Average annual wages in Spain 2000-2021

Over this 21-year period, annual wages in Spain fluctuated greatly, ranging from a low of 26,795 euros in 2006 to a high of approximately 29,808 euros in 2009. The average annual wage stood at approximately 27483 euros in 2021. Compared to other European countries, Spain ranked fairly low. The yearly salary in the Iberian country was similar to salaries in Italy and Slovenia, but remained far from the figures that were registered in France, Ireland and Germany.

Minimum wage

Spain's minimum monthly wage was 1,000 euros as of 2022. Unlike the average annual wage, it has been constantly increasing on a nearly continuous basis since 2008, when the minimum wage was 600 euros per month. In 2019, the Socialist government of Spain passed a law by that increased the national minimum wage by 164 euros, therefore making it stand at 900 euros per month and reflecting the largest increase to date. Along with the monthly wage, the national minimum daily wage has also been raised consistently over the past years. In 2022, the gross minimum was 33.33 euros a day, whereas in 2000 it was 20 euros a day.

Unequal pay

The average salary in Spain diverges considerably according to different factors. For instance, the gender salary gap remains significant in the Mediterranean country, although it has shrunk in recent years. In 2019, the average salary for a male full-time employee was around nine percent higher than his female counterpart. The gender breach is even wider for permanent positions: that year, average annual salaries for women were roughly 6,400 euros less than average salaries for men. The salary gap is also conspicuous when looking at the wage for workers with disabilities, a gap that has increased in recent years. Geographic location is also important; the average net salary in regions such as Extremadura and the Canary Islands was less than 22,000 euros per year in 2020, far from the salary in the Basque Country and Madrid (30,200 and 28,800 euros, respectively).