The statutory minimum wage has risen in 21 of the 22 European countries that set it at national level, with the pace of increases easing year on year but still outstripping inflation, according to mind RH data. Although the EU minimum wage directive was upheld by the Court of Justice at the end of 2025, progress towards ensuring adequate pay across the bloc remains slow.
Of the 22 European countries that have introduced a statutory minimum wage (Italy, Sweden, Austria, Finland and Denmark have not done so), 21 raised this pay level for 2026, with only Slovenia leaving it unchanged. Minimum wage hikes were 5.9% on average, more than one percentage point lower than in 2025 and half that of 2023. However, this is still higher than inflation, which averaged 2.74% last year, continuing its downward trend. The largest increases were in Croatia, Bulgaria and Slovakia,
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Article authors
Aymeric Marolleau
Editor-in-Chief Data & Lab
Datajournalisme, économie et numérique. J’enseigne aussi le journalisme de données à l’EDJ de Sciences Po Paris.
Antoine Piel
Section Head at Mind HR
Nathalie Tran
Editor-in-Chief Mind HR