Countries by real hourly minimum wage
Luxembourg had the highest real hourly minimum wage of 36 countries in 2021, at 16.89 USD at PPP. Malta had the lowest, at 1.78 USD at PPP. The median was 8.83 USD at PPP. Source: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
All countries, 2021
Full ranking
| Rank | Countries | 2021 | Change on 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luxembourg | 16.89 | +0.9% |
| 2 | Australia | 16.39 | -0.7% |
| 3 | France | 15.99 | -0.1% |
| 4 | Germany | 15.65 | -1.3% |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 15.62 | +0.6% |
| 6 | New Zealand | 15.48 | +2.1% |
| 7 | Netherlands | 15.47 | -1.1% |
| 8 | Belgium | 14.7 | -0.8% |
| 9 | Spain | 14.55 | -2.6% |
| 10 | Ireland | 13.5 | -1.3% |
| 11 | Canada | 12.86 | -1% |
| 12 | Slovenia | 12.13 | +6.8% |
| 13 | South Korea | 11.27 | -1% |
| 14 | Poland | 10.74 | +2.5% |
| 15 | Japan | 9.87 | +1.1% |
| 16 | Lithuania | 9.76 | +10.7% |
| 17 | Portugal | 9.16 | +3.4% |
| 18 | Israel | 9.01 | -1.5% |
| 19 | Romania | 8.65 | -3.4% |
| 20 | United States | 8.62 | -4.5% |
| 21 | Slovakia | 8.43 | +4.2% |
| 22 | Czechia | 8.25 | -0.2% |
| 23 | Greece | 7.48 | -1.2% |
| 24 | Estonia | 7.33 | -4.4% |
| 25 | Croatia | 7.22 | +1.9% |
| 26 | Latvia | 7 | +12.6% |
| 27 | Hungary | 6.73 | -2.6% |
| 28 | Türkiye | 6.57 | +1.6% |
| 29 | Bulgaria | 6.3 | +4.1% |
| 30 | Costa Rica | 5.25 | +13.2% |
| 31 | Chile | 4.57 | -0.1% |
| 32 | Colombia | 3.61 | 0% |
| 33 | Peru | 3.26 | -4.1% |
| 34 | Brazil | 2.73 | -2.8% |
| 35 | Mexico | 1.94 | +8.8% |
| 36 | Malta | 1.78 | +0.3% |
Other periods
About this ranking
Statutory minimum wage converted to an hourly rate, deflated with the consumer price index to the OECD's current base year and converted to US dollars with purchasing power parities for private consumption of that year.
Only countries with a national statutory minimum wage are covered. The OECD averages rates that change during the year, so a value can differ from the rate in force on a given date, and it restates every year when the price base moves.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
OECD. OECD Real minimum wages: hourly, US dollars at constant prices and PPPs for private consumption (DSD_EARNINGS@RMW). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EARNINGS%40RMW&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.SAE. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.htmlCitation styles
APA 7
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2026). OECD Real minimum wages: hourly, US dollars at constant prices and PPPs for private consumption (DSD_EARNINGS@RMW) (Countries by real hourly minimum wage, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EARNINGS%40RMW&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.SAE
MLA 9
OECD Real minimum wages: hourly, US dollars at constant prices and PPPs for private consumption (DSD_EARNINGS@RMW), Countries by real hourly minimum wage, 2021. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 12 Oct. 2026, https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EARNINGS%40RMW&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.SAE. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-hourly-minimum-wage/countries?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2026. OECD Real minimum wages: hourly, US dollars at constant prices and PPPs for private consumption (DSD_EARNINGS@RMW). Countries by real hourly minimum wage, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EARNINGS%40RMW&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.SAE. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-hourly-minimum-wage/countries?period=2021.
Harvard
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2026) OECD Real minimum wages: hourly, US dollars at constant prices and PPPs for private consumption (DSD_EARNINGS@RMW), Countries by real hourly minimum wage, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EARNINGS%40RMW&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.SAE, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-hourly-minimum-wage/countries?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{organisation_countries_by_real_hourly_2021,
author = {{Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development}},
title = {{OECD Real minimum wages: hourly, US dollars at constant prices and PPPs for private consumption (DSD\_EARNINGS@RMW): Countries by real hourly minimum wage, 2021}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EARNINGS%40RMW&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.SAE},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-hourly-minimum-wage/countries?period=2021. Publisher attribution: OECD. OECD Real minimum wages: hourly, US dollars at constant prices and PPPs for private consumption (DSD\_EARNINGS@RMW). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ\&df[id]=DSD\_EARNINGS\%40RMW\&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.SAE. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
TI - OECD Real minimum wages: hourly, US dollars at constant prices and PPPs for private consumption (DSD_EARNINGS@RMW): Countries by real hourly minimum wage, 2021
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
PB - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
DB - Invokely
UR - https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EARNINGS%40RMW&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.SAE
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-hourly-minimum-wage/countries?period=2021
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/real-hourly-minimum-wage/countries?period=2021.
N1 - Publisher attribution: OECD. OECD Real minimum wages: hourly, US dollars at constant prices and PPPs for private consumption (DSD_EARNINGS@RMW). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EARNINGS%40RMW&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.SAE. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank Countries by real hourly minimum wage using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"real_minimum_wage_hourly_usd_ppp","level":"country","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=real_minimum_wage_hourly_usd_ppp&level=country&limit=10Questions
Which country has the highest real hourly minimum wage?
Luxembourg, with 16.89 USD at PPP in 2021, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Which country has the lowest real hourly minimum wage?
Malta, with 1.78 USD at PPP in 2021.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD Real minimum wages: hourly, US dollars at constant prices and PPPs for private consumption (DSD_EARNINGS@RMW). Retrieved 2026-10-12.