Over the past two years, we have witnessed how rising prices, or inflation, have significantly reduced the standard of living of Europeans. Of course, not every citizen, but here we are talking about the average citizen of the EU and Europe.

Statistics from Germany, Ireland, and other Western European countries show that several million citizens from the Balkans live there. Although politicians in that same Balkans like to boast that life has never been better, the fact is that every year those countries are left by several tens of thousands of citizens in search of a better life.

To understand the main reason for migration from the Balkans to other countries, below we present an overview of the average net salary in the countries of Europe, in euros:

Average net salary in the countries of Europe, expressed in euros

Comparison among countries:

If we look only at EU countries, the highest earnings are in Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Sweden, while salaries are the lowest in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia.

For the average salary in Denmark, the average worker in Bulgaria works 5 months, while for the average salary in Switzerland they have to work more than half a year..

When we look at the countries in the region, Slovenia and Croatia have the highest salaries, while Kosovo and Albania have the lowest. An average worker in Croatia earns in two months what an average worker in Serbia earns in three months, while in Albania four months are needed.

When we make a comparison with the countries where the largest number of our citizens live, namely Germany and Austria, the average worker in Croatia works about 2.5 months, and the average worker in Serbia almost four months.

Conclusion of this brief analysis

This analysis of average salaries provides insight into the economic differences among European countries. Differences in earnings necessarily affect citizens' quality of life, raising additional questions about the fairness and sustainability of the economic balance within the EU and beyond. It also answers the basic question of why citizens migrate to certain countries.