Belgium, on Sunday, will raise its minimum wage to €2029,88 per month, becoming the fifth out of 22 EU states that Eurostat records the minimum wage where the gross minimum salary exceeds €2,000 per month.

The €35.70 raise will be followed by a €37.50 increase in 2026, when it will overtake Germany’s, with €2065.58 gross per month. A rise, however, is also scheduled in Germany in January 2025.

After Luxembourg (€2570.93/month), Ireland (€2146.30/month), the Netherlands (€2070.12/month), and Germany (€2054.00/month), Belgium will then remain 5th in the ranking of the monthly minimum wages in the EU.

The next country in this ranking is France, where the rise on January 1, 2024, brought the monthly minimum wage to €1766.92 gross.

Out of the 22 EU members recorded by Eurostat, nine have a gross minimum wage higher than €1000 a month, while four, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary, have under €700.

In Belgium, the French-speaking Socialist Party (PS/S&D) wants to take this increase even further, to €2,800 a month, as shown in the electoral program that was published last month.

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