Fairer Salaries Across the World

In the last two decades, wage inequalities have decreased in two-thirds of all countries, most notably in low-income ones, where wage gaps have shrunk by an average of up to 10% per year.

“National strategies to reduce inequalities require strengthening wage policies and institutions,” says Giulia De Lazzari, ILO Economist and one of the main authors of the report. “But equally important is to design policies that promote productivity, decent work, and the formalization of the informal economy.”

As per the Global Wage Report 2024-25: Is wage inequality decreasing globally?, the average annual decrease in wage inequalities ranged from 3.2% to 9.6% in low-income countries. Upper-middle-income countries saw a decline between 0.3% and 1.3%, and in high-income countries, between 0.3% and 0.7%. There is still a long way to go to reach full wage equality. The report includes key ILO recommendations, like setting wages through social dialogue, taking an informed approach, promoting equality and equal opportunity of treatment and outcomes, using strong data, and addressing root causes of low pay.