| Country |
Minimum wage |
Gross annual wage
(Intl. dollars)[1][2] |
% of GDP per
capita[3][1] |
Effective |
Afghanistan |
5,000 Afghani per month, including a stipend for lunch and transportation expenses[4] |
2,688 |
371 |
N/A |
Albania |
16,000 Albanian lekë per month, nationally[5] |
3,946 |
63 |
2008-02-28 |
Algeria |
10,000 Algerian dinars per month[4] |
2,939 |
45 |
N/A |
Andorra |
€5.18 per hour and €897.87 per month[6] |
N/A |
N/A |
2008-01-01 |
Angola |
6,500 kwanza per month[4] |
1,511 |
27 |
N/A |
Antigua and Barbuda |
EC$6.00 an hour for all categories of labor[4] |
7,768[7] |
42 |
N/A |
Argentina |
1240 Argentine pesos a month[4] |
4,761 |
57 |
2007-12-01 |
Armenia |
20,000 Armenian dram per month[4] |
1,309 |
26 |
N/A |
Australia |
AUD543.78 as of October 2008. |
? |
53 |
2007-10-01 |
Austria |
none by law; instead, nationwide collective bargaining agreements set minimum wages by job classification for each industry; the accepted unofficial annual minimum wage is €12,000 to €14,000[4] |
13,986 |
36 |
N/A |
Azerbaijan |
50 Azerbaijani manat per month[4] |
1,460 |
19 |
N/A |
Bahamas |
B$4.00 per hour for the private sector; B$4.45 per hour for government employees[4] |
10,532[8] |
42 |
N/A |
Bahrain |
none[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Bangladesh |
N/A; set nationally every five years for all economic sectors not covered by industry- specific wages, using a skill-level range[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Barbados |
BDS$5 per hour for household domestics and shop assistants[4] |
7,397[8] |
38 |
N/A |
Belarus |
150,000 Belarusian rubles a month[4] |
1,972 |
18 |
N/A |
Belgium |
€1,335.78 a month for workers over 21 years of age; €1,371.88 a month for workers over 21 and a half years of age, with six months in the job; €1,387.92 a month for workers over 22 years of age, with 12 months in the job; coupled with extensive social benefits; to increase by €25 on October 1, 2008[4][9] |
18,215 |
52 |
2008-05-01 |
Belize |
BZ$2.50 an hour for those in agriculture, agro-industry, or the economic processing zones and for "bona fide students;" BZ$3.00 for manual and domestic workers[4] |
5,614[10] |
71 |
N/A |
Benin |
30,000 CFA francs per month; the government administratively set minimum wage scales for a number of occupations[4] |
1,635 |
106 |
N/A |
Bhutan |
99.44 Bhutanese ngultrum per day plus various allowances paid in cash or kind[4] |
1,606 |
31 |
N/A |
Bolivia |
436 Bolivian bolivianos per month[4] |
2,019 |
50 |
N/A |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
205 convertible marke per month in Republika Srpska; 308 convertible maraka per month in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina[4] |
3,233 |
46 |
N/A |
Botswana |
3.55 Botswana pula an hour for most full-time labor in the private sector[4] |
3,011[7] |
18 |
N/A |
Brazil |
415 reais per month, one extra payment at the end of the year (13 annual payments) [11] |
3,572 |
37 |
2008-03-01 |
Brunei |
none[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Bulgaria |
220 Bulgarian leva per month[12] |
4,031 |
36 |
2008-01-01 |
Burkina Faso |
30,000 CFA francs a month in the formal sector; does not apply to subsistence agriculture or other informal occupations[4] |
1,854 |
148 |
N/A |
Burundi |
160 Burundian francs per day for unskilled workers; in practice, most employers paid their unskilled laborers a minimum of 1,500 Burundian francs per day[4] |
111 |
30 |
N/A |
Cambodia |
189,000 to 210,000 riels per month for the garment sector; none for any other industry[4] |
1,688 |
93 |
N/A |
Cameroon |
23,514 CFA francs per month; applicable in all sectors[4] |
1,123 |
54 |
N/A |
Canada |
set by each province and territory; minimum hourly wages vary from CAD$7.75 in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick to CAD$8.75 in Ontario. Ontario has a lower minimum wage rate for youths ($8.20) and a specific minimum wage for liquor servers set at CAD$7.60; British Columbia has a lower rate (that is, CAD$6.00) for the first 500 hours in the workforce regardless of age; Nova Scotia allows employers to pay a lower wage ($7.6) in the first three months of service of an employee; Quebec allows a lower minimum wage for tipped employees; employers under federal jurisdiction are bound by their host province's general minimum wage (i.e. the lower minimums for youths, etc. in some provinces do not apply at the federal level); many more specific adjustments apply by province or territory[13] |
13,322[8] |
35 |
2008-03-31 |
Cape Verde |
none in the private sector; 12,000 Cape Verdean escudos per month for an entry‑level worker in the public sector[4] |
2,008 |
62 |
N/A |
Central African Republic |
set in the public sector by decree and varies by sector and by kind of work; for example, 8,500 CFA francs a month for agricultural workers; 26,000 CFA francs a month for office workers[4] |
385 |
53 |
N/A |
Chad |
28,000 CFA francs per month[4] |
1,573 |
94 |
N/A |
Chile |
159,000 Chilean pesos per month for those aged 18–65; 118,690 pesos for those younger than 18 and for those older than 65; and 102,558 pesos for 'non remunerative' purposes[14]; 75% of the 18–65 minimum wage for domestic servants[15] |
3,688 |
37 |
2008-07-01 |
People's Republic of China |
none nationally; set locally[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Republic of China (Taiwan) |
NT$17,280 a month; NT$104 per hour[4] |
11,455 |
38 |
2007-07-01 |
Colombia |
433,700 Colombian pesos a month; established by the government every January, serving as a benchmark for wage bargaining[4][16] |
2,825 |
74 |
2008-01-01 |
Comoros |
none[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
500 Congolese francs per day[4] |
468 |
152 |
N/A |
Republic of the Congo |
54,000 CFA francs per month in the formal sector[4] |
2,339 |
63 |
N/A |
Costa Rica |
ranging from 91,847 Costa Rican colones a month for domestic employees to 355,009 colones for university graduates[4] |
3,721 |
36 |
N/A |
Côte d'Ivoire |
it varies by occupation, with the lowest set to 36,607 CFA franc per month for the industrial sector; a slightly higher minimum wage rate is applied for construction workers[4] |
1,507 |
88 |
N/A |
Croatia |
2,750Croatian kuna (gross) (cca 563 US$) per month; net is between 2,130-2,200 HRK depending upon exemptions |
6,750 |
46 |
N/A |
Cuba |
it varies by occupation; on average, 225 Cuban pesos a month; supplemented by the government with free education, subsidized medical care (daily pay is reduced by 40 percent after the third day of being admitted to a hospital), housing, and some subsidized food[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Cyprus |
409 Cypriot pounds per month for shop assistants, practical nurses, clerks, hairdressers, and nursery assistants; it rises to 434 CYP after six months' employment[4] |
6,779 |
25 |
N/A |
Northern Cyprus |
1,060 Turkish new lira per month[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Czech Republic |
8,000 Czech korun a month[4] |
6,717 |
28 |
2007-01-01 |
Denmark |
negotiated between unions and employer associations[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Djibouti |
none[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Dominica |
set by law for various categories of workers (last revised in 1989); as low as EC$1.00 per hour for some categories of workers (e.g., household employees) if meals are included; for most workers it ranges from EC$2.00 per hour for tourist industry workers to EC$3.00 per hour for occupations such as shop clerk; labor laws provide that the labor commissioner may authorize the employment of a person with disabilities at a wage lower than the minimum rate in order to enable that person to be employed gainfully[4] |
3,215[8] |
36 |
N/A |
Dominican Republic |
4,450 Dominican pesos a month in the FTZs and 6,400 pesos outside the FTZs; 2,600 pesos per month for the public sector; 150 pesos a day for farm workers who are covered by minimum wage regulations, based on a 10-hour day; 80 pesos per day for cane workers in the sugar industry[4] |
1,058 |
15 |
N/A |
East Timor |
not stipulated in law; in practice, US$85 per month[4] |
5,795 |
232 |
N/A |
Ecuador |
as of December 2005 the minimum wage plus mandated bonuses provided a gross monthly compensation of approximately US$186, or US$1 per hour, in the case of contract workers[4] |
4,993 |
69 |
N/A |
Egypt |
N/A; determined by the National Council of Wages for government and public sector employees; it differs among sectors[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
El Salvador |
US$182.05 a month for service employees; US$178.79 for industrial laborers; US$161.97 for maquila workers; US$85.59 for agriculture industry workers, with US$93.56 for seasonal coffee harvesters, $79.35 for sugarcane workers, and $71.38 for cotton pickers[4] |
1,752 |
30 |
N/A |
Equatorial Guinea |
N/A; set by the government for all sectors of the formal economy; varies from sector to sector[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Eritrea |
360 Eritrean nakfa per month in the civil service sector[4] |
773 |
100 |
N/A |
Estonia |
4,350 Estonian krooni per month[17] |
6,077 |
29 |
2008-01-01 |
Ethiopia |
none; some government institutions and public enterprises set their own minimum wages: public sector employees, the largest group of wage earners, earned a monthly minimum wage of 320 birr; employees in the banking and insurance sector had a minimum monthly wage of 336 birr[4] |
1,397 |
173 |
N/A |
Fiji |
none; set for certain sectors[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Finland |
not in law; however, the law requires all employers, including nonunionized ones, to meet the minimum wages agreed to in collective bargaining agreements in each sector of the workforce; almost all workers are covered under such arrangements[4] |
— |
— |
— |
France |
€8.71 per hour; €1,321.02 per month for 151.67 hours worked (or 7 hours every weekday of the month)[18] |
17,363[19] |
52 |
2008-06-28 |
Gabon |
80,000 CFA francs per month; government workers received an additional monthly allowance of 20,000 CFA francs per child; government workers also received transportation, housing, and family benefits; the law does not mandate housing or family benefits for private sector workers[4] |
3,582 |
25 |
N/A |
The Gambia |
19.55 dalasi per day for unskilled labor; in practice 50 dalasi[4] |
1,710 |
129 |
N/A |
Georgia |
115 Georgian lari a month for public employees; 20 lari a month for private sector workers[4] |
287 |
6 |
N/A |
Germany |
none, except for construction workers and cleaning staff[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Ghana |
1.60 Ghanaian cedis a day[4] |
932[20] |
65 |
N/A |
Greece |
€680.59 a month[21] |
13,477[22] |
46 |
2008-01-01 |
Grenada |
set for various categories of workers; for example, agricultural workers were classified into male and female workers; rates for men were EC$5.00 per hour, and for women EC$4.75 per hour; however, if a female worker performed the same task as a man, her rate of pay was the same; the minimum wage for domestic workers was set at EC$400 monthly[4] |
6,866[8] |
66 |
N/A |
Guatemala |
44.58 Guatemalan quetzales per day for agricultural work and 45.82 quetzales for nonagricultural work[4] |
2,826 |
60 |
N/A |
Guinea |
the labor code allows the government to set a minimum hourly wage; however, the government has not exercised this provision nor does it promote a standard wage[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Guinea-Bissau |
set annually for all categories of work; 19,030 CFA francs per month plus a bag of rice[4] |
1,078 |
223 |
N/A |
Guyana |
G$28,415 per month in the public sector; G$4,000 per week for certain categories of private sector workers; affected occupations include retail cashiers and clerks, printers, drivers, and conductors[4] |
2,788 |
73 |
N/A |
Haiti |
70 Haitian gourdes a day[4] |
899 |
70 |
N/A |
Honduras |
based on a scale divided into 10 sectors based on the size of the worker's place of employment; the scale ranges from 54.5 Honduran lempiras a day for unskilled labor to 134.89 lempiras a day for workers in financial and insurance companies[4] |
1,865 |
46 |
N/A |
Hong Kong |
HK$3,400 per month for foreign domestic workers[4] |
7,407 |
18 |
N/A |
Hungary |
69,000 Hungarian forint per month[5] |
6,243 |
33 |
2008-01-01 |
Iceland |
none; minimum wages are negotiated in various collectively bargained agreements and applied automatically to all employees in those occupations, regardless of union membership; while the agreements can be either industry- or sector-wide, and in some cases firm-specific, the minimum wage levels are occupation-specific[4] |
— |
— |
— |
India |
N/A; varies according to the state and to the sector of industry; state governments set a separate minimum wage for agricultural workers; some industries, such as the apparel and footwear industries, did not have a prescribed minimum wage[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Indonesia |
established by provincial and district authorities, which vary by province, district, and sector; as high as 1,000,000 rupiah per month in Aceh; as low as 390,000 rupiah per month in one area[4] |
991 |
27 |
N/A |
Iran |
N/A; set annually for each industrial sector and region; the law stipulates that the minimum wage should meet the living expenses of a family and should take inflation into account[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Iraq |
none[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Ireland |
€8.65 per hour[23] |
17,317[24] |
40 |
2007-07-01 |
Israel |
approximately 47.5 percent of the average wage, or 3,850.13 Israeli new sheqel per month; NIS 20.70 per hour; NIS 154 per day over a six day week; NIS 177.70 per day over a five-day week, provided that the salary is not less than the basis hourly rate; 70% of the minimum wage for those under 16; 75% of the minimum wage for those aged 16-17; 83% of the minimum wage for those aged 17-18; often supplemented by special allowances for citizens[4][25] |
12,920 |
50 |
2008-07-01 |
Italy |
none by law; instead set through collective bargaining agreements on a sector-by-sector basis[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Jamaica |
J$2,800 per week and J$4,140 per week for private security guards[4] |
3,875 |
50 |
N/A |
Japan |
ranges from 618 Japanese yen to 739 yen per hour; set on a prefectural and industry basis[4] |
10,692[8] |
32 |
N/A |
Jordan |
110 Jordanian dinars per month; applies to all workers except domestic servants, those working in small family businesses, and those in the agricultural sector[4] |
3,251 |
67 |
N/A |
Kazakhstan |
9,752 Kazakhstani tenge a month[4] |
1,541 |
14 |
N/A |
Kenya |
the lowest urban minimum wage was 7,578 shillings per month, and the lowest agricultural minimum wage for unskilled employees was 2,536 shillings per month, excluding housing allowance[4] |
902 |
53 |
N/A |
Kiribati |
none; estimated by government authorities to be between A$1.60 to A$1.70 per hour[4] |
11,827[26] |
331 |
N/A |
North Korea |
N/A[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
South Korea |
3,480 South Korean won per hour; reviewed annually[4] |
9,775[8] |
39 |
N/A |
Kosovo |
none adopted[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Kuwait |
200 Kuwaiti dinars per month for public sector citizen employees and 90 dinars for public sector non-citizen employees; no legal minimum wage in the private sector; 40 dinars for domestic workers[4] |
10,000 |
25 |
N/A |
Kyrgyzstan |
340 Kyrgyzstani som per month[4] |
307 |
15 |
N/A |
Laos |
11,154 Lao kip a day and 290,000 Lao kip a month for factory workers; 250,000 kip for civil servants, often complemented with government benefits and housing subsidies[4] |
979 |
48 |
N/A |
Latvia |
160 Latvian latu a month[5] |
5,424 |
31 |
2008-01-01 |
Lebanon |
500,000 Lebanese pound per month [27] |
6,828 |
61 |
N/A |
Lesotho |
252 maloti per month for lower-skilled jobs such as domestic workers; 686 maloti per month for textile machine operator trainees; 738 maloti per month for textile general workers[4] |
829 |
65 |
N/A |
Liberia |
15 LD per hour not exceeding 8 hours per day, excluding benefits, for unskilled laborers; 15 LD per hour for agricultural workers, excluding benefits; none for skilled labor; 3,300 LD per month for civil servants[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Libya |
85 dinars per month; the government heavily subsidizes rent, utilities, and food staples[4] |
1,061 |
9 |
N/A |
Liechtenstein |
none[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Lithuania |
800 Lithuanian litas per month[5] |
5,915 |
34 |
2008-01-01 |
Luxembourg |
€1,570.28 per month for unqualified workers over 18; €1,256.22 for those aged 17-18; €1,177.71 for those aged 15-17; €1,884.34 for qualified workers[28] |
19,856 |
25 |
2007-10-01 |
Republic of Macedonia |
none[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Madagascar |
62,543 Malagasy ariary per month for nonagricultural workers; 64,440 ariary per month for agricultural workers[4] |
990 |
93 |
N/A |
Malawi |
MK 97 per day for urban workers; MK 74 per day in all other areas[4] |
407 |
52 |
N/A |
Malaysia |
none, nationally; 350 Malaysian ringgit per month for plantation workers; raised to 700 ringgit by productivity incentives and bonuses[4] |
4,680 |
35 |
N/A |
Maldives |
N/A; none for the private sector; the government establishes wage floors for government employment[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Mali |
24,660 CFA francs per month, supplemented by a required package of benefits, including social security and health care[4] |
1,216 |
118 |
N/A |
Malta |
59.63 Maltese lira a week, combined with an annual mandatory bonus of 220 Maltese lira and a 91 Maltese lira annual cost of living increase to all employees to reflect inflation; citizens are entitled to government subsidies for housing, health care, and education[4] |
5,965 |
26 |
N/A |
Marshall Islands |
US$2.00 per hour for government and private sector employees[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Mauritania |
21,000 Mauritanian ouguiya per month for adults[4] |
2,075 |
103 |
N/A |
Mauritius |
517 Mauritian rupees per week for an unskilled worker in the Export Processing Zone (EPZ); 675 rupees per week for an unskilled factory worker outside the EPZ[4] |
1,726 |
15 |
N/A |
Mexico |
daily minimum wages set annually by law and determined by zone; 51 Mexican pesos in Zona A (Baja California, Federal District, State of Mexico, and large cities), 49 pesos in Zone B (Sonora, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Jalisco), and 48 pesos in Zone C (all other states)[4] |
1,721 |
13 |
N/A |
Micronesia |
US$2.00 per hour for government workers and US$1.35 for private-sector workers in Pohnpei; US$1.25 per hour for government workers in Chuuk; US$1.49 per hour for government workers in Kosrae; US$1.60 per hour for government workers in Yap; US$2.64 for employment with the national government[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Moldova |
[outdated] 305 Moldovan lei a month for public sector employees and 708 lei for private sector employees[4] |
700 |
24 |
N/A |
Monaco |
€8.27 per hour (same as the French minimum wage for full-time work), plus a 5% adjustment[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Mongolia |
90,000 Mongolian tögrög per month for public and private sector workers[4] |
1,995 |
62 |
N/A |
Montenegro |
€55 a month[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
2007-07-01 |
Morocco |
9.66 Moroccan dirhams per hour in the industrialized sector and 50 dirhams per day for agricultural workers[4] |
2,707 |
66 |
N/A |
Mozambique |
1,645 meticais per month for industry and services (including employees in public administration); 1,126 meticais in the agricultural sector[4] |
1,177[29] |
142 |
N/A |
Myanmar |
15,000 Myanma kyat a month for salaried public employees; 500 kyat per day for day laborers, supplemented by various subsidies and allowances[4] |
455 |
44 |
N/A |
Namibia |
no statutory minimum wage law; the mining, construction, and agricultural sectors set basic levels of pay through collective bargaining[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Nauru |
N/A; there is a graduated salary system for public service officers and employees[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Nepal |
2,200 Nepalese rupees a month for unskilled labor; 2,250 NRS for semi-skilled labor; 2,360 NRS for skilled labor; 2,550 NRS for highly skilled labor; additional allowances for food and other benefits totaled 1,100 NRS per month[4] |
1,598 |
132 |
N/A |
Netherlands |
€1,335 per month[21] |
18,267 |
47 |
2008-01-01 |
New Zealand |
NZ$12.00 per hour [30] |
16,021[8] |
61 |
2008-04-01 |
Nicaragua |
each key sector of the economy has a different minimum wage; ranges from 1,025 Nicaraguan córdobas a month in the agricultural sector to 2,381 córdobas a month in the financial sector[4] |
1,845 |
71 |
N/A |
Niger |
the lowest minimum wage was 28,000 CFA francs per month, with an additional 1,000 CFA francs added per month per child; set for each class and category within the formal sector[4] |
1,497 |
225 |
N/A |
Nigeria |
8,625 naira per month, nationally (with a 13 month year as the law mandates an extra month's pay for the Christmas holiday); some federal ministries, states, and private sector companies raised their minimum wage to 9,000 naira for all employees[4] |
1,573 |
77 |
N/A |
Norway |
none; wages normally fall within a national scale negotiated by labor, employers, and local governments[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Oman |
140 Omani rials per month for citizens; none for foreign workers[4] |
6,720 |
28 |
N/A |
Pakistan |
2,500 Pakistani rupees per month for unskilled workers applying only to industrial and commercial establishments employing 50 or more workers[4] |
1,412 |
54 |
N/A |
Palau |
US$2.50 per hour; does not include foreign workers[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Panama |
ranges from 1.01 to 1.87 Panamanian balboas per hour, depending on the region and sector; the law establishes minimum wage rates for specific regions and for most categories of labor, excluding public sector workers[4] |
4,407[7] |
43 |
N/A |
Papua New Guinea |
37.50 Papua New Guinean kina per week for adult workers in the private sector; 75% of the adult minimum wage for new entrants into the labor force between 16 and 21 years of age[4] |
1,256 |
64 |
N/A |
Paraguay |
1,341,775 Paraguayan guaraníes per month for private sector workers; there is no public sector minimum wage; 40% of the minimum wage for domestic workers[31][4] |
7,334 |
163 |
2007-10-01 |
Peru |
550 Peruvian nuevos soles per month[4] |
4,239 |
54 |
2008-01-01 |
Philippines |
ranges from P200 a day for agricultural workers in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to P362 a day for nonagricultural workers in the National Capital Region (NCR); set by tripartite regional wage boards[4] |
2,342 |
69 |
N/A |
Poland |
1,126 Polish złotych per month[5] |
7,214 |
44 |
2008-01-01 |
Portugal |
€470 per month for full-time workers, rural workers, and domestic employees ages 18 and older[4][32] |
9,307[22] |
43 |
N/A |
Qatar |
none; the labor law provides the emir with authority to set a minimum wage, but he did not do so[4] |
— |
— |
— |
Romania |
540 Romanian lei per month for a full time schedule of 170 hours per month; 20% higher for skilled workers,rising to 600 lei by the 1st of January 2009.[33][4][21] |
3,932 |
35 |
2008-08-01 |
Russia |
2,300 Russian rubles per month[4] |
1,747 |
12 |
2007-09-01 |
Rwanda |
N/A; no single minimum wage; the government set minimum wages in the small formal sector[4] |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Saint Kitts and Nevis |
EC$150 per week for full-time domestic workers; EC$200 per week for skilled workers[4] |
3,955 |
28 |
N/A |
Saint Lucia |
EC$300 a month for office clerks; EC$200 for shop assistants; EC$160 for messengers[4] |
1,331 |
12 |
N/A |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
EC$25 per day for agriculture industry workers; EC$30 per day for industrial workers earned[4] |
4,489 |
46 |
N/A |
|