Work & incomeCanada
Median salary in Canada
What does the middle earner actually make in a month?
Canada's median salary is $3,988 PPP/mo — #16 of 78 countries on the atlas (higher is better). Period 2025.
$3,988PPP/mo
Source: ILO monthly earnings of employees (EAR_EMTA mean + EAR_EMTM median)
Half of Canada's employees earn less than $3,988 a month, half earn more — the middle of the pay scale, in local buying power.
Among 78 countries
- Rank
- #16 of 78
- higher is better
- Ranked behind
- 79 %
- 62 of 78 countries
In Americas: #2 of 19vs median $1,379 PPP/mo: +189 % (better)
The neighbourhood
| # | Country | Median earnings | vs Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Ireland | $4,423 PPP/mo | +$436 PPP/mo |
| 15 | Spain | $4,357 PPP/mo | +$369 PPP/mo |
| 16 | Canada | $3,988 PPP/mo | — |
| 17 | Cyprus | $3,851 PPP/mo | −$136 PPP/mo |
| 18 | Malta | $3,758 PPP/mo | −$230 PPP/mo |
Median monthly earnings of employees, PPP dollars (ILO) — the middle earner, not the average. The gap to mean earnings is the skew: the US mean is a third above its median, and that difference is real information.
How to read this figure
Median monthly earnings from the ILO’s twin flow — same collection and unit as the mean, but the MIDDLE earner: half earn less, half earn more. Compare the two and the gap is the pay-scale skew itself (the US mean sits about a third above its median; Norway’s barely a tenth). Distinct from median income, which is equivalised disposable household income after tax and transfers — this is gross pay per employee.