According to the latest data from Eurostat, the average gross annual salary for full-time employees in the European Union last year was €39,800, representing a growth of 5.2 percent compared to 2023. In this context, Croatia is increasingly positioning itself in the middle tier of member states, with salary levels higher than those of seven EU members, but still below the European average.
Average salaries in Croatia are higher than in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Greece, Slovakia, Poland, and Latvia. Although salary growth is also recorded in these countries, their levels remain below the Croatian average, which places Croatia among the countries that are gradually narrowing the gap with the older member states of the Union.
The highest salaries in the European Union are traditionally recorded in Luxembourg, Denmark, and Ireland, with annual averages ranging between €61,100 and €83,000. At the opposite end of the scale are Bulgaria, Greece, and Hungary, where the average annual salary does not exceed €18,500. Croatia, with an average gross salary of €23,466, is positioned above this block, with significant growth over the past three years.
For Croatia to catch up with the next country on the salary ranking, the Czech Republic, an increase in the average salary of €500 per year is needed, and to reach the Portuguese average, a growth of about €1,400 annually is required.
Nominal salary growth, of course, does not necessarily mean an increase in the standard of living. Inflation, rising housing costs, and tax burdens continue to limit the real purchasing power of employees. Eurostat notes that differences among countries remain significant even when local living costs are taken into account, and this inequality is one of the biggest obstacles to convergence within the Union.
