- The OECD's Education at a Glance 2026 report compared teacher salaries across 28 European education systems, revealing a wide gap between the highest and lowest earners
- Germany topped the purchasing power ranking for both primary and upper secondary teachers, while Greece ranked lowest after adjusting for living costs
- Experts warn that teacher pay across Europe is not competitive enough to attract and retain staff compared to other graduate professions
Teacher salaries across Europe vary dramatically, with some countries paying more than four times what others offer, according to the OECD's report.
Among 28 education systems reviewed, average actual salaries for primary school teachers in 2025 ranged from €18,669 in Turkey to €74,086 in Denmark.
Source: UGC
Actual salaries refer to annual average gross earnings of full-time teachers aged 25 to 64, covering base pay, performance bonuses, holiday pay, and other work-related payments.
Iceland (€73,752), Ireland (€69,747), Germany (€69,453), and Austria (€65,851) round out the top five for primary school teachers. Teachers in Norway, both Belgian communities, the four UK nations, Finland, and England all earn above €50,000.
Which major economies pay teachers the most?
Among Europe's largest economies, Germany pays primary teachers the most. France follows at €41,968, while Italy records the lowest salary among major economies at €32,100. Seven countries, including Greece (€18,746), Romania (€20,805), and Latvia (€20,516), pay teachers below €25,000.
"Large differences in European teacher salaries reflect differences in national income levels, salary structures, qualifications and career progression, rather than one single factor," Daniel Wisniewski, secretary general of the European Federation of Education Employers, told Euronews Business.
According to Euronews, upper secondary school teachers generally earn more than their primary school counterparts. Salaries at that level range from €17,615 in Turkey to €93,938 in Iceland, with Denmark (€85,999) and Germany (€80,163) also exceeding €80,000.
How far do teacher salaries go after cost of living?
Raw salary figures do not capture how much teachers can actually buy with their earnings. After adjusting for purchasing power using Eurostat's conversion rates, Germany still leads for primary school teachers at 64,143 purchasing power standards (PPS), followed by Austria (58,265 PPS), Denmark (53,036 PPS), Ireland (51,226 PPS), and Belgium's Flemish Community (50,846 PPS).
Greece ranks lowest at 21,456 PPS, joined at the bottom by Latvia (24,670 PPS), Slovakia (26,916 PPS), Czechia (27,349 PPS), and Estonia (28,197 PPS).
Wisniewski noted that sizeable gaps remain even after adjusting for price differences. "National pay policies, qualification requirements, career scales, experience and the earnings available in alternative graduate professions also contribute significantly to the remaining gap," he said.
Some countries shift considerably when purchasing power is factored in. Turkey rises six places in the ranking for primary school teachers, while Iceland falls from second to 12th.
Wisniewski pointed out that across OECD countries, teachers' actual salaries average only 87 to 95 per cent of what other tertiary-educated workers earn. "Teacher pay is not consistently competitive enough to attract and retain teachers across Europe," he said.
Jelmer Evers, European director at the European Trade Union Committee for Education, argued that teachers should be paid at least as much as other workers with comparable qualifications, given the complexity and societal importance of the profession.
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