Teachers - Comparative information

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Teachers - Comparative information

Last update: 09 July 2026

This section presents comparative data on annual gross statutory salaries of newly fully qualified teachers with minimum qualification in the reference year, by education level (ISCED) and career stage, including information on:

Statutory salaries.

Trends over time. 
Ranking by reference year.
Qualification requirements for newly qualified teachers to enter the profession.  
Salary progression and number of years to reach the top of the career.

Allowances.

Additional data and details are available in the open data file, in the country-specific notes for each sub-topic and in the national sections.

Annual gross statutory salaries (in PPS) of newly fully qualified teachers at different career stages by education level (ISCED)

The statutory salary is the gross annual pay for full-time, fully-qualified teachers, based on statutorily defined salary ranges. It includes regular additional payments that all teachers receive (e.g., 13th month, holiday pay) and employee contributions to social security and pensions, but excludes employers' contributions.

Data present statutory salaries of full-time classroom teachers in public institutions at pre-primary (ISCED 02), primary (ISCED 1), general lower secondary (ISCED 24) and general upper secondary (ISCED 34) education levels in the reference school year.

The diagram depicts the annual gross statutory salary range for newly fully qualified teachers entering the profession with the minimum qualification requirement in the reference year. Data on statutory salaries at four stages of the career (depending on the number of years in service) within the same salary range can be explored by using the drop-down menu of the filter “career stage”.

To adjust for price level differences between countries for the purpose of international comparison, salaries are converted from national currencies into artificial common currency - the purchasing power standard (PPS) - by using Eurostat's purchasing power parities indicator (PPP). The corresponding nominal salaries' amounts in national currencies are indicated for reference as country popups in the map. More information on the PPS is available in the Quality framework and the Glossary.

In some countries, teachers entering the profession with qualification higher than the minimum are paid according to a different salary range with higher salaries. Data on these salary ranges is provided in the open data.

Percentage change of minimum annual gross statutory salaries (at constant prices) between different school years, at different stages of the career per education level (ISCED)

The salaries are usually adjusted to the cost of living. Changes in the policy defining the statutory salaries (i.e. including additional payments, changes in the fixed and variable parts, etc.) may introduce salaries' upgrades. Data present changes (in %) in the annual gross statutory salaries of newly fully qualified teachers with minimum qualification, between any two selected reference school years, at four career stages and per education level (ISCED).

For comparability of data across countries, the salaries are converted in constant prices (adjusted to inflation), calculated by using the harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP). More information on the index is available in the Quality framework and the Glossary.

The diagram depicts the percentage change in the statutory salaries of newly fully qualified teachers entering the profession with the minimum qualification between different reference years. The percentage difference in statutory salaries at different career stages within the same salary range can be explored by using the drop-down menu of the filter “career stage”.

Countries where methodology changes have impact on the comparability of data are marked with "b" (break in time series). Details on the countries concerned are available in the "Notes".

Countries with no data are not displayed.

Ranking by annual gross statutory salaries, per reference year, career stage and education level (ISCED)

The statutory salaries increase on yearly basis in most of the countries. The increases may be due to adjustments to the cost of living or changes in the policy defining the statutory salaries.

Data refer to annual gross statutory salaries of newly qualified teachers entering the profession with the minimum qualification from 2020/2021 school reference year onwards.

Additional details on the PPS are available in the Quality framework and the Glossary.

The positioning of the countries by reference year is based on annual gross statutory salaries (in PPS) of newly qualified teachers entering the profession with the minimum qualification. The countries' positioning for different career stages within the same salary range can be explored by using the drop-down menu of the filter “career stage”.

Additional details on the changes having impact on the statutory salaries in the reference year are provided in the "Notes".  

Countries with no data are not displayed.

Minimum qualification requirements to enter the profession

The minimum qualification level for fully qualified teachers includes mandatory core requirements such as formal education, specific training, practical experience, competitive exams, and completion of probation or induction programs, applicable to all teachers.

The minimum qualification required to enter the teaching profession, is often the most common qualification. 

The map shows the minimum qualification requirement for newly fully qualified teachers to enter the profession in the respective school reference year. The table diagram groups the countries by minimum qualification requirement and indicates the number and the countries belonging to each group.

Data on qualifications, higher then the minimum (if most prevalent) and/or maximum qualifications are available in the open data.

Maximum number of years to reach the top of the career and corresponding salaries' increase per education level (ISCED)

Different criteria and conditions may determine teachers’ salary progression through their career. These could be related to their roles and responsibilities, years in service, age, qualification level, or performance.

Data displayed refer to the average number of years, necessary to reach the top of the career and the respective salary increase within the statutory salary range for fully qualified teachers entering the profession with the minimum required qualification in the reference year.

The first diagram illustrates the number of years (X axis) to reach the top of the career. The maximum number of years is cross-checked with the corresponding percentage increase of the annual gross statutory salary at the top of the career compared to the annual gross statutory salary at the start of the career (Y axis). Clustered view, grouping the countries by the number of years necessary to reach the top of the career is available in the right-hand side of the diagram.

The horizontal bar chart shows by country the percentage increase of the annual gross statutory salary at different stages of the career ( at 10 years of service, at 15 years of service and at the top of the career) compared to the starting annual gross statutory salary.

Data on the respective average years to reach the top, for salary ranges associated with higher than the minimum required or maximum qualifications are included in the open data.

Allowances that teachers can receive by category and education level (ISCED)

Allowances and other additional payments (bonuses, financial benefits) make an important part of teachers’ total remuneration. The information presented includes data on allowances granted to teachers, based on the following category groups:

Other tasks and responsibilities.

Qualifications, training and performance.

Teaching conditions.

Other criteria.

Data refer to allowances that teachers at some or all education levels may receive in addition to their statutory salary. The allowances could be established as:

Percentage of statutory base salary.

Regular additional payments.

Incidental/occasional additional payments.

Position in base salary (step increment or other progression).

The map shows the allowances per category group. Clustered view per single allowance indicating the number of countries where it is available is depicted in the horizontal bar diagram.

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