Wages, Italy slips into the EU: we are in 13th place (Spain and Slovenia are also better than us)

In terms of gross annual wages, Italy continues to lose ground compared to other European nations. The wage growth that occurred in the last four years, i.e. from 2022 to 2025, under the pressure of contract renewals, occurred at a slower pace than our European partners, ending up widening the gap.

This was revealed by a Eurostat study which compares the full-time equivalent gross annual wages of the 27 EU countries: if in 2022 Italy occupied tenth position with an average of 31,849 euros, an amount 3,822 euros lower than the average of the 27 countries, which stood at 35,671 euros, over the following three years the gap widened, despite the growth in nominal wages which in 2023 reached an average of 32,626 euros in our country. But elsewhere the growth was more consistent, reaching 37,879 euros as an average of the 27 EU countries, with a difference therefore of 5,253 euros. We thus went from tenth to eleventh place.

The same trend was also recorded in 2024. Here, the average full-time equivalent gross annual salary was 33,385 euros, compared to the EU average of 39,773 euros. Result? The gap, to Italy's disadvantage, has widened further: 6,388 euros, and we have fallen to thirteenth place. A ranking, to use a term in "sports" language, which has remained unchanged in 2025. In our country, gross wages have risen, on average, to 34,213 euros. On the average of the 27 EU countries the increase was much higher, reaching 41,464 euros, with a gap, therefore, of over 7 thousand euros (7,251 euros to be precise); a performance that leaves us in 13th place. In short, we are mid-table, also surpassed by Spain (35,125 euros), Slovenia (37,586 euros), Malta (35,003); and light years away from the top countries, Luxembourg (85,609 euros), in first place overall, followed by Denmark (73,500 euros), Ireland (64,387 euros). Our salaries are also lower than our competitor countries, in 2025, Germany (56,350 euros) and France (44,734 euros).

The point is that, here, gross annual wages have grown little: from 31,849 euros in 2022 to 34,213 in 2025 (+2,364 euros); unlike the EU average, which went from 35,671 to 41,464 euros, with an increase more than double compared to ours (+5,793 euros).

There are several causes behind this progressive loss of positions. «Delays in contract renewals have penalized Italian workers - underlined Andrea Garnero, OECD economist -. In countries where negotiations were concluded more promptly, or where solutions were found to defend purchasing power, wages recovered sooner. I am thinking of the agreements between the social partners in Spain and Portugal, which set reference increases for several years, or the one-off increases in Germany. In Italy many contracts remained expired for a long time and subsequent renewals recognized increases lower than inflation, with a few exceptions such as metalworkers and banks". Then there is a composition effect: "Employment - added Garnero - has grown a lot, but largely in services with low added value and with lower wages, and this drags the average down".