Cyprus monthly wages rise to €2,548 but 1 in 3 employees earns less than €1,500

Women’s earnings grow faster than men’s, yet €363 monthly pay gap remainsAverage gross monthly earnings in Cyprus rose by 3 per cent year-on-year to €2,548 in the second quarter of 2026, according to provisional figures from the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat), although the average masks substantial differences between men and women, Cypriot and non-Cypriot workers, and employees across income brackets. The increase from €2,475 in the second quarter of 2025 came as average earnings for women grew faster than those for men, while the largest share of employees continued to earn between €1,500 and €2,999 a month. The figures are averages rather than median earnings, meaning they can be pulled upwards by a relatively small proportion of high earners and do not necessarily reflect what a typical employee takes home. Overall income distribution Cystat’s figures show that 33.6 per cent of employees earned less than €1,500 a month, while just 5.6 per cent earned €6,000 or more. This means roughly 1 in 3 employees earned below €1,500 a month, while fewer than 1 in 17 were in the highest income bracket. The largest group, accounting for 41.4 per cent of employees, earned between €1,500 and €2,999 a month. A median figure, which divides employees into two equal groups with half earning more and half earning less, would provide a more representative indication of the earnings of a typical worker, particularly in a workforce where the distribution extends from low-paid employees to a relatively small group earning €6,000 or more. The figures do not provide a median wage, so it is not possible to establish from this release exactly how much the typical employee earned. Quarterly and seasonal comparisons Average monthly earnings stood at €2,548 before seasonal adjustment in the second quarter, while the seasonally adjusted figure was €2,663. The adjusted average increased by 0.6 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2026, when it stood at €2,648, while the unadjusted average fell from €2,604. The difference reflects the effect of seasonal patterns on earnings, making the adjusted figure more suitable for quarter-on-quarter comparisons. In the second quarter of 2025, average earnings were €2,475 before seasonal adjustment and €2,578 after adjustment, representing annual increases of 4.2 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively in the figures provided for that period. The first-quarter 2026 figures showed an annual increase of 4 per cent in unadjusted average earnings and a quarterly rise of 0.8 per cent on a seasonally adjusted basis. Gender pay disparities Men continued to earn more than women on average, with male gross monthly earnings reaching €2,708 in the second quarter of 2026, compared with €2,345 for women. The difference was €363 a month, meaning the average for women was around 13.4 per cent lower than that for men. However, the gap narrowed compared with a year earlier because average earnings for women increased by 4.1 per cent, against 2.1 per cent for men. Male earnings rose from €2,653 in the second quarter of 2025, while female earnings increased from €2,252 over the same period. Seasonally adjusted average earnings stood at €2,825 for men and €2,458 for women in the second quarter of 2026, up by 0.3 per cent and 1 per cent respectively from the previous quarter. The distribution data also show that women were more likely than men to earn below €1,500 a month. Some 37.2 per cent of female employees fell into that category, compared with 30.8 per cent of male employees. At the other end of the scale, 7.1 per cent of male employees earned €6,000 or more a month, almost twice the 3.7 per cent recorded among women. Disparities by nationality Nationality was another significant factor in the distribution of earnings. Among Cypriot employees, 45.5 per cent earned between €1,500 and €2,999 a month, making this the most common income bracket. By contrast, 46.3 per cent of non-Cypriot employees earned less than €1,500 a month, compared with 27 per cent of Cypriot workers. Non-Cypriot employees were also more likely to be in the highest income category, with 8.1 per cent earning €6,000 or more a month, compared with 4.3 per cent of Cypriot employees. The figures therefore show a distribution in which non-Cypriot workers were more heavily represented at both ends of the earnings scale, with a larger share earning below €1,500 but also a higher proportion earning at least €6,000. Among men, 44.1 per cent of non-Cypriot employees earned less than €1,500 a month, compared with 22.4 per cent of Cypriot men. The proportion earning €6,000 or more was also higher among non-Cypriot men, at 9.9 per cent, compared with 5.4 per cent of Cypriot men. Among women, 49.9 per cent of non-Cypriot employees earned below €1,500 a month, compared with 31.9 per cent of Cypriot women. At the higher end of the scale, 5.1 per cent of non-Cypriot women earned €6,000 or more a month, compared with 3.2 per cent of Cypriot women. Breakdown across salary brackets Across the workforce, 13.1 per cent of employees earned between €3,000 and €4,499 a month, while 6.3 per cent earned between €4,500 and €5,999. The €3,000 to €4,499 bracket included 16 per cent of Cypriot employees and 7.4 per cent of non-Cypriot employees, while the €4,500 to €5,999 category accounted for 7.2 per cent of Cypriots and 4.7 per cent of non-Cypriots. Among men, 42.7 per cent earned between €1,500 and €2,999 a month, while 13.2 per cent fell into the €3,000 to €4,499 bracket and 6.3 per cent earned between €4,500 and €5,999. Among women, 39.7 per cent earned between €1,500 and €2,999, 12.9 per cent earned between €3,000 and €4,499, and 6.5 per cent earned between €4,500 and €5,999. The data underline the importance of looking beyond the headline average when assessing pay in Cyprus, as earnings vary considerably by gender and nationality, while the absence of a median figure limits the extent to which the average can be used to describe the experience of a typical employee.