The average wage in Lithuania rose by 132 euros to 1,407 euros over the year, according to the national social insurance fund, Sodra.
“Labour income after taxes increased by 10.3 percent. Taking annual inflation into account, it was slightly lower at the end of 2024 than at the end of 2023, so real income growth at the end of 2024 was even higher than at the end of 2023,” said Kristina Zitikytė, adviser to the Statistics, Analysis and Forecasting Department of Sodra.
In the second quarter of 2024, the average salary before taxes increased by 231 euros (11.2 percent) year-on-year to 2,291 euros.
Annual inflation in December 2024 was 2.1 percent. At the end of last year, 6 out of 10 workers (64 percent) experienced an increase in their income, while around 14 percent of insured people saw their income fall over the year.
According to Sodra, in 2024, the most significant increases in labour income were in the education (20.7 percent) and healthcare (14 percent) sectors.
Men earn more
According to data from Sodra, the gender pay gap in Lithuania persists, although it narrowed somewhat in recent years. It currently stands at 12.9 percent, down from 13.5 percent a year ago.
In November last year, women’s average labour income grew faster than men’s, 11 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
According to Zitikytė, however, one of the main factors contributing to the gender pay gap is the positions held by men and women in different sectors of the economy. Men dominate in finance, transport, information and communications sectors.
In the information and communications sector, the gender pay gap is particularly pronounced at 737 euros after taxes. This is because women in this sector tend to work as marketers and advertisers, while men work as software and app developers.
In the healthcare sector, the income gap is also wide, with women earning on average 642 euros less than men. This is also due to occupations, with women most often working as nurses and men as specialist doctors.
The smallest income gap is in the education sector, where men earn just 12 euros more than women.
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