EU: In 16th place Greece as to net disposable household income

On the occasion of two articles published by KEPE regarding salaries, wages and purchasing power of Greek citizens, and in particular families with children, the Ministry of Finance issued a press release stressing that Greece is in the 16th place of the European Union ( ) as regards the net availability of households. In the same bulletin the Ministry of Finance lists the measures taken by the government to increase disposable income, while highlighting two points: Firstly, in the last five years the minimum and average wages in Greece have increased more than prices. Specifically, between 2019 and 2023 the Consumer Price Index has cumulatively increased by 13.4%. During the same period, based on data from the IT system, the average salary increased by 20.2%, while the minimum wage has increased from 2019 to now by 27.7%. Secondly , over the last five years real per capita income has increased in Greece to an extent significantly higher than the European average. According to Eurostat data, between 2019 and 2023 real per capita income in Greece has increased by 7.7%, more than twice the European Union average (3.3%) and almost three times the eurozone (2.3%). At the same time, over the past five years the government has moved towards a series of reductions in taxes and positive interventions for Greek households, always in the context of budgetary responsibility. For example, the introduction and significant reinforcement of the birth allowance, the increase in the tax-free rate for families with children by EUR 1,000 for each child, the extension of maternity leave, paternity leave, the increase in the income limits of the heating allowance, the introduction of a multi-child social tariff, the reform of the public sector payroll by increasing the family allowance, the increase in the vouchers for nursery homes, the expansion of the school lunch schedule and so on. As a result of the above, net disposable income in Greece has increased for all types of households. Specifically, again based on Eurostat data, from 2019 to 2023 annual net earnings in purchasing power units have increased between 12.3% to 15.7%, depending on the type/composition of the household. In terms of purchasing power, these salaries in 2023 are in the 16th place of the European Union of 27 for three of the four main categories of reference, while in the fourth they are in the 19th. Especially with regard to workers paid for the minimum wage, Greece is in the middle of the distribution, since out of a total of 22 Member States with a regulated minimum wage, in nominal sizes (i.e. in euros) the country is in 11th place, while in purchasing power terms Greece is in 12th place. Consequently, the claim that the standard of living in Greece is in the penultimate position of the European Union is far from reality. This is also confirmed by Eurostat data on actual individual consumption.