros. France, with a figure of 1,867 euros, falls just short of this group. Slovenia, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, and Croatia fall within the range of 1,000 to 2,000 euros. In another 15 countries, the minimum wage remains below 1,000 euros per month. More than half of them are EU candidate countries. The lowest figures are recorded in Ukraine (169 euros) and Moldova (313 euros). At the same time, the minimum wage in a number of EU candidate countries is already higher than in Bulgaria. These include Türkiye (621 euros), North Macedonia (624 euros), Montenegro (670 euros), and Serbia (743 euros).