Minimum Wage in Europe 2026: Romania Ranks 10th from the Bottom in the EU

Romania remains among the European countries with the lowest minimum wages in 2026, according to an analysis conducted by TradingPlatforms based on Eurostat data. Specifically, Romania's gross minimum wage has reached €825 per month, just 3.5% more than the previous year.

As such, Romania ranks 10th in the list of lowest minimum wages in Europe, surpassed only by Latvia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Europe's highest minimum wages

At the other end of the scale, only five European countries have crossed the €2,000 per month threshold for gross minimum wage in 2026:

• Luxembourg – €2,771/month
• Ireland – €2,391/month
• Germany – €2,343/month
• Netherlands – €2,338/month
• Belgium – €2,234/month

A gap of more than 16 times between East and West

Luxembourg leads the rankings by a considerable margin, whilst Ukraine has Europe's lowest minimum wage, at just €169 per month. The difference between the two countries is more than 16-fold, highlighting the substantial economic disparities that still exist across the continent. The analysis also reveals that ten European countries still have minimum wages below €1,000 per month.

The fastest growth in lower-wage countries

Although Romania's increase was modest, other lower-wage countries have recorded remarkable rises. Albania saw the largest annual increase, at 30.2%, with its minimum wage climbing from €408 to €531. Hungary followed with a rise of 24.6%, and Serbia with 20.2%. By contrast, Luxembourg, the European leader, recorded a rise of just 2.5% over the year.

Moldova, the greatest long-term growth

Over a ten-year period, Moldova is the country with the fastest-growing minimum wage in Europe: from €45 in 2016 to €313 in 2026, an increase of nearly 596%. Nevertheless, the country remains among the economies with the lowest wage levels in Europe.

According to experts cited in the analysis, the real challenge for governments is no longer simply raising the minimum wage, but translating these increases into genuine purchasing power, given that energy, housing, and basic goods costs continue to weigh heavily on household budgets.