Real wage growth 2015–2025 — where pay has really grown
Nominal wages rose almost everywhere over the past decade — the question is whether they outran inflation. We compared nominal wage growth against CPI in all 20 countries we track, from 2015 to 2025, using the same data as our raise vs inflation tool. The result: growth is very uneven, and in two countries the average worker is actually poorer today than in 2015.
| # | Country | Average wage 2015 → 2025 | Nominal growth | CPI change | Real growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poland | 46,365 → 101,248 PLN | +118.4% | +57.6% | +38.6% |
| 2 | Portugal | 16,420 → 25,826 EUR | +57.3% | +23.4% | +27.5% |
| 3 | Estonia | 13,584 → 27,554 EUR | +102.8% | +61.5% | +25.6% |
| 4 | Ireland | 45,249 → 63,379 EUR | +40.1% | +24.2% | +12.7% |
| 5 | Germany | 39,076 → 54,840 EUR | +40.3% | +28.5% | +9.2% |
| 6 | USA¹ | 59,030 → 86,977 USD | +47.3% | +35.8% | +8.5% |
| 7 | Denmark | 417,869 → 540,516 DKK | +29.4% | +21.1% | +6.8% |
| 8 | Belgium | 43,591 → 61,747 EUR | +41.7% | +34.1% | +5.6% |
| 9 | Switzerland | 87,129 → 98,334 CHF | +12.9% | +7.6% | +4.8% |
| 10 | Austria | 40,736 → 58,754 EUR | +44.2% | +38.6% | +4.1% |
| 11 | Norway | 515,246 → 734,712 NOK | +42.6% | +37.7% | +3.5% |
| 12 | France | 35,621 → 44,304 EUR | +24.4% | +21.0% | +2.8% |
| 13 | Sweden | 398,344 → 546,171 SEK | +37.1% | +33.4% | +2.8% |
| 14 | Spain | 27,031 → 35,121 EUR | +29.9% | +26.8% | +2.5% |
| 15 | Finland | 40,404 → 50,569 EUR | +25.2% | +22.8% | +2.0% |
| 16 | Canada | 64,722 → 85,588 CAD | +32.2% | +29.7% | +1.9% |
| 17 | UK | 33,137 → 46,511 GBP | +40.4% | +38.0% | +1.7% |
| 18 | Australia | 79,207 → 105,478 AUD | +33.2% | +32.5% | +0.5% |
| 19 | Netherlands | 45,968 → 61,492 EUR | +33.8% | +34.6% | -0.6% |
| 20 | Italy | 29,473 → 34,733 EUR | +17.8% | +22.7% | -3.9% |
Source: OECD Average Annual Wages (AV_AN_WAGE), World Bank CPI, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025 USA CPI). Wage figures: latest OECD figures as of September 2026.
The Netherlands and Italy are the only two countries where real wages are lower in 2025 than in 2015.
Figures: reference year 2025, from the datasets described on our methodology page.