45 percent less. The myth about Poles' earnings spread quickly and collapsed just as quickly

• According to Eurostat data, in 2023 both Spaniards and Italians earned on average around 2,700 euros gross per month on a full-time basis.
• In Poland, however, it was 45 percent less, or 1,505 euros - reports Money.pl
• If wages in EU countries grew at the same rate, the average employee in Poland would earn more than in Spain in 2031 and more than an Italian in 2032.

According to the aforementioned revelation, reference was made to the Central Statistical Office data, according to which the average salary in Krakow in March was PLN 12.7 thousand gross, and in Warsaw PLN 11.6 thousand gross. Money.pl explains that these numbers (after deducting tax and contribution charges and converting to euro) were compared with the "latest Eurostat data" regarding the average take-home pay in Spain and Italy, which in the first case is slightly less than EUR 2 thousand, and in the second slightly more.

The portal emphasizes that such a comparison is incorrect:

• the cited data on wages in Polish cities in practice concern only the corporate sector (most employees earn lower wages),
• the average salary in Warsaw and Krakow is significantly higher than in Poland in general;
• In March, salaries are usually slightly higher than the annual average.

That is why Money.pl has conducted its own analysis, citing the latest Eurostat data on the average gross salary in EU countries. It shows that in 2023, both Spaniards and Italians earned an average of around EUR 2,700 gross per month on a full-time basis. In Poland, on the other hand, it was 45 percent less, or EUR 1,505. Money.pl points out that also taking into account that, among other things, in 2024, wages in Poland grew at an express pace and the złoty strengthened against the euro, the difference in the level of wages has certainly not been bridged.

The portal indicated - based on OECD data - that in 2023 the average monthly income from work of a single-person household in Poland was 37% lower than in Spain and 45% lower than in Italy. In turn, last year the difference shrank to 29% and 37%.

According to Money.pl's analysis, assuming that wages in EU countries would grow at the same rate as the average in the past decade in the coming years, the average employee in Poland will earn more than in Spain in 2031 , and more than in Italy a year later . However, in that time we may be overtaken by Romanians, who currently earn 10 percent less than Poles on average.

At the same time, the portal notes that these data refer to gross salaries. Net earnings are lower in all countries, but in Poland the difference is slightly smaller than in Spain and Italy. Thus, in terms of average take-home pay, Poles are closer to Spaniards and Italians.

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