Valencia: The average annual pay of a full-time employee in the European Union reached 41,500 euros in 2025, up 4.3% from 39,800 euros a year earlier, according to Eurostat data published on 6 November. The figure covers gross earnings and hides a very wide gap between member states. Some workers earn five times more than others for comparable full-time work.

Luxembourg tops the ranking with 85,600 euros, followed by Denmark at 73,500 euros and Ireland at 64,400 euros. Germany sits well above the EU level at 56,360 euros, while France reports 44,734 euros. At the bottom, Bulgaria records 16,200 euros, Greece 18,800 euros and Hungary 20,100 euros. Luxembourg’s average annual pay is roughly five times that of Bulgaria, a gap that explains much of the pressure on labour mobility inside the single market.

The Southern European picture shows why this release on average annual pay drew attention. Spain recorded average annual pay of 35,125 euros in 2025, with growth of around 4.2%, in line with the EU average. Italy reached 34,213 euros, up from 33,523 euros in 2024, an increase of 2.1%. That growth rate is less than half the EU pace. Italian full-time workers now earn more than 7,200 euros less per year than the EU average.

Spain had already overtaken Italy in 2024, when its average stood at about 33,700 euros against Italy’s 33,523 euros. The 2025 data widen that lead to more than 900 euros. Malta, at 35,003 euros, also sits ahead of Italy. For a founding member and one of the largest economies in the bloc, the ranking marks a notable shift.

The data matter beyond the league table. Wage growth of 4.3% sounds comfortable, but euro area inflation has since climbed to 4.0% in October, which erodes most of the gain for workers whose contracts do not index to prices. Unions in lower-wage countries will use the figures to press for faster convergence. Employers in higher-wage economies will point to energy costs and weak demand when they argue against large increases.

For EU social policy, the spread between 16,200 euros and 85,600 euros tests the promise of upward convergence. Adequate minimum wages, collective bargaining coverage and pay transparency all aim to narrow that distance, yet the 2025 numbers show that progress remains slow in the countries that start furthest behind.

Eurostat’s next releases on labour costs and earnings will show whether 2026 repeats the pattern. If it does, average annual pay will keep reflecting the divide between a high-productivity core and a lower-wage periphery, and the EU will have to decide how much of that divide it considers acceptable.