Wages in Ukraine and EU Countries

In Ukraine, even prior to the full-scale war, wage levels were very low. Since the outbreak of the war, the situation has further deteriorated. Thus, the average monthly wage of full-time employees in Ukraine, when converted into euros, amounted to EUR 434 in 2021 and EUR 549 in September 2025. This was noted by Tetiana Bohdan, Doctor of Economics and Director of Research at the Growford Institute, in her article “The Cost of Return: How Much Ukrainians Must Earn to Avoid Going Abroad.”

In terms of wage levels, Ukraine’s labor market is unable to compete with those of the European Union. To draw relevant conclusions, the sample of countries analyzed includes EU Member States that have accepted the largest number of Ukrainian refugees during the war, as well as neighboring countries that are not aggressors toward Ukraine (see table).

Ukraine and the EU: Comparison of Average and Minimum Wages in Euros in 2024 and Q2 2025
(based on data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and Eurostat)

Country	Average wage	Minimum wage
Ukraine	494	164
Germany	4,483	2,161
Netherlands	3,666	2,246
Spain	2,808	1,381
Italy	2,794	n/a
Czech Republic	2,000	841
Poland	1,771	1,100
Romania	1,759	797
Slovakia	1,691	816
Hungary	1,538	727
Moldova	735	285

In Ukraine, the average wage lags several times behind both the average and minimum wages in the countries included in the sample. For example, in Poland the average gross monthly wage amounted to EUR 1,771, while the minimum wage was EUR 1,100; in the Czech Republic, the respective figures were EUR 2,000 and EUR 841. Germany recorded the highest average wage among the countries analyzed—EUR 4,483—while the minimum wage stood at EUR 2,161.

Ukraine’s closest neighbors—Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary—report average wages in the range of EUR 1,540–1,760 and minimum wages between EUR 727 and EUR 816. Only Moldova, which is not an EU member state (but has hosted a significant number of Ukrainian refugees), applies a minimum wage that is somewhat comparable to that of Ukraine—EUR 285 per month. At the same time, Moldova’s average wage exceeds Ukraine’s by almost one and a half times.

Accordingly, the indicators of average and minimum wages in the newer EU Member States suggest that the average level of remuneration in Ukraine must reach at least EUR 1,000 per month in order to prevent neighboring labor markets from absorbing the remaining labor resources from Ukraine and to create incentives for Ukrainian refugees to return home.

However, it should be noted that these figures do not take into account the tax burden on payroll.

In addition, the ratio between salaries of core professional staff and top management (members of supervisory boards and management boards) in Ukraine sometimes reaches 1:200. By contrast, in European countries this ratio typically ranges from 1:4 to 1:12.

The above information was published by the online outlet Dzerkalo Tyzhnia in the “Economy” section on 10 December 2025.

Growford Institute is an independent non-governmental organization conducting strategic global research in the fields of economics and finance, assessing systemic risks, and developing optimal economic development models for countries, regions, and the world as a whole. The organization’s office is located in Kyiv.

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