In Spain, the average gross salary grew by 5.3% in 2024, reaching €29,540.2 per year, marking 11 consecutive years of increases. However, according to the “2024 Wage Structure Survey” published this Thursday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), many low-income workers have shifted into the €16,000–€17,000 annual range, making this salary bracket the most frequent in 2024.
Consequently, the most common salary in Spain in 2024 was €16,520.2 gross, which is 6% higher than in 2023 but 10.5% lower than in 2018. This figure is very close to the minimum wage (SMI), which in 2024 stood at €15,876 per year—or €1,134 per month across 14 payments—representing a 5% increase from 2023.
Between 2018 and 2021, the most frequent annual gross salary exceeded €18,000, but it began to decline in 2022, dropping to €14,586.4 that year.
Average vs Median vs Modal Salary
The breakdown of the different wage metrics illustrates the gap in earnings:
- Average Salary (Salario medio): €29,540.2 per year.
- Median Salary (Salario mediano): €24,497.17 per year (the figure that divides the workforce into two equal halves: those who earn more and those who earn less).
- Most Common/Modal Salary (Salario más frecuente): €16,520 per year.
Key Fact: According to the INE, nearly three out of ten salaried workers (29.5%) earned between €16,000 and €23,000 per year in 2024.
