Gender pay gap in the EU, 2024: how much less women earn per hour, on average
Published
In 2024, women's average gross hourly earnings in the EU were 11.1% lower than men's, down from 14.4% in 2018. The unadjusted gap ranged from 18.8% in Estonia to minus 0.8% in Luxembourg. Here are the figures for all 27 countries and what this indicator does and does not measure.
In 2024, average gross hourly earnings of women in the EU were 11.1% lower than those of men, according to Eurostat. In 2018, the gap was 14.4%. The figures come from Eurostat's gender pay gap data, last updated on 26 February 2026, which has 2024 figures for all 27 countries. Most of the 2024 figures are provisional.
How the gap is calculated
Eurostat takes the average gross hourly earnings of men and of women who are paid employees, subtracts the women's average from the men's, and expresses the result as a percentage of the men's average. Hourly earnings include paid overtime and exclude non-regular payments. Part-time employees are included, and there is no restriction on age or hours worked.
The figures cover enterprises with 10 or more employees in industry, construction and services, excluding public administration and defence. That is the scope Eurostat uses for the EU figure. The EU value is a weighted average of the national gaps, with the number of employees in each country as the weight.
What "unadjusted" means
This is the unadjusted gender pay gap. It compares all men and all women in employment, not men and women in the same job, with the same working hours or the same experience. Eurostat describes it as a measure of a concept broader than equal pay for equal work, and notes that part of the difference can be explained by individual characteristics of employed men and women and by the fact that men and women tend to work in different sectors and occupations.
So a low gap does not prove that men and women are paid equally for the same work, and a high gap does not prove discrimination. The indicator gives an overall picture; it does not say why the gap exists in a given country.
The table
Unadjusted gender pay gap, difference between men's and women's average gross hourly earnings as a % of men's earnings, ranked from the largest to the smallest gap in 2024. The last column is the change in percentage points since 2018.
| Rank | Country | 2024 | 2018 | Change since 2018, points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estonia | 18.8 | 21.8 | -3.0 |
| 2 | Czechia | 18.5 | 20.1 | -1.6 |
| 3 | Austria | 17.6 | 20.4 | -2.8 |
| 4 | Hungary | 16.9 | 14.2 | 2.7 |
| 5 | Finland | 16.3 | 16.9 | -0.6 |
| 6 | Slovakia | 15.7 | 19.8 | -4.1 |
| 7 | Germany | 15.6 | 20.1 | -4.5 |
| 8 | Denmark | 14.0 | 14.6 | -0.6 |
| 9 | Latvia | 13.9 | 19.6 | -5.7 |
| 10 | Greece | 13.4 | 10.4 | 3.0 |
| 11 | Bulgaria | 12.0 | 13.9 | -1.9 |
| 12 | Cyprus | 11.8 | 10.4 | 1.4 |
| 12 | France | 11.8 | 16.7 | -4.9 |
| 14 | Netherlands | 11.2 | 14.7 | -3.5 |
| 14 | Sweden | 11.2 | 12.1 | -0.9 |
| 16 | Lithuania | 10.0 | 14.0 | -4.0 |
| 17 | Ireland | 8.3 | 11.3 | -3.0 |
| 18 | Slovenia | 8.0 | 9.3 | -1.3 |
| 19 | Spain | 7.3 | 11.9 | -4.6 |
| 20 | Portugal | 7.0 | 8.9 | -1.9 |
| 21 | Croatia | 6.6 | 11.4 | -4.8 |
| 22 | Italy | 5.3 | 5.5 | -0.2 |
| 23 | Malta | 4.9 | 13.0 | -8.1 |
| 24 | Poland | 4.0 | 8.5 | -4.5 |
| 25 | Romania | 3.7 | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| 26 | Belgium | 0.7 | 5.8 | -5.1 |
| 27 | Luxembourg | -0.8 | 1.4 | -2.2 |
| EU | 11.1 | 14.4 | -3.3 |
Where the gap is largest
Estonia had the largest gap in 2024, 18.8%, followed by Czechia (18.5%), Austria (17.6%), Hungary (16.9%) and Finland (16.3%). Slovakia (15.7%) and Germany (15.6%) were also above 15%. In all, 15 countries were above the EU figure of 11.1%.
Where it is smallest
The smallest gaps were in Luxembourg, Belgium (0.7%), Romania (3.7%), Poland (4.0%) and Malta (4.9%). In Luxembourg the gap was negative, minus 0.8%: on average, women's gross hourly earnings there were slightly higher than men's. Eurostat notes that negative gaps should be read in the context of who is in employment: the women in paid work may, for example, have comparatively higher skills and education levels than the men.
How the gap changed since 2018
Between 2018 and 2024, the gap narrowed in 23 countries and widened in 4. The EU figure fell by 3.3 points, from 14.4% to 11.1%.
The largest fall was in Malta, 8.1 points, from 13.0% to 4.9%. Latvia (5.7 points), Belgium (5.1), France (4.9) and Croatia (4.8) followed. The gap widened in Greece (by 3.0 points), Hungary (2.7), Romania (1.5) and Cyprus (1.4).
Eurostat marks breaks in series for Hungary in 2019, Germany in 2022, Slovenia in 2023 and Finland in 2024, so the change for these four countries needs caution.
Related figures
For average full-time wages across the OECD, see average wages in the OECD. For the legal pay floor, see minimum wages in Europe, and for what is left after tax, how much of your salary you keep.
Notes on the data
- Provisional and estimated figures. All 2024 figures except Poland's are provisional or estimated; Romania's is estimated. Eurostat replaces provisional figures when the next four-yearly Structure of Earnings Survey becomes available.
- Czechia. The definition differs: unlike other countries, the figures cover public administration and enterprises with fewer than 10 employees.
- Sources. The figures come from the Structure of Earnings Survey, run every four years, and from national estimates for the years in between.
Country profiles: Estonia, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Poland and Greece.
Countries in this article
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Related
Sources
- Eurostat. Gender pay gap in unadjusted form by NACE Rev. 2 activity, structure of earnings survey methodology (earn_gr_gpgr2), industry, construction and services except public administration, defence and compulsory social security, 2018 and 2024 (database update of 26 February 2026). accessed .
- Eurostat. Gender pay gap in unadjusted form, NACE Rev. 2 activity (earn_grgpg2), reference metadata. accessed .
- Eurostat. Gender pay gap statistics (Statistics Explained), data extracted in February 2026. accessed .