Bulgaria’s minimum monthly wage remains the lowest in the European Union despite a recent increase to 620 euros, according to data from the EU’s statistical office Eurostat.
Bulgaria continues to rank among the bloc’s countries with the lowest statutory minimum pay. Latvia, Romania and Hungary follow, with minimum wages of around 800 euros. At the opposite end of the scale are the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and Luxembourg, where minimum wages exceed 2,000 euros per month.
For many workers, the increase has done little to ease financial pressure. Maria Misheva, who has worked for 20 years as a secretary and librarian at a community cultural centre in the village of Brusen, said her responsibilities have steadily increased while her pay has remained at the minimum level.
“Even after paying the bills, there is still a shortfall because the cost of living has risen so much,” she said. “You go to the shop with 20 euros and you buy almost nothing. You’ll eat it by the evening and the next day you have to shop again.”
Trade unions say economic growth this year should allow for further increases in the minimum wage. They are calling for it to be aligned with a so-called living wage, calculated by the National Statistical Institute, that would cover basic household expenses such as utilities, food and other essential costs.
The business community also supports an increase in the minimum wage, but argues it should be based on a different formula that takes into account economic growth, inflation and labour productivity.
Although Bulgaria’s minimum wage is the lowest in nominal terms in the EU, data show that in purchasing power terms it compares more favourably. In countries such as Latvia, Estonia and the Czech Republic, where nominal minimum wages are between 26% and 50% higher than Bulgaria’s, workers can afford fewer goods and services than if the same wage were spent in Bulgaria, according to Eurostat-adjusted figures.