A minimum wage refers to the lowest quantity of money that employees in a country are legally entitled to for a given unit of labour. In the UK we call this the National Minimum Wage which is defined as the “minimum pay per hour almost all workers are entitled to.”
Originally, minimum wages were implemented to counter the exploitation of workers in sweatshops and support lower-income families, and by the end of the 20th century minimum wages were widespread globally. The current UK national living wage (that is the rate that applies if you’re 23 or older) sits at £9.50 per hour, but how does this compare to other countries? Here are the top 10 countries with the highest minimum wage in the world (for adult workers in regular ‘unskilled’ labour) converted into UK currency for reference.
(Note: this list shows the value of minimum wages but does not serve as an assessment of the countries’ cost of living or other economic factors.)
(Note: this list shows the value of minimum wages but does not serve as an assessment of the countries’ cost of living or other economic factors.)
![The UK government website (gov.uk) reports that as of April 1, 2022, the National Living Wage stands at £9.50 per hour if you are aged 23 or over and not in the first year of an apprenticeship.](https://www.scotsman.com/webimg/b25lY21zOmU1MWJiMWU5LWIxYjUtNGM1YS04MTVmLWI4YzVjYTYxN2FkZjo2ZGQ3MWE1OC1kN2Y2LTQ4ZTgtYTA0Zi00Y2EzNTYwNjBjNzM=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
9. United Kingdom, £9.50
The UK government website (gov.uk) reports that as of April 1, 2022, the National Living Wage stands at £9.50 per hour if you are aged 23 or over and not in the first year of an apprenticeship. Photo: alankituk via Canva Pro
![According to Ireland's Citizens Information website (citizensinformation.i.e) as of 1 January 2022 the national minimum wage is €10.50 per hour.](https://www.scotsman.com/webimg/b25lY21zOmNmNmI3NTNiLTVhYjctNDQ5Ny1hNWRhLThjZGQzZTNhMzVhNDozNjNmY2MyMi04MWZmLTQ2YjYtOWY3OC04NDIxNzc5YjEzYjg=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
10. Ireland, £9.10
According to Ireland's Citizens Information website (citizensinformation.i.e) as of 1 January 2022 the national minimum wage is €10.50 per hour. Photo: hbieser via Canva Pro