RTL Today – Pay cheque comparison: Where does your salary rank in Luxembourg?

In the nation with the world’s highest millionaire density, Luxembourg’s salary data exposes growing inequality – with 40% of public servants earning over €10,000 monthly – while poverty affects nearly one in five residents.

Where does your income stand among Luxembourg’s workforce? Are public sector employees earning more than their private sector counterparts? And what salary threshold qualifies as “wealthy” in today’s market? Our colleagues from RTL Infos have released the updated version of their interactive tool that lets you benchmark your earnings against national statistics.

The General Inspectorate of Social Security (IGSS) provided our colleagues with comprehensive 2024 wage data, enabling the creation of detailed salary scales for both private and public sector workers. The analysis divides Luxembourg’s full-time workforce into ten income brackets (deciles), ranging from the lowest 10% to the top earners.

The salary data reflects gross, full-time equivalent amounts that include both base pay and regular bonuses, though overtime compensation is excluded. These figures cover the majority of occupations across Luxembourg’s job market, with the exception of domestic workers, temporary staff, students, and apprentices.

Compare your salary:

Private sector salary scale
Public sector salary scale
Public sector salaries dominate Luxembourg’s high earnings

The data reveals that Luxembourg maintains its position as the EU’s salary leader, with median gross monthly wages of €4,443 in the private sector and €9,090 in the public sector. The combined median across all sectors stands at €4,764.

Read also: Salaries by municipality in Luxembourg

The public sector’s compensation advantage appears particularly significant. The lowest-paid 10% of government employees earn up to €5,395 monthly – nearly double the €2,761 threshold for private sector workers in the same bracket. At the top end, public sector salaries begin at €13,642 for the highest 10%, compared to €10,197 in private enterprises. These figures represent gross base salaries including bonuses and benefits, which remain more substantial in public service roles.

The disparity continues through middle-income brackets. Nearly 40% of public sector workers earned at least €10,000 monthly in 2024, a threshold reached by only about 10% of private sector employees.

However, these high averages mask growing inequality. Luxembourg’s 2024 poverty risk rate reached 18.1%, prompting questions about why national discussions focus on poverty thresholds while avoiding similar benchmarks for wealth.

Defining wealth in the world’s richest country

Luxembourg presents a curious paradox: while commonly deemed the world’s wealthiest nation, it lacks any official benchmark for what constitutes being “rich” within its borders. This absence of definition persists despite neighbouring countries establishing clear metrics – France’s Observatory of Inequalities, for instance, set its 2024 wealth threshold at €4,055 net monthly income for individuals.

Applying France’s methodology (doubling the median standard of living) to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC) yields a potential wealth threshold of €8,466 net monthly. The calculation uses Luxembourg’s 2024 median adult standard of living of €4,233, which accounts for all income, taxes, and household circumstances.

However, STATEC cautions against oversimplification. The institute previously declined to establish an official wealth threshold, noting that multiple variables beyond income – including property ownership, financial assets, career stage, and family structure – complicate such measurements. This stance maintains wealth as a somewhat taboo subject in national discourse.

Yet private studies suggest extraordinary affluence exists in the Grand Duchy. Recent research indicates approximately 1 in 15 Luxembourg residents qualifies as a millionaire – a ratio that leads global rankings.