Annual average net earnings of a single person in selected EU countries 2000-2023

Annual net earnings of a single person without children grew substantially in all the largest EU economies over the period from 2000 to 2023. The Netherlands has consistently been the country where annual net earnings have been the highest over this period, with annual earnings in the country growing from 21,176 Euros in 2000, to 45,249 euros in 2023. 

Germany and France have similar net annual earnings from 2000 up to the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, after which the two countries diverged, with Germany's relative economic success and France's economic struggles meaning that the average earner in Germany made over 6,000 euros more per year than in France by 2023. Italy and Spain also have similar net annual earnings, with Spain having caught up with Italy before the global financial crisis, with the two countries having almost identical earnings for much of the period from 2008 to 2019. Since 2019, however, annual net earnings in Spain have taken a significant hit, lagging Italy by more than 1,000 euros a year by 2023.