Salary guides · 2026
Minimum Wage in Europe: 2026 Comparison
Minimum wages are not directly comparable until hourly rates and 12-versus-14-payment systems are made explicit. These are the statutory 2026 figures stored by the calculator, with no invented number for countries that lack a national minimum.
Open calculator: GermanyKey figures
Germany
€13.90/hour
About €28,912 at 40 hours × 52 weeks
Spain
€1,221 × 14
€17,094 annual minimum
France
€12.02/hour
Gross SMIC hourly rate
Netherlands
€14.71/hour
Age 21+, from January 2026
United Kingdom
£12.71/hour
Age 21+, from April 2026
Portugal
€920 × 14
€12,880 annual minimum
Hourly systems
Germany’s legal rate is €13.90 an hour in 2026. France uses a gross hourly SMIC of €12.02. The Netherlands sets €14.71 for workers aged 21 and over, while the UK National Living Wage is £12.71 from April for the same age group.
Annualising an hourly floor requires a weekly schedule. Germany at 40 hours for 52 weeks gives €28,912; the Dutch rate on the same schedule gives €30,596.80. Those are arithmetic comparisons, not promises of guaranteed weekly hours.
Monthly systems with 14 payments
Spain’s SMI is €1,221 in 14 payments: €17,094 a year. If the extra payments are prorated across twelve payslips, the equivalent gross is €1,424.50 per month.
Portugal’s €920 in 14 payments totals €12,880. Prorated across twelve, that is €1,073.33. Quoting only €1,221 versus €920 hides the payment schedule but not the large annual difference.
Countries without one national figure
Italy, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Switzerland do not have one general national statutory minimum wage. Sector agreements, occupations, cantons or collective bargaining set applicable floors.
A comparison page should leave those entries blank rather than convert a sector agreement into a fictional national number. The calculator follows that rule.
Frequently asked questions
Which listed country has the highest hourly euro minimum?
Among these euro-denominated hourly rates, the Netherlands is highest at €14.71 for workers aged 21 and over in 2026.
What is Spain’s monthly minimum when prorated to 12 payments?
€1,424.50 gross per month, because €1,221 multiplied by 14 equals €17,094 a year.
Official sources
Rates and thresholds used or cross-checked for this article.