National median annual earnings — gross and after-tax — for 43 countries. PPP-adjusted figures show real purchasing power. Each row shows the actual data year of the underlying wage survey (2022–2026).
CC BY 4.043 countriesData years 2022–2026JSON APICSV
Quick answer
Across 43 countries, the highest nominal gross median salary is Switzerland (~$96,234/yr); the lowest in the dataset is Vietnam (~$2,813/yr). On PPP-adjusted net income, Scandinavian and Swiss medians rival the US despite lower nominal figures. 17 of 43 countries have a median net salary that covers 12+ months of local single-person living costs — a useful affordability proxy for relocation. Source years span 2022–2026; annualised monthly medians are labelled in their row notes.
▸Highest PPP-adjusted (top 3)Singapore, Switzerland, United States.
▸17/43 countries cover 12+ monthsmedian net salary divided by single-person monthly cost ≥ 12 — a relocation-affordability proxy.
▸Data vintage: 2022–2026each row shows its source year and citation. Hungary's 2026 figure is a monthly run rate, not an observed annual median.
▸Source: official wage surveysOECD, Eurostat, ONS, BLS, INSEE, Destatis, etc. · CC BY 4.0 — free to cite.
Before you use this data — four important caveats
Data vintage: 2026 published medians don't exist yet for most countries; each row shows the latest verified year (2022–2026). The "Data year" column is explicit for every row.
Median ≠ average: The median is the midpoint worker. Averages are pulled upward by top earners and overstate what a typical person takes home. Median is the right metric for personal relocation decisions.
National ≠ your job: Source populations differ; Slovakia's official monthly median is not explicitly full-time. A software engineer, nurse, or teacher will earn very differently from the national median. Use the Salary Calculator for profession-specific estimates.
Local-resident tax ≠ expat tax: Net figures use domestic resident tax rates. As an expat, your actual tax depends on treaties, FEIE/FTC elections, and special regimes. See Expat Tax Rates for destination-country rates specific to inbound foreigners.
Sorted by gross USD descending. “Months covered” = annual net ÷ estimated monthly cost-of-living basket. ≥12× means the median worker can save at full-basket cost.
Luxembourg — STATEC Luxembourg, Regards 09/24, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022: median annual gross earnings EUR 58,126 for full-time, full-year employees, including bonuses and 13th-month payments, https://statistiques.public.lu/fr/publications/series/regards/2024/regards-09-24.html, accessed 2026-10-08
Denmark — Statistics Denmark, Earnings, Costs and Labour time 2023 (LONS20), https://www.dst.dk/en/Statistik/emner/arbejde-indkomst-og-formue/loenninger, accessed 2026-04-30
Australia — Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Employee Earnings, August 2025 (released 12 December 2025) — median weekly earnings in main job, full-time employees AUD 1,741 × 52 = AUD 90,532, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/employee-earnings/latest-release, accessed 2026-06-22
Germany — Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis), Pressemitteilung Nr. 113 vom 1. April 2026 — "Mittlerer Bruttojahresverdienst lag 2025 bei 54 066 Euro" (Verdiensterhebung), median gross annual earnings 2025 = €54,066 incl. special payments, full-time employees, https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2026/04/PD26_113_621.html, accessed 2026-06-22
United States — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers Fourth Quarter 2023 (USDL-24-0068), Table 1 — median weekly earnings of full-time workers $1,145 (not seasonally adjusted) × 52 = $59,540, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/wkyeng_01182024.htm, accessed 2026-04-30
Singapore — Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Occupational Wages 2023 — Median Monthly Gross Wages of full-time resident employees (all occupations, June 2023); annual figure = monthly gross wage × 13 months (incl. AWS), https://stats.mom.gov.sg/Pages/occupational-wages-tables2023.aspx, accessed 2026-04-30
United Kingdom — UK Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) — "Employee earnings in the UK: 2025" (released 23 October 2025, 2025 estimates provisional), median gross annual earnings full-time employees £39,039 (up from £37,439 in 2024), https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2025, accessed 2026-06-22
Netherlands — Eurostat SES 2022, earn_ses_pub2s median hourly earnings cross-check (not an annual series), https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_pub2s/default/table, accessed 2026-10-08
Ireland — Central Statistics Office (CSO) Ireland, "Earnings Analysis using Administrative Data Sources 2024" — median gross annual earnings (before tax, PRSI and superannuation) €44,816, https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-eaads/earningsanalysisusingadministrativedatasources2024/annualearnings/, accessed 2026-06-22
Belgium — Statbel, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 — median gross monthly wage, full-time EUR 3,728 × 12 = EUR 44,736, https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/work-training/wages-and-labourcost/overview-belgian-wages-and-salaries; Eurostat SES 2022 earn_ses_pub2s median hourly cross-check https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_pub2s/default/table, accessed 2026-10-08
Finland — Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), Structure of Earnings statistics, reference year 2024 (published 24 November 2025) — median monthly earnings €3,611 × 12 = €43,332, https://stat.fi/en/publication/cm1ks981cdm5107w7zeme1ot7, accessed 2026-06-22
Sweden — Statistics Sweden (SCB), "Medianlöner i Sverige" (based on Lönestrukturstatistik, whole economy), reference year 2025 (published 2026-06-16), median gross SEK 38,300/month full-time × 12 = SEK 459,600, https://www.scb.se/hitta-statistik/sverige-i-siffror/utbildning-jobb-och-pengar/medianloner-i-sverige/, accessed 2026-06-22
Austria — Eurostat SES 2022, earn_ses_pub2s median hourly earnings cross-check (not an annual series), https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_pub2s/default/table, accessed 2026-10-08
Canada — Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey — Employee wages and salaries 2023 (Table 14-10-0064-01), https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/table/action/searchTbl, accessed 2026-04-30
Israel — National Insurance Institute of Israel (Bituach Leumi), "Full National Insurance Salary Report for the first half of 2025" — median gross monthly ILS 10,586 × 12 = ILS 127,032, https://www.btl.gov.il/English%20Homepage/About/PressReleases/Pages/dovrotdohsachar2025.aspx, accessed 2026-06-22
France — Eurostat SES 2022, earn_ses_pub2s median hourly earnings cross-check (not an annual series), https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_pub2s/default/table; annual estimate based on the 2022 benchmark and 2023 wage growth, accessed 2026-10-08
New Zealand — Statistics New Zealand, New Zealand Income Survey June 2023 quarter, https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/new-zealand-income-survey-june-2023-quarter/, accessed 2026-04-30
Italy — Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, earn_ses_monthly, Italy full-time median gross October monthly earnings EUR 2,259 x 12 = EUR 27,108 (annualised monthly proxy, irregular annual bonuses excluded); ISTAT's 2022 Structure of Earnings release publishes the median hourly EUR 13.35, not an annual median, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_monthly/default/table https://www.istat.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/REPORT_STRUTTURA_RETRIBUZIONI_2022.pdf, accessed 2026-10-08
United Arab Emirates — UAE Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC), Labour Force Survey 2022, https://fcsc.gov.ae/en-us/Pages/Statistics/Labour-Market.aspx, accessed 2026-04-30
Spain — Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Encuesta Anual de Estructura Salarial (EAES) 2024 final data — median gross annual earnings €24,497, https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/en/EAES2024.htm, accessed 2026-06-22
Japan — Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Basic Survey on Wage Structure (Chingin Kōzō Kihon Tōkei Chōsa) 2023, https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/itiran/roudou/chingin/kouzou/z2023/index.html, accessed 2026-04-30
Slovenia — Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), "Structure of earnings statistics, October 2024" First Release (published 23 June 2025) — median gross monthly €1,983.91 × 12 = €23,807, https://www.stat.si/statweb/en/News/Index/13692, accessed 2026-06-22
South Korea — Statistics Korea (KOSTAT / Ministry of Data and Statistics), "2024 Wage Workers' Jobs Income (Pay) Results" (published 2026-02-23) — median monthly income KRW 2,880,000 × 12 = KRW 34,560,000, https://www.korea.kr/briefing/pressReleaseView.do?newsId=156745446, accessed 2026-06-22
Estonia — Statistics Estonia (Statistikaamet), news release "Average wages increased by 5.6% last year" (2026-03-05), full-year 2025 — median monthly gross wage €1,724 × 12 = €20,688 (series PA117), https://stat.ee/en/news/average-wages-increased-56-last-year, accessed 2026-06-22
Lithuania — Eurostat SES 2022, earn_ses_pub2s median hourly earnings cross-check (not an annual series), https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_pub2s/default/table, accessed 2026-10-08
Slovakia — Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, STATdata cube np2005rs, 2025 total median gross monthly earnings EUR 1,538 x 12 = EUR 18,456 (annualised monthly proxy; all surveyed employees, not explicitly full-time), https://statdata.statistics.sk/public/ui/dc/domov/data-view/view/3faa2f6a-48c2-4a43-b868-f6e25033d2a3/np2005rs?lang=en, accessed 2026-10-08
Greece — Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, earn_ses_monthly, Greece full-time median gross October monthly earnings EUR 1,274 x 14 = EUR 17,836 contractual-pay proxy; ELSTAT SES metadata identifies Christmas and Easter bonuses as 13th/14th salary, reported separately from October earnings, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_monthly/default/table https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/EN/earn_ses2022_esqrs_el.htm, accessed 2026-10-08
Latvia — Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSB), Official Statistics Portal, "Wages and salaries, 4th quarter and 2025" (published 2026-03-03) — median monthly gross €1,462 × 12 = €17,544, https://stat.gov.lv/en/statistics-themes/labour-market/wages-and-salaries/press-releases/26599-wages-and-salaries-4th, accessed 2026-06-22
Portugal — Portugal Ministry of Labour GEP, Estatísticas sobre a Estrutura dos Ganhos 2022, full-time employees' median annual gross earnings EUR 16,750, including annual pay components; https://www.gep.mtsss.gov.pt/documents/10182/86617/eeg2022sint.pdf/beaa3ec2-b16a-4c0d-92ad-98eaa859e904, accessed 2026-10-08
Hungary — Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), Earnings, July 2026, full-time employees' median gross monthly earnings HUF 618,200 x 12 = HUF 7,418,400 (annualised July run rate, not an observed annual median), https://www.ksh.hu/en/first-releases/ker/eker2607.html, accessed 2026-10-08
Czechia — Eurostat SES 2022, earn_ses_pub2s median hourly earnings cross-check (not an annual series), https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_pub2s/default/table, accessed 2026-10-08
Poland — Eurostat SES 2022, earn_ses_pub2s median hourly earnings cross-check (not an annual series), https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_pub2s/default/table, accessed 2026-10-08
Chile — Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (INE) Chile, Encuesta Suplementaria de Ingresos (ESI) 2023, https://www.ine.gob.cl/estadisticas/sociales/ingresos-y-gastos/encuesta-suplementaria-de-ingresos, accessed 2026-04-30
South Africa — Statistics South Africa (StatsSA), Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) Q4 2022, https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=16285, accessed 2026-04-30
Thailand — Thailand National Statistical Office (NSO), Labour Force Survey Annual 2022, https://www.nso.go.th/sites/2014en/Pages/Survey/Social/Labour-Force-Survey.aspx, accessed 2026-04-30
Brazil — IBGE, Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua (PNAD Contínua) 2023, https://www.ibge.gov.br/estatisticas/sociais/trabalho/9171-pesquisa-nacional-por-amostra-de-domicilios-continua-mensal.html, accessed 2026-04-30
Mexico — INEGI, Encuesta Nacional de Ocupación y Empleo (ENOE) Q4 2023, https://www.inegi.org.mx/programas/enoe/15ymas/, accessed 2026-04-30
Colombia — DANE, Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH) 2023, https://www.dane.gov.co/index.php/estadisticas-por-tema/mercado-laboral/empleo-y-desempleo/geih-historicos, accessed 2026-04-30
Vietnam — Vietnam General Statistics Office (GSO), Labour Force Survey 2022, https://www.gso.gov.vn/en/data-and-statistics/2023/07/employment-and-unemployment-in-the-first-quarter-of-2022/, accessed 2026-04-30
Salaries by profession
National medians span all workers. Pick a profession to see an estimated mid-level salary in each country — gross, after-tax net, and purchasing-power-equivalent net — ranked by how far the pay actually goes. Each estimate is anchored to that country's primary-sourced national median.
Estimated Software Engineer salary by country, ranked by purchasing-power-equivalent net income
Ranked by PPP-equivalent net (what the after-tax pay is worth in US price terms). “vs national median” = estimated gross ÷ that country's median gross — how a software engineer compares to the typical worker.
Modelled estimate, not survey data. Each profession figure is the country's national median wage scaled by the role's skill premium — a directional model, not a per-role salary survey. It is for a mid-level professional and varies widely by employer, seniority, bonus, equity, contract type and tax regime. Net is modelled via WhereNext's tax engine and is not tax or employment advice — verify with an employer or qualified advisor before making decisions.
Profession estimates · Source: National median wage surveys (OECD AV_AN_WAGE, Eurostat SES, national statistical offices) + WhereNext tax engine · Last verified Apr 30, 2026
Which country pays a software engineer the most after tax?▾
On nominal after-tax pay, high-wage markets like Switzerland and the United States lead. But on purchasing-power-equivalent net income — what the pay actually buys locally — several lower-cost countries close the gap. Pick a profession in the table above to see the full ranking by PPP-equivalent net.
How reliable are these profession salary figures?▾
They are directional estimates, not survey medians for the role. Each profession figure is scaled from a US base salary by a country wage multiplier, then netted through WhereNext's tax engine. The figure is anchored to that country's primary-sourced national median wage (OECD, Eurostat SES, national statistical offices) so you can see how the role compares to the typical worker. Verify any specific offer with the employer.
What does PPP-equivalent net mean?▾
Purchasing-power-parity-equivalent net income restates after-tax pay in US price terms using the World Bank ICP 2021 price-level index. A $30,000 net salary in a country where prices are 60% of US levels is worth roughly $50,000 in PPP-equivalent terms — it stretches further locally.
Do these figures include bonuses, equity, or expat tax regimes?▾
Bonus coverage depends on the source: observed annual medians for Portugal and Luxembourg include annual pay components; annualised October monthly medians do not capture irregular bonuses. Equity and special expat regimes are not modelled. Net uses domestic resident tax. Check the source note for each country.
Methodology
Vintage: 2026 published medians don't exist yet for most countries; this dataset uses the latest verified year per country, ranging 2022–2026.
Why median? Medians represent the typical worker. Mean wages are skewed upward by high earners and are unreliable for personal relocation planning. All sources use the 50th percentile of employee earnings; most cover full-time employees, and exceptions such as Slovakia are noted on this page.
Currency conversion: Local-currency gross figures converted to USD using the 1 September 2026 ECB/CBK reference for local-basis tax rows (EUR: USD 1.159 per EUR); other rows retain Q1 2026 spot estimates.
Net income: Derived from WhereNext's deterministic tax model applying domestic progressive brackets + employee social contributions. This is local-resident tax — not expat treatment.
PPP adjustment: World Bank ICP 2021 AIC Price Level Index. Formula: netUSDPPP = netUSD × (US_AIC_PLI / country_AIC_PLI). Produces international dollars.
Months covered: Annual net ÷ monthly cost-of-living basket (estimated from the same AIC PLI index). More than 12× means full-basket surplus.
Sources (priority order): (1) National statistical offices — population median gross earnings, 30 of the 43 rows; (2) Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, the remaining 13. Every row names its own source in sourceCitationin the API response. These are medians, not averages: OECD AV_AN_WAGE is an average wage series and is deliberately not used here.
This is directional data for relocation planning, not employment-contract or legal advice. Full methodology
These are population medians. Your earning potential will be different.
Profession, experience, sector, and city all determine real take-home pay. The Salary Calculator adjusts for your profession across 95+ countries.
WhereNext. "Median Salaries by Country 2026." getwherenext.com/data/median-salaries-2026. Accessed 2026-06-22.
Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Free to use with attribution.
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WhereNext composite (lineage)
WhereNext composite — Median Salaries 2026 (2026-06-22). Derived from: OECD Average Wages dataset (2024-2025 release); Eurostat Earnings Statistics; ILOSTAT — International Labour Organization; National statistics offices (BLS, ONS, INE, ISTAT, etc.); WhereNext PPP-adjusted median synthesis. Available at https://getwherenext.com/data/median-salaries-2026?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. CC BY 4.0.
APA
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MLA
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BibTeX
@misc{wherenext_getwherenext_com_data_median_salaries_2026,
author = {{WhereNext}},
title = {Median Salaries 2026},
year = {2026},
url = {https://getwherenext.com/data/median-salaries-2026?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation},
note = {CC BY 4.0}
}
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