Mapped: Average Wages in OECD Countries

Salaries can vary widely across countries due to factors like economic productivity, cost of living, and purchasing power.

By Govind Bhutada

Mapped: Average Wages in OECD Countries

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Salaries can vary widely across countries due to factors like economic productivity, cost of living, and purchasing power.

Even within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)—a group of mostly high-income economies—wages differ significantly, with some countries offering four times as much pay as others.

This infographic uses data from the OECD to map the average annual wages across 34 member countries as of 2023. The OECD calculates average wages by dividing each country’s total annual wage bill by the average number of employees (full-time equivalent).

Wage figures are presented in U.S. dollars after purchasing power parity (PPP) adjustments, which help account for cost-of-living differences between nations.

Which Countries Have the Highest Wages?

European countries dominate the highest-paying OECD job markets, with Luxembourg leading the pack at nearly $90,000 per year. With Iceland ($87K) and Switzerland ($83K), that makes Europe home to the top three highest-wage nations.

Below is a detailed look at how average annual wages vary across 34 OECD nations:

Showing 1 to 10 of 35 entries

The United States ($80K) and Australia ($67K) stand out as the only non-European countries in the top 10. Across all OECD countries, the average wage stands at around $58,000 per year.

Comparing the highest- and lowest-wage countries reveals a stark difference. At the bottom of the list, Mexico has the lowest average wages of just over $20,000 per year—less than a quarter of what the average worker earns in Luxembourg.

How Are Wages Changing?

While wealthier nations consistently top the wage rankings, Eastern European countries have seen the fastest real wage growth over the past three decades.

Specifically, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—once part of the former Soviet bloc—have significantly increased wages since 1995, each by more than 200%.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands, Italy, and Japan have seen the lowest real wage growth between 1995 and 2023. Japan stands out for stagnation, with its real wages falling by 4% since 1995.

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