Work & incomeGermany
Median salary in Germany
What does the middle earner actually make in a month?
Germany's median salary is $5,248 PPP/mo — #9 of 78 countries on the atlas (higher is better). Period 2022.
$5,248PPP/mo
Source: ILO monthly earnings of employees (EAR_EMTA mean + EAR_EMTM median)
Half of Germany's employees earn less than $5,248 a month, half earn more — the middle of the pay scale, in local buying power.
Among 78 countries
- Rank
- #9 of 78
- higher is better
- Ranked behind
- 88 %
- 69 of 78 countries
In Europe: #9 of 32vs median $1,379 PPP/mo: +280 % (better)
The neighbourhood
| # | Country | Median earnings | vs Germany |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Switzerland | $5,621 PPP/mo | +$373 PPP/mo |
| 8 | Finland | $5,547 PPP/mo | +$299 PPP/mo |
| 9 | Germany | $5,248 PPP/mo | — |
| 10 | Sweden | $4,852 PPP/mo | −$396 PPP/mo |
| 11 | Italy | $4,844 PPP/mo | −$404 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.