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Ukraine has the lowest minimum wage among all European countries.
Euronews wrote about this on February 3, citing Eurostat data.
According to experts’ estimates, the minimum monthly wage in Ukraine is about €173 — several times lower not only than in EU countries, but also than in most other European states.
Overall, about 12.8 million workers in 22 EU countries receive the minimum wage or less. Almost a third of them did not see an increase by January 2026. At the same time, even in lower-income EU countries the minimum wage is significantly higher than in Ukraine: in Bulgaria it is €620, in Romania about €795, and in Hungary €838.
The gap remains when compared with other EU candidate countries as well. The minimum wage in Moldova is estimated at €319, in Albania €517, and in Turkey €654.
Experts note that when recalculated in purchasing power terms, differences between countries usually narrow, but even in that comparison Ukraine still remains near the bottom of the ranking.
Analysts from the European Trade Union Institute emphasize that the key factor behind wage growth is economic productivity. As long as Ukraine is living under conditions of full-scale war, damaged infrastructure, and limited investment, the income gap with Europe will persist despite the country’s formal status as an EU candidate.
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