One-fifth of workers in Cyprus were classified as low-wage earners in 2022, significantly exceeding the European Union average of 14.7%, according to data released by Eurostat.
The figures highlight substantial wage inequality in Cyprus, which also recorded the highest disparity at the upper end of the earnings distribution, with the top 10% of earners receiving 2.5 times more than the median salary.
Low-wage workers are defined as those earning two-thirds or less of the median gross hourly earnings in their country of employment. The EU-wide proportion of such workers has improved slightly since 2018, when it stood at 16.2%.
The Eurostat report reveals consistent patterns across the bloc, with women more likely than men to be low-wage earners (17.1% compared to 12.6%). Young workers face particularly challenging circumstances, with approximately one quarter (25.2%) of employees under 30 years old falling into the low-wage category, compared to 12.1% of workers aged 30-49 and 13.4% of those over 50.
Educational attainment emerged as a crucial factor influencing earnings potential. Throughout the EU, 27.5% of workers with low educational qualifications were low-wage earners, compared to 17.5% of those with medium-level education and just 4.8% of those with higher education.
The proportion of low-wage workers varied considerably across EU member states. Bulgaria recorded the highest percentage (26.8%), followed by Romania (23.9%), Latvia (23.3%), Greece (21.7%), Estonia (21.2%) and Cyprus (20.0%).
In contrast, Portugal reported the lowest proportion at just 1.8%, with Sweden (4.1%), Finland (6.5%), Italy (8.8%), Slovenia (9.4%), and both France and Denmark (9.7%) also maintaining single-digit percentages.
Cyprus’s position at the wage inequality rankings reflects broader economic challenges facing the island, where the highest-earning 10% received 2.5 times the median wage. Similar patterns were observed in Bulgaria, Portugal and Romania (each with a ratio of 2.4), followed by Ireland, Luxembourg and Latvia (all with ratios of 2.2).
Sweden and Belgium demonstrated the most equitable earnings distribution (both with ratios of 1.6), followed closely by Finland and Denmark (both at 1.7).
Read more:
