site.btaBulgaria with Highest Share of Low-wage Earners among EU Countries in 2022

According to data released by Eurostat on Thursday, 14.7% of employees in the EU were low-wage earners in 2022, compared to 16.2% in 2018. The highest share of low-wage earners was observed in Bulgaria (26.8%), followed by Romania (23.9%) and Latvia (23.3%). 

In contrast, less than 10% of employees were low-wage earners in Portugal (1.8%), Sweden (4.1%), and Finland (6.5%).

Low-wage earners are employees earning two-thirds or less of the median gross hourly earnings in the country of work, Eurostat specifies.

The share of low-wage earners was higher among women than men in 2022 (17.1% compared with 12.6%).

Low-wage earners accounted for about a quarter (25.2%) of employees younger than 30. In the older age groups this share was lower: 12.1% among employees aged 30-49, and 13.4% among those older than 50. 

In 2022, 27.5% of employees in the EU with a low education level were low-wage earners, compared with 17.5% of employees with a medium level of education and 4.8% of those with a high education level.