Minimum Wage by Country: Global Payroll Guide

A minimum wage is the legal lowest remuneration which employers can pay employees, and may be set at the national or provincial level. Some countries, like the UK for example, set a single minimum wage for all workers over a certain age. Others, like Kenya, have deeply complex minimum wage systems which prescribe different legal minimums per industry, job type, length of service, region, and other similar factors. Understanding how minimum wages in different countries work is important when planning a business expansion overseas.

In this comprehensive guide to minimum wage by country, we’ve undertaken extensive primary research to compile a database of minimum wages in different countries around the world. Every country on every continent (except Antarctica) is included, and has been ranked ‘best’ to ‘worst’ with regards to their minimum wage law. We’ve used $USD as our currency for sake of international comparison, and have calculated minimum monthly wages, even in cases where the country in question sets only a minimum hourly or daily wage – based on information from The World Bank.

Legal obligations to pay minimum wage in different countries

If you intend to expand your business operations overseas, or you’re looking to hire international employees or independent contractors remotely, it’s important you’re aware of the various labour laws you must comply with.

There are both international labour laws and national ones, the latter of which can vary greatly from country to country; both of which you must comply with to avoid legal action and financial penalties. If the country in question has minimum wage laws, then you must adhere with them, and offer relevant remuneration to your overseas employees/contractors.

If the country does not have minimum wage laws in place, be aware that this does not automatically mean you may pay workers less. There may well be a different system in place – such as Denmark’s ‘Flexicurity’ model – which dictates the pay rate of your employees there.

To make the process of paying and managing international employees and contractors smooth, efficient and cost-effective, consider working with a trusted global business solutions provider.

The top 3 countries with the highest minimum wage in the world

Luxembourg: Consistently considered the country with the highest minimum wage laws in the world, Luxembourg’s minimum wage is €2,389.72 ($2,589.11) per month.

New Zealand: Monthly minimum wage in New Zealand is the second highest in the world at NZD$3,632 ($2,251.92).

Australia: And in third place is Australia, whose minimum wage is equivalent to AUD$3,250.40 ($2,153.93) per month.

The bottom 3 countries with the lowest minimum wage in the world

Syria: With the third lowest minimum wage in the world, Syria offers its workers a legal minimum monthly remuneration package of just SYP9,765 ($3.89).

Burundi: Deep in the heart of the African continent, the small land-locked nation of Burundi clocks in at number two on the list of countries with the lowest minimum wages in the world. Minimum wage in Burundi is just BIF2,520 ($1.21) per month.

Sudan: Finally, the lowest minimum wage in the world belongs to Sudan, at SDG425 ($0.71) per month.

Minimum wages on different continents, ranked from best to worst

Effective, efficient and compliant global payroll requires an understanding of minimum wages in different countries, to ensure you can pay employees legally and competitively no matter where in the world your business operates. What follows is a complete list of minimum wages by country, for every country on earth.

Minimum wages in Europe

Minimum wages in Europe are some of the highest in the world, and tend to be applied as one blanket figure to all workers above a certain age, in all industries. Interestingly, some of Europe’s wealthiest countries (like Switzerland) have no minimum wage laws in place at all.

Luxembourg

The minimum wage in Luxembourg is €2,389.72 ($2,589.11) per month. This is for ‘unskilled’ workers, whereas ‘skilled’ workers earn a higher rate of €2,876.66 ($3,107.35) per month.

Germany

The minimum wage in Germany is €1,976 ($2,141.59) per month.

Belgium

The minimum wage in Belgium is €1,954.99 ($2,118.87) per month.

Netherlands

The minimum wage in the Netherlands is €1,934.40 ($2,095.81) per month.

Ireland

The minimum wage in Ireland is €1,909.70 ($2,069.74) per month.

Monaco

The minimum wage in Monaco is €1,904.63 ($2,063.55) per month.

United Kingdom

The minimum wage in the UK is equivalent to £1,583.84 ($1,956.94) per month, based on a national minimum hourly wage of £10.42 ($13.10), worked 40 hours per week, 4 weeks per month.

France

The minimum wage in France is €1,709.28 ($1,852.56) per month.

San Marino

The minimum wage in San Marino is €1,582.57 ($1,714.57) per month.

Andorra

The minimum wage in Andorra is €1,286.13 ($1,394.09) per month.

Slovenia

The minimum wage in Slovenia is €1,203.36 ($1,303.73) per month.

Spain

The minimum wage in Spain is €1,080 ($1,170.08) per month.

North Macedonia

The minimum wage in North Macedonia is DEN20,175 ($1,112.45) per month.

Cyprus

The minimum wage in Cyprus is €885 ($959.19) per month. This is for ‘unskilled’ labour, whereas ‘skilled’ work earn a minimum monthly wage of €940 ($1,018.75).

Lithuania

The minimum wage in Lithuania is €840 ($910.09) per month.

Malta

The minimum wage in Malta is €835.16 ($904.85) per month.

Greece

The minimum wage in Greece is €780 ($845.36) per month.

Portugal

The minimum wage in Portugal is €760 ($823.41) per month.

Poland

The minimum wage in Poland is PLN3,490 ($806.31) per month.

Czechia/Czech Republic

The minimum wage in the Czech Republic is CZK17,300 ($802.59) per month.

Estonia

The minimum wage in Estonia is €725 ($785.77) per month.

Croatia

The minimum wage in Croatia is €700 ($758.68) per month.

Slovakia

Slovakia has the same minimum monthly wage as Croatia, at €700 ($758.39) per month.

Latvia

The minimum wage in Latvia is €620 ($671.94) per month.

Hungary

The minimum wage in Hungary is HUF232,000 ($669.38) per month. This is for ‘unskilled’ work, whereas ‘skilled’ workers earn a minimum of HUF296,400 ($855.19) per month.

Romania

The minimum wage in Romania is RON3,000 ($658.91) per month.

Montenegro

The minimum wage in Montenegro is €532.54 ($576.98) per month.

Turkey/Türkiye

The minimum wage in Turkey, now known as the Republic of Türkiye, is TRY10,008 ($519.04) per month.

Bulgaria

The minimum wage in Bulgaria is BGN780 ($432.03) per month.

Albania

The minimum wage in Albania is L40,000 ($387.42) per month.

Serbia

The minimum wage in Serbia is RSD40,020 ($370.19) per month.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The minimum wage in Bosnia and Herzegovina is split over two distinct regions of the country, Republika Srpska (equivalent to the northeast half of the country) and the rest. In Republika Srpska the minimum wage is slightly higher, at KM700 ($387.74) per month. In the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina the minimum wage is KM620 ($343.39) per month.

Belarus

The minimum wage in Belarus is BYN554 ($221.62) per month.

Moldova

The minimum wage in Moldova is MDL4,000 ($220.66) per month.

Russia

The minimum wage in Russia differs by region. There are separate monthly minimum wages for Moscow (RUB24,801 / $303.71), St. Petersburg, and the rest of the country (RUB16,242 / $198.91).

Ukraine

The minimum wage in Ukraine is UAH6,700 ($181.85) per month.

Kazakhstan

The minimum wage in Kazakhstan is KZT70,000 ($157.39) per month.

Georgia

The minimum wage in Georgia is just GEL20 ($7.93) per month in the private sector. In the public sector, the Georgian minimum monthly wage is much higher, at GEL1,210 ($479.73) per month.

Austria

There is no minimum wage in Austria, however there is a system in place which effectively guarantees workers a minimum of €1,500 ($1,650.77) per month.

Denmark

There is no minimum wage in Denmark. A ‘Flexicurity’ model establishes wages per sector by collective bargaining between trade unions and industry leaders. Wages are generally high across the country: for example, McDonald’s workers made $22 per hour in 2023.

Finland

There is no minimum wage in Finland, though as in Denmark collective bargaining defines high wages for most, with cleaners earning around €11.24 ($12.37) per hour, for example.

Iceland

There is no minimum wage in Iceland. Collective bargaining by trade unions determines wages per industry, with the average monthly take-home wage being ISK473,000 ($3,423.64).

Italy

Italy also has no minimum wage in place. Collective bargaining is used to determine wages, however unlike in most of the Scandi countries, this has not translated to higher wages. Toward the lower end of the scale, Italians working in the hospitality industry take home an average of €1,240 ($1,343.70) per month.

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is yet another European country without a minimum wage law. Collective bargaining accounts for an average monthly salary in Liechtenstein of CHF6,000 ($6,580.73) – one of the highest average monthly salaries in the world.

Norway

Norway, as with all other Scandinavian countries, has no minimum wage in place but uses trade unionism to bargain for wages instead. Average monthly wage in Norway is NOK45,839 ($4,347.11).

Sweden

Sweden’s average monthly wage is SEK37,100 ($3,514.71), but they do not have a minimum wage in place.

Switzerland

Typically considered the highest paying place to live, out of every country in the world, Switzerland does not have a minimum wage. In 2014, voters actually rejected plans to install a minimum monthly wage, despite the fact it would have been the highest in the world. Instead, Swiss trade unions negotiate wages per industry, resulting in an average monthly take-home pay of CHF4,000 ($4,389.45).

Vatican City (Holy See)

There is no minimum wage in the Vatican City. Average monthly wages are around €2,790 ($3,022.28).

Minimum wages in The Americas

Minimum wage fluctuates considerably up and down the two American continents (North and South), collectively termed The Americas. Perhaps more than on any other continent, the ‘13^th Month Salary’ is exceptionally prevalent here.

United States of America

The minimum wage in the USA is set federally at $7.25 per hour, but may be increased by state-level minimum wage laws. At $7.25, the minimum monthly wage in America would be $1,160 per month, equivalent to that of Spain or North Macedonia in Europe.

Bahamas

The minimum wage in the Bahamas is BSD840 ($840) per month.

Barbados

The minimum wage in Barbados is BBD1,360 ($680) per month.

Antigua and Barbuda

The minimum wage in Antigua and Barbuda is XCD1,728 ($639.83) per month.

Costa Rica

The minimum wage in Costa Rica for ‘unskilled’ work is CRC300,255.79 ($555.22). For ‘skilled’ work carried out by academics with the equivalent of a master’s degree, the minimum monthly wage is much higher, at CRC644,689.30 ($1,192.76) per month.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

The minimum wage in Saint Kitts and Nevis is XCD1,440 ($532.93) per month.

Uruguay

The minimum wage in Uruguay is UYU19,364 ($499.66) per month.

Chile

The minimum wage in Chile is CLP410,000 ($499.47) per month.

Belize

The minimum wage in Belize is BZD960 ($476.37) per month.

Ecuador

The minimum wage in Ecuador is USD$460 per month. Workers in Ecuador also receive both a 13^thand 14^th month salary.

Trinidad and Tobago

The minimum wage in Trinidad and Tobago is TTD2,880 ($426.13) per month.

Honduras

The minimum wage in Honduras is HNL9,934.28 ($405.80) per month. This is the lowest end of the minimum wage scale, which varies depending not only on the industry, but also the size of the company in brackets of 1-10 employees, 11-50, 51-150, and 150+.

Argentina

The minimum wage in Argentina is ARS80,342 ($377.53) per month, paid 13 times per year.

Jamaica

The minimum wage in Jamaica is JMD52,000 ($343.03) per month.

Bolivia

The minimum wage in Bolivia is BOB2,250 ($325.55) per month, with a 13^th month salary paid on Christmas, a 14^th if the government decrees the economy grew enough, and a 15^th paid by the employer if they made a profit over the course of the financial year.

Paraguay

The minimum wage in Paraguay is Gs2,289,324 ($319.20) per month. This applies to everyone in the country except domestic workers, who are only entitled to 40% ($127.68) of the minimum wage per month, as accommodation and food is deemed a part of their pay packet.

Dominica

The minimum wage in Dominica is XCD768 ($284.29) per month.

Mexico

The minimum wage in Mexico is MXN4,978.56 ($274.14) per month.

Peru

The minimum wage in Peru is PEN1,025 ($271.74) per month.

Brazil

The minimum wage in Brazil is BRL1,320 ($259.69) per month, paid 13 times a year.

Colombia

The minimum wage in Colombia is COP1,160,000 ($254.53) per month. Workers get additional subsidies worth approximately $30.85 per month.

Guatemala

The minimum wage in Guatemala is GTQ1,964.88 ($252.02) per month, paid 13 times a year. Salaried workers also receive a 14^th and 15^th month wage, one of which is paid on Christmas.

Panama

The lowest minimum wage in Panama is B/.250 ($250) per month. Minimum wage differs depending on region and sector, with some workers receiving food and housing as part of their salary packet.

El Salvador

The minimum wage in El Salvador is set per industry, with agriculture workers earning the lowest, at SVC2,130.28 ($243.46) per month.

Grenada

The minimum wage in Grenada is XCD546.33 ($202.28) per month, varying by occupation.

Guyana

The minimum wage in Guyana is GYD35,000 ($165.73) per month.

Nicaragua

The minimum wage in Nicaragua is C$4,414 ($120.62) per month. This is the lowest minimum wage available. Minimum wage in Nicaragua is set per sector, across a total of 9 sectors, with the highest being in finance at C$7,133.44 ($195.17) per month.

Dominican Republic

The minimum wage in the Dominican Republic is DOP5,884 ($107.36) in the public sector. Minimum wages in the Dominican Republic are higher in the private sector, split across workers outside the FTZs (Free Trade Zones) and those within.

Cuba

The minimum wage in Cuba is CUP1,910 ($79.58) per month. Minimum wage is set on a sliding scale according to ‘complexity groups (I-XXXII)’ and hours worked per week (40 or 44). The minimum wage shown is for a 40-hour week at the lowest end of the scale. Cubans also receive a monthly stipend for food.

Haiti

The minimum wage in Haiti is HTG6,960 ($44.89) per month.

Venezuela

The minimum wage in Venezuela was recently raised once again, to counter continued inflation. It is VES126 ($5.16) per month, with an additional food bond also equal to VES126 ($5.16) per month.

Canada

There is no national minimum wage in Canada, however minimum wage laws still apply, set at the provincial and territorial level. Hourly minimum wages in Canada range from CAD$13 ($9.57) to CAD$16 ($11.78) per hour.

Saint Lucia

There is no national minimum wage in Saint Lucia, though certain sectors do have their own minimum wages. For example, office clerks earn a minimum of XCD300 ($111.03) per month, whilst messengers earn just XCD160 ($59.21) per month.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a similar minimum wage structure to Saint Lucia, in that there is no national minimum wage, but there are laws governing wages by industry. The lowest minimum monthly wage in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is for household domestic workers at XCD600 ($222.05) per month.

Suriname

There is no minimum wage in Suriname, though there is a recommended hourly minimum rate of SRD20 ($0.54) per hour.

Minimum wages in Asia

As in Africa, minimum wages in Asia tend toward the lower end of the scale on average. Asia is also the continent with the highest proportion of countries without a minimum wage law in place.

Israel

Israel, though partially-unrecognised as a sovereign nation, has the highest minimum monthly wage in all of Asia, at ILS5,300 ($1,461.56) per month.

South Korea (Republic of Korea)

The minimum wage in South Korea is KRW1,847,040 ($1,396.60) per month. South Korea also has a “mandatory weekly paid holiday for people that work more than 15 hours per week” – a law that is absent is other developed countries.

Taiwan

The minimum wage in Taiwan is TWD26,400 ($865.68) per month.

Macau

The minimum wage in Macau is MOP6,656 ($823.22) per month.

Hong Kong

The minimum wage in Hong Kong is HK$6,000 ($764.33) per month.

Oman

The minimum wage in Oman is OMR225 ($584.39) per month, in addition to which nationals receive RO100 ($259.73) for allowances. Monthly minimum wage in Oman does not apply to foreign workers.

Palestine

The minimum wage in Palestine (also only partially-recognised) is ILS1,880 ($518.39) per month.

Jordan

The minimum wage in Jordan is JD260 ($366.71) per month.

Malaysia

The lowest minimum wage in Malaysia is RM1,500 ($340.12) per month, with minimum wage rates set by region.

Thailand

The minimum wage in Thailand is THB9,870 ($286.92) per month.

Qatar

The minimum wage in Qatar is QAR1,000 ($274.73) per month, with workers typically receiving an additional QAR500 ($137.36) for accommodation, and sometimes also QAR300 ($82.42) for food per month.

Azerbaijan

The minimum wage in Azerbaijan is ₼345 ($202.65) per month.

Cambodia

The minimum wage in Cambodia is KHR812,505.95 ($200) per month.

Kuwait

The minimum wage in Kuwait is KWD60 ($195.40) per month.

Armenia

The minimum wage in Armenia is ֏75,000 ($192.66) per month.

Iraq

The minimum wage in Iraq is IQD250,000 ($190) per month.

Iran

The minimum wage in Iran is IRR73,082,840 ($173.10) per month. Minimum wage in Iran differs by industrial sector and region.

Turkmenistan

The minimum wage in Turkmenistan is TMT353 ($153.13) per month.

Vietnam

The minimum wage in Vietnam is VND3,250,000 ($138.60) per month.

Nepal

The minimum wage in Nepal is NPR16,472 ($125.43) per month.

Mongolia

The minimum wage in Mongolia is MNT420,000 ($119.56) per month.

Timor-Leste/East Timor

The minimum wage in East Timor is IDR1,179,750 ($115) per month.

Uzbekistan

The minimum wage in Uzbekistan is UZS920,000 ($80.79) per month.

Afghanistan

The minimum wage in Afghanistan is AFN5,500 ($63.47) per month.

Pakistan

The minimum wage in Pakistan is PKR17,500 ($61.08) per month.

Myanmar (formerly Burma)

The minimum wage in Myanmar is MMK115,200 ($54.91) per month.

Laos

The minimum wage in Laos is LAK800,000 ($46.59) per month. Employers must also pay a LAK30,000 ($1.72) meal allowance to each employee per day.

Bhutan

The minimum wage in Bhutan is BTN3,750 ($45.71) per month.

Lebanon

The minimum wage in Lebanon is LBP675,000 ($44.71) per month.

Sri Lanka

The minimum wage in Sri Lanka is LKR12,500 ($39.07) per month.

Tajikistan

The minimum wage in Tajikistan is SM250 ($22.90) per month. Workers received government subsidies in addition to their minimum wage.

Bangladesh

The minimum wage in Bangladesh is complex. There is a core minimum wage established (BDT1,500 / $14.14 per month) for all workers in all sectors, but this is the bare minimum. Each sector is then designated its own minimum wage by a national minimum wage board every five years. For example, the garment industry’s monthly minimum wage in Bangladesh is BDT8,000 ($75.40).

Kyrgyzstan

The minimum wage in Kyrgyzstan is KGS1,140 ($13.04) per month.

Syria

The minimum wage in Syria is one of the lowest in the world, at just SYP9,765 ($3.89) per month. However, workers do receive additional benefits, including compensation for meals, uniforms, and transportation.

Bahrain

There is no minimum wage in Bahrain, except for public sector workers who are also Bahraini nationals. They receive BD300 ($797.87) per month.

Brunei

There is no minimum wage in Brunei.

China

There is no national minimum wage in China. Minimum wages are set by local provincial governments, and range from ¥1,420 ($206.23) per month to ¥2,590 ($376.16) per month.

India

There is no national minimum wage in India. Minimum wages differ by state, region, industry, skill level and nature of work. The average monthly salary of an Indian worker is INR4,608.74 ($56.17).

Indonesia

There is no national minimum wage in Indonesia. Like in India, Indonesian minimum wages are set according to state, region, industry, skill level and nature of work. The minimum monthly salary of an Indonesian worker is IDR1,704,608 ($114.11).

Japan

There is no national minimum wage in Japan. Minimum wages are set according to region and industry, with urban wages typically higher than those in the countryside. The average hourly minimum wage in Japan is presently about JPY961 ($7.18) per hour.

Maldives

There is no minimum wage in the Maldives. However, there is a minimum wage set for public sector (government) workers, at MVR3,100 ($201.11) per month.

North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)

There is no minimum wage in North Korea.

Philippines

There is no national minimum wage in the Philippines. Rather, a daily minimum wage is set per industry, region and job type.

Saudi Arabia

There is no private sector minimum wage in Saudi Arabia. In the public sector, the Saudi Arabia monthly minimum wage is SAR3,000 ($800), however this does not apply to foreign workers.

Singapore

There is no minimum wage in Singapore.

United Arab Emirates

There is no minimum wage in the UAE.

Yemen

There is no minimum wage in Yemen.

Minimum wages in Africa

With the highest proportion of ‘developing’ nations of any continent on earth, it is perhaps unsurprising that Africa also has some of the lowest national minimum wages. Ranked highest to lowest, they are as follows.

Gabon

The minimum wage in Gabon is F.CFA150,000 ($248.35) per month.

South Africa

The minimum wage in South Africa is ZAR4,579.03 ($247.39) per month. This is the national minimum wage, though higher minimum wages are typically set per industry.

Mauritius

The minimum wage in Mauritius is MUR10,875 ($240.11) for those working inside Mauritian Free Trade Zones. The national minimum wage in Mauritius is higher for workers outside the FTZs.

Equatorial Guinea

The minimum wage in Equatorial Guinea is F.CFA129,035 ($213.67) per month.

Morocco

The lowest minimum wage in Morocco is MAD1,673.52 ($164.10) per month, for workers in agriculture. Minimum wages are higher in other industries.

Zimbabwe

The minimum wage in Zimbabwe is set per industry and job type, with the lowest national minimum wage being ZWD54,285 ($150) per month.

Congo/Republic of the Congo

The minimum wage in Congo is F.CFA90,000 ($149.13) per month.

Algeria

The minimum wage in Algeria is DZD20,000 ($147.33) per month.

Botswana

The minimum wage in Botswana is P1,786 ($136.56) per month, differing by industry.

Cabo Verde/Cape Verde

The minimum wage in Cape Verde is CVE13,000 ($128.24) per month.

Tunisia

The minimum wage in Tunisia is TND390.69 ($127.50) per month, differing by sector and working week schedule.

Ivory Coast/Republic of Côte d’Ivoire

The minimum wage in the Ivory Coast is F.CFA75,000 ($124.18) per month.

Comoros

The minimum wage in Comoros is FC55,000 ($121.51) per month.

Guinea-Bissau

The minimum wage in Guinea-Bissau is F.CFA59,000 ($97.72) per month.

Libya

The minimum wage in Libya is LYD450 ($95.10) per month. In addition to the national minimum wage, the Libyan government heavily subsidises necessities such as food, housing and utilities.

Mauritania

The minimum wage in Mauritania is MRU3,000 ($88.06) per month.

Egypt

The minimum wage in Egypt is EGP2,700 ($86.92) per month.

Togo

The minimum wage in Togo is F.CFA52,000 ($85.92) per month.

Chad

The minimum wage in Chad is F.CFA51,207 ($84.86) per month.

Liberia

The minimum wage in Liberia is LRD13,661.25 ($84) per month.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The minimum wage in the DRC is CDF169,800 ($82.94) per month.

Mozambique

The minimum wage in Mozambique is MZN5,200 ($81.48) per month. Minimum wages are dictated by industry. The quoted minimum wage is for workers in agriculture, livestock, hunting and forestry, however for workers in financial services (banks and insurance), the minimum monthly wage is MZN14,340.85 ($224.61).

Senegal

The minimum wage in Senegal is F.CFA41,748 ($69.02) per month for agricultural workers, whilst it’s slightly higher for non-agricultural workers.

Benin

The minimum wage in Benin is F.CFA40,000 ($66.46) per month.

Mali

The minimum wage in Mali is also F.CFA40,000 ($66.46) per month.

Nigeria

The minimum wage in Nigeria is NGN30,000 ($65.18) per month.

Guinea

The minimum wage in Guinea is GNF550,000 ($63.57) per month.

Angola

The minimum wage in Angola is AOA32,181.15 ($62.88) per month.

Cameroon

The minimum wage in Cameroon is F.CFA36,270 ($60.13) per month.

Central African Republic

The minimum wage in the Central African Republic is F.CFA35,000 ($58) per month.

Burkina Faso

The minimum wage in Burkina Faso is F.CFA34,664 ($57.54) per month.

Kenya

The minimum wage in Kenya is set according to a wide variety of factors, including geography, industry, sector, job type/difficulty/required skill-level and length of service. The lowest minimum wage is that for an ‘unskilled agricultural worker’ in the countryside, at KES7,544.66 ($56.56) per month. The highest, by comparison, is KES34,302.74 ($257.16) per month, for a ‘Grade I Artisan’.

Zambia

The minimum wage in Zambia is ZMK1,050 ($52.82) per month, depending on industry and grade of job type. In addition to this, Zambians receive a housing allowance, transport allowance and lunch allowance. The same minimum wage quoted above (for a ‘Handy Boy, Category I’) with these allowances added on would be ZMK1,698.60 ($85.41) per month.

Niger

The minimum wage in Niger is F.CFA30,047 ($49.67) per month.

Tanzania

The lowest minimum wage in Tanzania is TZS100,000 ($42.71) per month. Minimum wages in Tanzania are set according to factors such as industry, job type, and location (mainland vs. offshore [Zanzibar]).

Madagascar

The minimum wage system in Madagascar is also complex, graded based on length of service and skill band, as well as industry and sector. The minimum monthly wage for a Non-Agricultural Sector M1-1A with a tenure of less than 3 years is MGA184,653 ($42.57) per month. Comparatively, monthly wages for agricultural sector OP3-5B workers with tenures of 3 years or more are MGA379,478 ($87.48).

Lesotho

Minimum wages in Lesotho are dictated in a similar fashion to those in Madagascar, according to factors like industry and job type. The lowest minimum wage in Lesotho is LSL725 ($39.25) per month.

Malawi

The minimum wage in Malawi is MWK38,000 ($37.29) per month, differing according to industry and job type.

Uganda

The minimum wage in Uganda is UGX130,000 ($34.69) per month.

Ghana

The minimum wage in Ghana is GHS357.12 ($32.98) per month.

Sierra Leone

The minimum wage in Sierra Leone is SLR600,000 ($28.11) per month.

Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)

The minimum wage in Eswatini is SZL420 ($22.73) per month. This is the minimum age for ‘unskilled’ workers. There are two other minimum wage brackets: ‘domestic’ (SZL531 / $28.73 per month) and ‘skilled’ (SZL600 / $32.47 per month).

Seychelles

The minimum wage in Seychelles is split between casual and non-casual workers, with the lowest being SCR273.5 ($19.61) per month.

Gambia, The

The minimum wage in The Gambia is GMD1,200 ($19.30) per month.

Ethiopia

The minimum wage system in Ethiopia is broken down by industry first, then by job grade, with both starting monthly salaries and upper ceiling salaries for each band. The minimum wage for Rank 1 Level 1 labourers and guards is ETB420 ($7.73) per month. Whereas for professionals in the public sector, Rank X Level 1 starting wage is ETB1,499 ($27.57) per month.

Burundi

The minimum wage in Burundi is BIF2,520 ($1.21) per month – the second lowest minimum wage in the entire world.

Sudan

The minimum wage in Sudan is the lowest in the world, at SDG425 ($0.71) per month. However, it’s worth noting that civil servants receive the comparatively much higher monthly wage of SDG3,000 ($5.02) per month.

Djibouti

There is no legal minimum wage in Djibouti.

Eritrea

There is no legal minimum wage in Eritrea.

Namibia

There is no legal minimum wage in Namibia.

Rwanda

There is no legal minimum wage in Rwanda. Wages range from $0.83 per day in the tea industry, to $8.30 per day in construction.

Sao Tome and Principe

There is no legal minimum wage in Sao Tome and Principe, except STN750 ($33.20) per month for government workers.

Somalia

There is no legal minimum wage Somalia.

South Sudan.

There is no legal minimum wage in South Sudan.

Minimum wages in Oceania and Australia

Finally, we’ll take a brief tour of the minimum wages available in Oceania and Australia, as ranked from highest to lowest.

New Zealand

New Zealand has the highest minimum wage of any country on the continent, and one of the highest in the entire world. The minimum wage in New Zealand is calculated at NZD$3,632 ($2,251.92) per month.

Australia

The minimum wage in Australia is AUD$3,250.40 ($2,153.93) per month. However, this is a base minimum which is usually much higher in practice, owing to Australia’s “Awards” scheme – a ruling which grants all wage earners in one industry or occupation the same minimum pay rates and conditions of employment.

Palau

The minimum wage in Palau is USD$576 ($576) per month.

Marshall Islands

The minimum wage in the Marshall Islands is USD$448 per month.

Vanuatu

The minimum wage in Vanuatu is VUV38,134 ($322.74) per month.

Fiji

The minimum wage in Fiji is FJD641.28 ($288.92) per month. The real minimum wages of workers depend on which of the 10 Fijian sectors they belong to.

Papua New Guinea

The minimum wage in Papua New Guinea is PDK614.40 ($174.83) per month.

Samoa

The minimum wage in Samoa is WST384 ($141.66) per month.

Kiribati

The minimum wage in Kiribati is AUD$208 ($137.79) per month.

Solomon Islands

The minimum wage in the Solomon Islands is SBD691.20 ($83.29) per month.

Micronesia (The Federated States of)

There is no legal minimum wage in The Federated States of Micronesia for private sector workers. Public sector workers receive a minimum wage set by state-level governments.

Nauru

There is no legal minimum wage in Nauru for private sector workers. However, there is a graduated salary system for public service officers and employees.

Tonga

There is no legal minimum wage in Tonga.

Tuvalu

There is no legal minimum wage in Tuvalu.

Navigating the challenges of paying minimum wages in different countries

As has hopefully been made clear by our guide to minimum wages in different countries, the wage systems in place (or not) can vary extremely by country and continent.

When employing a remote international team, or expanding your business abroad, working with a dedicated global payroll or provider can make all the difference.

Mauve Group can help reduce the stress on your workforce, whilst ensuring full compliance to international and national labour laws, including minimum wages in each territory you or your employees operate in.

If you’d like to learn a little more, contact Mauve Group today.