Average Salary in Spain in 2024

The average salary in Spain in 2022 was €26,948.87 per employee (gross salary). That leads to a €2,250 monthly average wage, according to INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatistica).

This article will break down how the average salary varies by activity sector, region, age, or gender so you can get a full picture.

Please note: All data in this article are based on official statistics and reports. All data is linked at the end of the article.

Summary

• Average annual salary: €26,948.87 according to INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatistica) in 2022
• Average monthly salary: €2,250 according to INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatistica) in 2022
• Minimum monthly wage: €1,134 as of 2024, according to INE
• Gender pay gap: 7,9% in 2024, according to World Economic Forum

Average salary in Spain

The average salary in Spain in 2022, according to INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatistica), was €26,948.87 per employee (gross salary), which means a €2,250 average monthly salary. The hourly rate for full-time workers was, therefore, €16,80.

There was a notable distinction in the average salary in 2022 between women and men. While women had an average salary of €24,359.82, men had a higher salary, that of €29,381.84.

There are other distinctions in Spain’s average salary, such as occupation, skilled or unskilled labor, age, education level, or nationality, but you’ll find separate paragraphs on each of the above during the article.

Median salary 

Simply put, the median salary is the middle amount of money people earn in a group or country. Therefore, the median salary reflects the typical income of a person in the middle of the earnings range.

Hence, half of the population earns more than this amount, and half earn less. It gives a clearer picture of most people’s salaries than the average salary as it is not affected by very high or very low salaries. On the other hand, the average salary can be skewed by a few people earning much more than others, while the median shows what most people are making.

The only information identified on the median salaries in Spain is that in 2021, women had a median salary of €19,162.47, while men had a considerably higher median salary, namely €23,490.62.

Source: Wages, income, social cohesion, INE

Minimum wage

The minimum wage (Salario Mínimo Interprofesional or SMI) in Spain is the amount below which employees cannot be paid for a full day of work.

In Spain, the minimum wage is updated yearly and regulated by legal acts. In 2023, the minimum wage was €1,080, while in 2024, the Council of Ministers approved the increase of the Minimum Wage (SMI) for 2024 to €1,134 in 14 payments. The decision made by the Council of Ministers resulted from an agreement between the labor unions Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT). Approximately 2.5 million employees benefit from this increase.

According to Le Moncla publication, the Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría, has emphasized that the minimum wage has increased by 54% since 2018:

“Then it was 735 euros per month and today it is 1,134 euros per month, a rise that will improve the quality of life of workers, especially women workers in our country”. Pilar Alegría

Regarding salary distribution, in 2022, INE showed that 24.2% of women earned less than or equal to the Minimum Interprofesional Salary due to working part-time. Working part-time is a phenomenon often encountered in many countries as women get more involved in their motherhood roles. In contrast,10.3% of men earned less than the minimum income of SMI.

Average salary by region

According to the Wage Structure Survey from 2022, INE, the average salaries vary depending on the region. This disparity is influenced by various factors such as local industries, the cost of living in larger cities versus rural areas, and national productivity levels within each area.

Regions like País Vasco, Madrid, and Navarra recorded the highest earnings, reflecting their strong economic output and contribution to the Spanish economy.

At the same time, Extremadura, Canarias, and Castilla-La Mancha reported the lowest salaries. These variations reflect the economic diversity across Spain, with some regions benefiting from more dynamic sectors and growth opportunities than others.

Average salary by age

Data provided by the Instituto Nacional de Estatistica covers more age groups. However, it surfaces the following information based on their 2022 Wage Structure Survey:

• Employees under 20 years of age had an average annual salary of €10,597.24, largely due to being employed on temporary and part-time contracts than other age groups;
• There was a positive relationship between age and salary up to 59, meaning salary generally increased with age;
• For workers aged 60 to 64, salaries decreased but still remained above the average salary;
• Workers 65 and older had the highest average annual salary, €30,496.85.

 Average salary by education

An employee’s education level and certifications always impact salary. As in other countries, this rule is applicable in Spain, too. Being highly skilled and educated comes with more job opportunities and higher salaries.

Data from Salaryexplorer.com highlights a positive correlation between higher education and an increased salary:

• Individuals with a certificate or diploma earned 17% more in annual wages than those with only a high school education.
• Those with a Bachelor’s Degree earned 24% more than individuals with a certificate or diploma.
• Professionals with a Master’s Degree earned 29% more than those with a Bachelor’s Degree.
• PhD holders earned 23% more than professionals with a Master’s Degree while performing the same job.

Spain’s National Institute of Statistics reveals more data in their 2022 Wage Structure Survey:

• University graduates and PhD holders earned the highest, with an average annual salary of €44,672.13, exceeding the national average by 65.8%.
• Employees with incomplete primary education had an average annual salary of €17,333.57, 35.7% lower than the national average.

Average salary by activity sectors

• The highest-paying sectors in 2021 included Electricity, Gas, Steam, and Air Conditioning Supply, with an average salary of €52,985.83;

• The next sector with high salaries was Financial and Insurance activities at €46,122.24, and Information and Communication at €36,630.48;
• Mid-range sectors included Manufacturing at €28,585.65, Education at €28,272.76, and Human Health and Social Work activities earning €28,891.41;
• Conversely, the lowest-paying sectors were Accommodation and Food Service activities, where the average salary was €14,632.81, and Administrative and Support Service activities, with an average of €18,118.66.

Source: Average annual earnings per worker report in 2022 by INE.

Average salary by occupation

According to INE’s report in 2021 on employment groups, the salary distribution across various occupations reveals distinct tiers of earnings, as follows:

• Highest paying jobs:
  • Directors and managers: €59,219.83
  • Other scientific and intellectual specialists and professionals: €39,871.28
  • Health and education scientific and intellectual professionals and specialists: €36,101.10
• Middle-income occupations:
  • Specialists and support professionals: €31,321.69
  • Protective and security services workers: €32,985.38
• Lowest paying jobs:
  • Catering and trade services workers: €16,310.91
  • Health services and personal care workers: €17,435.22
  • Unskilled services workers (except transport): €13,874.28

As seen above, in 2021, Directors and managers stood out with higher average salaries, as their average salary was €59,478.63, 120.7% higher than the national average. On the contrary, the lowest salaries have been earned by unskilled workers in services (except transport), with an average annual wage of €14,665.40, representing 45.6% below the national average.

Gender wage gap

According to INE, in Spain, there still is a notable wage gap between men and women.

Data from INE reveals that by comparing against the highest wages in 2022, 3.9% of men received average wages five or more times higher than the minimum salary, while for women, the percentage was only 2.2%. This disparity is largely attributed to the high proportion of women working part-time as they prioritize their motherhood and work-life balance.

According to the Global Gender Gap Insight Report from 2024, Spain has achieved its highest gender parity score yet at 79.7% in the Global Gender Gap 2024 report and marked its appearance in the top 10 countries.

The gender parity score of 79.7% means that, on average, women in Spain have 79.7% of the opportunities and outcomes compared to men across various areas such as work, education, and politics. In simpler terms, if you imagine a scale where 100% represents complete equality between men and women, Spain is at 79.7%.

This score reflects progress, as Spain’s parity score increased by 0.7 percentage points from 2023, but it also highlights that there are still gaps to reach for full equality.

Spain’s progress is largely due to gains in political empowerment and modest progress in economic participation and opportunity. Spain excels in professional and technical roles (100%) and labor-force participation (84.6%), though women’s share in the workforce has decreased since 2021.

Salary growth trends

According to the data available, from 2008 to 2022, the salary showed some positive and negative annual changes, depending on the economic conditions over the years.

• The overall average salary increase from 2008 to 2022 was approximately 23.1%;
• At the same time, the minimum wage has increased by 54% in the last six years (since 2018).

Here are the average wages in Spain from 2008 to 2022:

Hallmarks of the labor market in Spain

• The relatively low average salaries compared to other Western and Northern European countries:
  • Spain’s average salary (€26,948.87 annually) is about 20-30% lower than in countries like Germany(€50,250 annually) or France ( €39,800 annually). This affects purchasing power and the living standards of many Spanish workers;
• The high unemployment rate, especially among youth:
  • The unemployment rate for people under 25 is around 27%, one of the highest in the OECD;
  • Over 60% of Spanish people under 34 live with their parents, mainly due to insufficient annual wages and job instability;
  • Poor job quality among the young is precarious despite the recent labor market reforms to reduce temporary employment;
  • Youth face high poverty risks, with a significant percentage at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
  Source: OECD (2023), “Executive summary,” in OECD Economic Surveys: Spain 2023, OECD Publishing, Paris.
• The significant wage gap between permanent and temporary workers:
  • Temporary workers often earn 30-40% less than their permanent counterparts, a gap that contributes to income inequality and job insecurity.
• A strong presence of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs):
  • SMEs account for over 99% of Spanish businesses;
  • These companies often offer lower salaries compared to corporations.
• The large informal economy impacting official salary statistics:
  • Estimated to be 20-25% of GDP, affecting the accuracy of reported wages and underreporting of actual income for many workers.
• The importance of the service sector, particularly tourism:
  • Tourism accounts for about 12-14% of GDP, while many jobs in this sector are seasonal and lower-paid;
• The gradual shift towards more skilled and technology-based jobs:
  • Spain sees a growing demand for digital skills across all industries, with higher salaries in tech sectors than in traditional industries.
• The impact of collective bargaining agreements on salary structures:
  • About 80% of workers are covered by collective agreements, which often set minimum wages for specific sectors.

Comparison with other European countries

Compared to other European countries, Spain’s average net salary stands in the middle range. It is higher than in Italy, Estonia, Portugal, and Greece, where salaries are notably lower, reflecting more significant economic challenges.

Conversely, Spain lags behind the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and France, where salaries are substantially higher. This indicates that while Spain performs better than some Southern and Eastern European nations, it still falls short compared to the higher-income Western and Northern European countries.

FAQ

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Sources:

https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/en/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736177025&menu=ultiDatos&idp=1254735976596

https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/en/avEES2022.htm

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/oecd-economic-surveys-spain-2023_a1273f89-en

https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=10882#_tabs-tabla

https://www.idescat.cat/indicadors/?id=aec&n=15375&lang=en

https://www.salaryexplorer.com/average-salary-wage-comparison-spain-c203

https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=28185

https://www.ine.es/consul/serie.do?d=true&s=EAES93560