Greece at the lowest wage in Europe according to Eurostat data – Pyra SYRIZA

At the lowest wage in Europe Greek citizens remained in 2023, with inflation eating away at their extremely low incomes.

According to Eurostat data, Greece was second from the end among the 27 countries of the European Union in 2023 in terms of the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) index, expressed in purchasing power units.

Bulgaria of all EU countries (average 100) ranked last in GDP per capita with 64 points, followed by Greece with 67 points.

Overall in 2023, there were significant differences in GDP per capita expressed in purchasing power parity between EU countries as Bulgaria recorded the lowest performance, 36% below the EU average, followed only by Greece (-33% from average) and Latvia (-29%).

On the other hand, Luxembourg and Ireland had the highest levels (140% and 112% above the EU average, respectively), well above the Netherlands (30% above the EU average), Denmark ( +28%) and Austria (+23%).

Wages and earnings

It is recalled that in Greece real wages decreased by 0.2%, close to the European average, but corporate profits increased by 5.9%, with the third fastest rate in the EU of 27, according to a report by the Institute of the Confederation of European of Trade Unions (ΕΤUC), having as its source the annual macroeconomic data base of the General Directorate of Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission (AMECO Database).

At the same time, it is noted that in 2022 Greeks lost more than 9.2% of the real value of their salary, due to galloping inflation.

In the same year, the profits of Greek companies increased by almost 7%, one of the highest percentages in the European Union.

SYRIZA: We have an obligation to stop this downward spiral

SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance with a statement it issued attacks against Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the government for the “sad reality that Greek citizens live every day”, as it says.

The SYRIZA announcement in detail:

“The sad reality that Greek citizens live every day is also officially reflected in Eurostat data. Greece is second to last in the EU 27 in 2023 in terms of Gross Domestic Product per capita, performing at 67% of the EU average, with Bulgaria the only lower performing country at 64%.

The numbers are relentless and reveal the lies of the Mitsotakis propaganda. Our country is the second poorest among the EU-27. Greece is the only EU-27 country that recorded a drop in real income – of the order of 20% – compared to 20 years ago. At the same time, it is the country that is breaking one tax revenue record after another, due to the inflationary increase in consumption taxes.

In this country the Prime Minister uses the Prime Minister’s jet to go on holiday with his friends and lavishly distributes money for personal promotion and communication games.

We have an obligation to stop this descent.”