West European Minimum Wage 17 Times Higher Than Belarusian One

The result of the fact that someone did not want to "follow the civilized world."

The EU statistical agency released data on the minimum wages in the EU countries, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports with reference to Agerpres. According to Eurostat, 22 of the 28 EU countries have a Statutory Minimum Wage Index, in contrast to Denmark, Italy, Cyprus, Austria, Finland and Sweden, where there is no minimum wage index.

These 22 states can be divided into three main groups: the first group, which includes ten member states of the former Eastern Bloc, where the minimum wage is less than 500 euros per month; the second group consisting of five Member States located in the south of the EU, where the minimum wage ranges from 500 to 1000 euros per month; the third group, which includes seven member states that are located in the western and northern part of the European Union. In these countries, the minimum monthly wage exceeds one thousand euros.

The minimum wage in the five EU countries is noticeably different from the one in other countries: Germany (1,498 euros), Belgium (1,532 euros), the Netherlands (1,552 euros), Ireland (1,563 euros) and Luxembourg (1999 euros), Eurostat notes.

In Bulgaria, the poorest country of the EU, the minimum living wage is nine times lower than in Luxembourg. It is only 235 euros.

The minimum national living wage in Belarus is 265 Belarusian rubles (about 115 euros). This is 17.4 times less than in Luxembourg. The last time the authorities raised the minimum living wage in Belarus was at the beginning of this year. From January 1, this indicator has risen by 25.58 Belarusian rubles and now the minimum living wage is 265 Belarusian rubles.