Workers in Greece — along with those in Cyprus — face the lowest wage deductions in the European Union, according to Eurostat data presented by Euronews Business for 2025. The share of gross earnings lost to taxes and social security contributions in Greece stands at just 17% for a single worker with no children, compared to an EU average of 29.1%. The contrast becomes even sharper when compared to the countries at the top of the burden scale: Romania reaches 41.5%, Lithuania 39.1%, and Belgium 37.6% — all significantly higher than Greek levels.
What the data shows
In other words, when the comparison shifts from nominal to net wages, the average Greek worker retains a far greater share of their gross salary than most of their European counterparts. This comparison matters for another reason as well: it overturns the oversimplified narrative that Greece ranks 2nd after Bulgaria as the country with the lowest wages in the EU. When examining what actually ends up in a worker’s pocket after taxes and contributions are deducted, the picture in Greece is markedly different — and considerably more favorable.
In the tables published by Euronews, based on Eurostat data, Greece appears 2nd only to Cyprus in terms of the lowest wage deductions, and well below the EU average — both for workers without children and for families with children. For single-parent families with two children in Greece, the tax burden drops even further, placing this category among the most favorably positioned on the European map. A similar picture emerges for couples with two children. Greece continues to rank at the very bottom of the deductions list, with a burden rate once again hovering around 17%, while many other countries post considerably higher rates.
These figures refer to 2025. However, starting January 1, 2026, Greece is implementing a new tax scale with even greater reductions for all workers — and especially for families with children. This could significantly alter the picture in future comparisons, once tax returns for this year’s income are filed, incorporating the new wage increases already granted since April.
What ends up in workers’ pockets
This difference is reflected not only in percentage rates but also in absolute figures: far less is deducted from the average Greek worker’s pay compared to countries where deductions absorb upwards of 40% of earnings.
How does this translate for workers?
As shown in the table comparing average annual wages before and after tax and social security deductions by country:
– Based on nominal wages, Greece ranks as the 2nd lowest-paying country in the EU for 2025 (after Bulgaria). With an average annual gross income of €18,124, the average Greek worker earns less than half of what the average European worker receives — €37,958 per year — falling short by €19,834.
– Based on net wages, Greece automatically moves up two places in the rankings, and the gap with other countries narrows dramatically: the average Greek worker’s deductions amount to just €3,074 per year, leaving net earnings of €15,050 — placing Greece 4th in the EU.
By contrast, other countries — even those starting from higher nominal wages — end up falling below the net salary of the average Greek worker. Specifically, based on net earnings comparisons:
– The average European worker faces annual deductions of €11,029 — more than three times the amount deducted from a Greek worker’s pay (€3,074).
– In Romania, where average annual gross income was €22,620, deductions amount to €9,387 per year. As a result, net income drops to €13,233 annually — the 3rd lowest net wage in the EU.
– Similarly, in Hungary, from a gross salary of €19,500, deductions reach €6,033, cutting annual net earnings to €12,967 — below Bulgaria (€16,774 gross, €13,017 net per year).
– In other countries where initial salaries are far higher, deductions are also proportionally much larger than in Greece.
For example, in Germany the gross annual salary of €47,514 drops to €31,000 after deductions (-€16,514); in France, €41,764 becomes €30,832 (-€10,932); in Spain, €32,446 is reduced to €25,263 (-€7,210); in Portugal, €25,187 leaves €19,709 net (-€5,478); in Croatia, €25,199 gross leaves the average worker with €17,256 (-€7,943); while in Slovakia, despite a nominal salary €2,679 higher than Greece’s (€20,803 vs. €18,124), the net take-home pay does not exceed €15,686 (-€5,117), narrowing the final “money in pocket” gap to just €636 per year.
Tax burden by household type
Based on this data:
1) For single workers with no children:
– Wage deductions in Greece do not exceed 17.0%, and in Cyprus stand at 15.1%, meaning Greece has the 2nd lowest tax burden in Europe. The EU average is 29.1%, placing Greece well below the European total.
– In the countries with the highest deductions, the rate reaches 41.5% in Romania, 39.1% in Lithuania, and 37.6% in Belgium.
– Compared to the most heavily taxed countries, Greece’s gap is approximately 20 to 24 percentage points — nearly a quarter of the difference in nominal earnings.
2) For workers with children:
– A single-parent family with two children in Greece gains approximately 3.3 percentage points compared to single workers without children.
– For a couple with two children in Greece, the tax burden remains at 17%.
With this picture, Greece continues to rank at the very bottom of the deductions list across all household categories, while in most other EU countries the burden is clearly and significantly higher.
