Minimum Wage by Country 2026: Rates in 43 Countries

Summary:

• There is no global minimum wage. Of the 53 countries in this guide, 43 set a statutory minimum and 10 leave minimum pay to collective agreements or sector rules.
• Most rates are national, but Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines set them by province, state or region, and Kenya by occupation and town.
• Rates are quoted per hour, day or month, gross or net, and over 12 or 14 payments a year, so they cannot be compared at face value.
• Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Serbia and South Korea have already confirmed increases from 1 January 2027.
• Figures are in local currency and current at 4 November 2026.

This guide lists the statutory minimum wage in force in 43 countries in November 2026, with the date each rate took effect and any increase already confirmed for 2027. It also lists 10 countries that have no statutory minimum wage. Every figure was checked against official sources. Rates are shown in local currency and not converted, because exchange rates move far more often than minimum wages do. For what the term means and what counts towards it, see our minimum wage glossary entry.

Twenty of the 43 countries in this guide are in Europe. Most set a national monthly minimum and revise it on 1 January, but Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK set hourly rates, and France sets both. Spain, Portugal and Greece quote a monthly figure that is paid 14 times a year, and Serbia sets its rate net of tax and contributions.

A blank cell under “Confirmed change” means no new rate had been published by 4 November 2026. Sector agreements can set higher minimums for particular jobs, as they do in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain.

In the Americas, minimum wages are often set below national level. The United States has a federal floor of $7.25 an hour, unchanged since 2009, with higher rates in many states and cities, and each Canadian province sets its own rate. Mexico sets a daily rate with a higher figure for the northern border, and Argentina raises its monthly minimum every month until April 2027.

Asia-Pacific has the widest range of systems. Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Hong Kong each set one national hourly rate a year. Japan sets a rate for each prefecture, China and Indonesia for each province or city, the Philippines for each region and India for each state, so employers in those countries apply the rate for the place where the employee works.

In India, the Code on Wages, 2019, in force since 21 November 2025, extends minimum wages to all employees and lets the central government set a national floor wage below which no state rate may fall.

Statutory minimums in the Middle East and Africa range from single national rates, as in South Africa, Nigeria and Morocco, to tables by occupation and town in Kenya. In the Gulf, Qatar is the only country in this guide with a general minimum wage that covers foreign workers. The UAE sets a minimum salary only for its own nationals, and Jordan has fixed its rate until the end of 2027.

Ten countries in this guide have no general statutory minimum wage. In the Nordic countries, Austria and Italy, collective agreements set minimum pay for each sector and cover most employees. Switzerland leaves it to cantons and sector agreements, Singapore uses sector wage ladders and a salary floor for local staff, and the UAE sets a minimum only for Emirati nationals.

No statutory minimum does not mean no minimum. Where a collective agreement covers the employer or has been extended to the whole sector, its pay scales are binding, and in practice they are often higher than the statutory rates elsewhere in Europe.

Six countries in this guide had published their 2027 rates by 4 November 2026, all taking effect on 1 January 2027, and Argentina has set monthly increases up to April 2027. Other countries announce their new rates closer to the date: the UK and the Netherlands usually in the autumn, Spain often after the new year has started, and Japan and Australia in the middle of the year.

• Germany: €14.60 an hour, the second step of a two-stage rise agreed in 2025.
• Poland: PLN 4,950 a month and PLN 32.30 an hour for civil-law contracts.
• Czech Republic: CZK 24,900 a month.
• Ireland: €14.94 an hour for employees aged 20 and over, announced in Budget 2027 and due to be confirmed by ministerial order.
• Serbia: RSD 405 an hour, net.
• South Korea: KRW 10,700 an hour.
• Argentina: monthly increases, reaching ARS 437,000 in April 2027.

A headline minimum wage is not a like-for-like figure. Countries quote it per hour, day or month, before or after tax, and over 12 or 14 payments a year. Some apply one national rate and others a different rate by region, age, occupation or qualification, and a few add allowances that count towards the minimum. Converting everything to one currency adds exchange rate movements on top.

• Pay period. Germany, the UK, the US, Japan and Australia set hourly rates. Mexico and the Philippines set daily rates, and Greece does for manual workers. Most of Europe and Latin America set monthly rates.
• Number of payments. In Spain, Portugal and Greece the monthly minimum is paid 14 times a year. Spain’s €1,221 a month is €17,094 a year, or €1,424.50 a month spread over 12 payments.
• Gross or net. Almost every rate in this guide is gross. Serbia sets its rate net of tax and contributions, and Turkey publishes both figures.
• Age and qualification. The UK and the Netherlands set lower rates for younger workers, Ireland’s main rate applies from age 20, and Hungary sets a higher guaranteed minimum for jobs that need at least a secondary qualification.
• Allowances. Qatar’s minimum includes housing and food allowances unless the employer provides them, Kenya’s rates are before housing allowance, and Japan excludes overtime, bonuses, commuting, family and attendance allowances from the comparison.

The minimum wage that applies is the one in the country, and often the region, where the employee works, wherever the employer is based. A remote employee in Germany is entitled to the German minimum wage even if the company is in the United States. Payroll has to apply each new rate from the date it takes effect and check that only pay the local rules allow is counted towards it.

Rates change on different dates in each country. In 2026 most rose on 1 January, South Africa’s on 1 March, the UK’s, New Zealand’s, Estonia’s and Greece’s on 1 April, Hong Kong’s and Kenya’s on 1 May, France’s on 1 June, and Australia’s, the Netherlands’ and Romania’s in July. Japan’s prefectural rates and several Canadian provinces changed in the autumn. Payroll for a multi-country team has to track each date and apply the new rate from the first pay period it covers.

Basic pay always counts. Overtime premiums, expense reimbursements and tips usually do not, and the treatment of bonuses and allowances varies from country to country. Employers also need records of hours worked: a fixed salary that clears the minimum for a standard week can fall below it for an employee who works long unpaid hours. Our glossary entries on full-time hours and payroll deductions explain the related rules.

The statutory rate is only the floor. Collective agreements in much of Europe and modern awards in Australia set higher minimums by job and level, and in countries with no statutory minimum they are the only floor. Before setting pay for a new hire, check whether an agreement or award covers the role.

When TopSource employs your team through our employer of record service, or runs payroll for your own entities through our global payroll service, we track statutory and sector minimum wages in every country and apply new rates from the date they take effect.

Sources

• GOV.UK: National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
• Germany: Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Mindestlohn
• Service-Public.fr: Smic
• Rijksoverheid: Bedragen minimumloon 2026
• Ireland: S.I. No. 472/2025, National Minimum Wage Order 2025
• Citizens Information: Budget 2027
• Poland: Regulation of the Council of Ministers on the minimum wage in 2027 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1213)
• Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: minimum wage in 2027
• Government of Slovenia: minimum wage for 2026
• U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum wage
• Ontario: Minimum wage
• Brazil: Decreto 12.797/2025
• Mexico: CONASAMI
• Fair Work Ombudsman: Minimum wages
• Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: regional minimum wages
• Korea: Minimum Wage Commission
• Department of Labor and Employment (Philippines): new NCR wage order
• Singapore Ministry of Manpower: Progressive Wage Model