Skip to content

How have average wages, after inflation, changed in each country since 1990?

In OECD figures at 2025 prices, average annual wages per full-time-equivalent employee changed from 1990 to 2025 by between a fall of 2.1% in Italy and a rise of 107.7% in Ireland and Korea across the 21 countries with both years; 20 other countries are shown from a later first year or to an earlier last year. In 20 of the 30 countries where the European Commission's AMECO series covers the same years, its real compensation per employee changed within 10 percentage points of the OECD figure.

All countries

% change in average annual wages per full-time-equivalent employee after inflation, since 1990 or the first year available. one year, not an average. Sort by any column.
Australia39.339.3–202571 Moderate
Austria30.630.6(25.1)202571 Moderate
Belgium3434(29.2)202571 Moderate
Bulgaria267.4267.4(228.7)202471 Moderate
Canada37.937.9–202571 Moderate
Chile87.487.4–202368 Moderate
Colombia38.838.8–202471 Moderate
Costa Rica97.697.6–202368 Moderate
Croatia29.329.3(27.4)202471 Moderate
Czechia114.5114.5(108.9)202571 Moderate
Denmark43.443.4(44.8)202571 Moderate
Estonia240.2240.2(237.1)202571 Moderate
Finland33.833.8(24)202571 Moderate
France34.634.6(31.1)202571 Moderate
Germany3535(26.2)202571 Moderate
Greece25.625.6(10.2)202571 Moderate
Hungary112.3112.3(71.8)202571 Moderate
Iceland66.666.6(74.8)202471 Moderate
Ireland107.7107.7(82)202571 Moderate
Israel34.534.5–202571 Moderate
Italy-2.1-2.1(-8.2)202571 Moderate
Japan-1.2-1.2(0.6)202571 Moderate
Korea107.7107.7–202571 Moderate
Latvia246.5246.5(234.1)202571 Moderate
Lithuania335.2335.2(350.8)202571 Moderate
Luxembourg52.152.1(44.7)202571 Moderate
Mexico9.19.1–202571 Moderate
Netherlands10.210.2(18.1)202571 Moderate
New Zealand54.154.1–202571 Moderate
Norway91.391.3(101.8)202571 Moderate
Poland124.4124.4(131.7)202571 Moderate
Portugal31.431.4(37.3)202571 Moderate
Romania299.2299.2(252.3)202471 Moderate
Slovak Republic135.8135.8–202571 Moderate
Slovenia95.795.7(87.2)202571 Moderate
Spain16.116.1(14.3)202571 Moderate
Sweden60.860.8(63.5)202571 Moderate
Switzerland35.635.6–202571 Moderate
Türkiye777.3777.3(137.3)202463 Moderate
United Kingdom47.247.2(60.4)202571 Moderate
United States53.453.4(61.6)202571 Moderate

Each source's value links to its publisher; point at it for the source and year. A value in brackets is shown but doesn't count, and pointing at it says why. Retrieved 2026-10-27.

More on this page

Average annual wage per full-time-equivalent employee (US dollars at 2025 prices and PPPs, OECD), 1990-2025

Each line is the source that counts most for that group.

Germany

025K50K75K100K19912000201020202025

France

025K50K75K100K19902000201020202025

United Kingdom

025K50K75K100K19902000201020202025

Italy

025K50K75K100K19902000201020202025

Japan

025K50K75K100K19902000201020202025

Norway

025K50K75K100K19902000201020202025

Poland

025K50K75K100K1995200020052010201520202025

United States

025K50K75K100K19902000201020202025
GroupFigureYearTrust
Germany76,285202571 Moderate
France60,483202571 Moderate
United Kingdom66,299202571 Moderate
Italy53,864202571 Moderate
Japan50,183202571 Moderate
Norway73,462202571 Moderate
Poland49,074202571 Moderate
United States86,977202571 Moderate
Show every year as a table
YearGermanyFranceUnited KingdomItalyJapanNorwayPolandUnited States
1990–44,93145,03554,99550,78738,400–56,694
199156,51845,47445,14655,45751,46138,820–57,079
199259,84345,91146,03455,40351,53239,315–58,402
199360,27746,51746,77954,55051,13639,688–58,073
199460,43146,71847,60553,84351,64640,494–57,851
199561,68247,45647,60452,66452,27540,87521,87258,179
199662,37747,62347,58053,13352,46642,10123,62059,030
199762,13548,21349,44954,60452,66243,03324,82360,504
199862,82948,88550,18354,82551,86244,60025,52462,996
199963,66649,93852,65355,43351,39046,05127,73564,656
200064,04650,33955,15855,45951,89146,45527,94666,815
200164,48050,64957,49355,82951,26747,72429,51867,328
200264,71352,01658,05655,31450,18849,42229,40867,870
200364,93052,52059,89055,02550,30450,01829,76868,600
200464,91753,34861,63156,14651,01351,60729,20269,870
200564,99254,07862,29156,74252,26753,04429,08569,935
200665,12754,66463,36557,06752,24455,06829,35170,982
200764,87254,95966,14456,98252,39657,44730,19872,326
200865,15054,81264,36356,97252,18358,67931,75272,147
200965,32056,61764,18757,29651,44959,49131,69972,870
201065,86957,66764,48257,79051,43860,44232,75873,515
201167,01757,73963,18656,91751,60462,64932,96873,617
201267,81958,10062,66655,10751,70864,47232,67174,243
201368,44058,65463,11155,25751,99165,91033,00173,913
201469,54659,03163,36255,53151,51266,48833,73775,075
201571,24459,48564,19956,04351,02767,12734,55176,999
201672,39860,12065,00256,26651,35966,18136,37777,129
201773,17760,94865,43655,76951,06866,34337,86077,971
201874,15660,67265,56655,44051,82767,05140,30778,893
201975,37661,28966,48055,58152,07068,74641,59580,318
202074,80758,32765,54152,90151,29469,33242,17985,171
202174,65760,85266,46655,57751,82371,70141,92686,696
202273,05461,04465,13553,95551,12971,31041,28984,215
202372,95359,61164,60352,73249,97071,37643,10383,866
202474,85459,86565,84253,24350,42172,29446,91685,546
202576,28560,48366,29953,86450,18373,46249,07486,977

About this data

Every source on this page (2)

Who is behind the sources

  • 100% International body
Each publisher, its funding and its own description
  • OECD · International bodyFunding: Contributions from its member countries, set by a formula based on the size of each economy, plus voluntary contributions. sourceIn its own words: “Our core aim is to set international standards and support their implementation…” source, retrieved 2026-10-27
  • European Commission · International bodyFunding: EU budget, funded mainly by member states' contributions and customs duties; the Commission manages it. sourceIn its own words: “The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union.” source, retrieved 2026-10-27
  • OECD Average annual wages (DSD_EARNINGS@AV_AN_WAGE)OECD (international body) · Official economic statisticsUsed for 49 countries; counts toward 49. Years 2023 to 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-27.Open the publisher's pageData (API)
  • European Commission AMECO, real compensation per employee (RWCDC)European Commission (international body) · Official economic statisticsUsed for 30 countries; counts toward 0 (shown only). Years 2024 to 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-27.Not counted where: it republishes OECD.Open the publisher's pageData (API)
Why the numbers differ (6)
  • What is counted: the OECD measures wages and salaries, which exclude employers' social contributions. AMECO measures compensation of employees, which includes them, so a change in employer contributions moves AMECO but not the OECD figure.
  • Per what: the OECD converts employees to full-time equivalents using usual weekly hours from labour force surveys. AMECO divides by the number of employees, so more part-time work lowers AMECO's figure without any change in hourly pay.
  • Price index: AMECO deflates with the price deflator of private consumption in the national accounts. A consumer price index weights goods differently and can give a different real change over decades.
  • Shared base: both series are built from national accounts compiled by national statistics offices, so they are not independent counts. Agreement between them shows that the two methods give similar results, not that the national accounts themselves are right.
  • Early years: AMECO back-casts years before current accounting standards begin (for EU members usually the mid-1990s) from older vintages, and the OECD series for central and eastern Europe, Israel, Chile and Colombia start later, so changes since 1990 cover different spans.
  • Who is in the average: the averages move when the mix of jobs changes, not only when pay changes. In OECD figures, US average annual wages per full-time-equivalent employee after inflation changed by 6.0% in 2020 and by -2.9% in 2022. (source, retrieved 2026-10-27)
Common mistakes (4)
  • Reading an average as the typical wage: these are mean wages, which high earners pull up. A median wage, or the wage of a typical full-time worker, can change at a different speed. (source, retrieved 2026-10-27)
  • Comparing dollar levels from different OECD releases: the constant-price base year changes with each release (2025 in this one), so a level from an older release is in another year's prices and PPPs. (source, retrieved 2026-10-27)
  • Treating a rise in the average as everyone's pay rising: the ILO Global Wage Report 2020-21 says average wages in some countries "took a surprising jump reflecting a composition effect" when lower-paid jobs were lost in 2020; the average rose without any worker earning more. (source, retrieved 2026-10-27)
  • Comparing percentages across different spans: a change since 1995 or 2000 is not comparable with a change since 1990.
Context (4)
Sources considered and not used (6)
  • ILOSTAT earnings and the ILO Global Wage Report: ILOSTAT publishes average earnings in local currency and in PPP dollars at current prices, not an inflation-adjusted series back to 1990; the Global Wage Report gives real wage growth only for recent years, in report tables. (source, retrieved 2026-10-27)
  • Eurostat, average full-time adjusted salary per employee (nama_10_fte): Published only at current prices, in euro and national currency, from 1995; turning it into a real series would need a price index chosen by RealStats, while AMECO already publishes a real series from the same national accounts. (source, retrieved 2026-10-27)
  • OECD average annual wages, OECD total: A weighted average of member countries, not a country. (source, retrieved 2026-10-27)
  • OECD average annual wages, USD PPP years without a national-currency value: Years in the USD PPP series that have no national-currency value, several of them repeating a neighbouring year's value: Chile 1995; Colombia 1995; Costa Rica 2024 (repeated values); Estonia 1991 to 1994 (repeated values); Germany 1990 (repeated values); Israel 1990 to 1994 (repeated values); Latvia 1995; Türkiye 1990 to 1997 (repeated values). Those years are left out. (source, retrieved 2026-10-27)
  • AMECO forecast years: AMECO's 2026 release includes Commission forecasts for 2026 and later; only years up to 2025 are used. (source, retrieved 2026-10-27)
  • AMECO, countries without the same years as the OECD series: AMECO is not shown where it lacks the OECD first or last year, or the country: Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Israel, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovak Republic.
Download, compare, cite and report an error

Sources

Loading…