Countries With Higher (and Lower) Wages Than Canada

Money may be tight, but according to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Canadian workers aren’t doing too badly.

2016 data shows that the country ranks tenth among the OECD’s 34 member states in terms of average wages. So which countries are doing better than Canada and which ones are worse off? Here’s the official list, with figures in US dollars.

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Canada

The average wage in Canada in 2013, the latest year under review, was $47,794 per year. Canada’s real minimum wage in 2015 was $8.20 per hour, according to the OECD. That puts us in tenth spot when this data was collected.

You may also like: 10 countries where the Canadian dollar is surprisingly strong.

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Belgium

In the ninth spot was Belgium, with an average wage of $48,102 per year. Belgium’s real minimum wage in 2015 was $10 per hour.

Belgium still makes our list of the top 20 best places for Canadians to retire around the world.

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Denmark

Coming in at number eight was Denmark, with an average wage of $48,761 per year. Denmark doesn’t have a minimum wage but its trade unions ensure that Danish workers are paid fairly.

Taxation in Denmark is a little bit different, and it's one of the countries with higher income tax rates than Canada.

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The Netherlands

The seventh highest average wage among OECD member states was The Netherlands, with an average wage of $51,357 per year. The Dutch real minimum wage in 2015 was $9.60 per hour.

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Australia

Australia ranked sixth in terms of highest average wages, at $51,374 per year. In Australia, the real minimum wage in 2015 was $10.90 per hour.

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Norway

Norway came in fifth, with an average wage of $51,446 per year. Norway is another developed country that doesn’t have a minimum wage but where all workers are paid fairly well.

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Ireland

Ireland had the world’s fourth highest average wage, $52,602 per year. The Irish real minimum wage was $8.70 per hour.

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Switzerland

In third spot was Switzerland, where the average wage was $56,461 per year. Switzerland doesn’t have a minimum wage.

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United States

The United States ranked second, with American workers earning an average wage of $56,811 per year. However, the real minimum wage in 2015 was only $7.20 per hour.

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Luxembourg

The country with the highest average wage was Luxembourg, with $60,214 per year. The country also had the highest real minimum wage in 2015, at $11.20 per hour.

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Countries with average wages lower than Canada: Austria

Austria ranked in 11th place, just below Canada. The Austrian average wage was $45,660 per year.

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Countries with average wages lower than Canada: Germany

Germany came in at 12th place, with an average wage of $43,326 per year. This was below the OECD average of $44,837 per year.

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Countries with average wages lower than Canada: United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the average wage was $41,494 per year, putting the country in 13th spot. The 2015 real minimum wage in the UK was $8.20.

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Countries with average wages lower than Canada: France

Even though France had a high minimum wage of $10.90 per hour in 2015, it ranked 16th in terms of average wages, with $40,530 per year.

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Countries with average wages lower than Canada: Mexico

Mexico had the lowest average wage of the OECD countries. Mexican workers could expect on average to earn only $12,952 per year. The Mexican real minimum wage was the lowest too, at 90 cents per hour.