{"version":1,"asset_type":"statistical_series","data_type":"time_series","slug":"it-average-salary","url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/it-average-salary","html_url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/it-average-salary/","title":"Average Annual Salary in Italy (2025)","description":"Average annual wages in Italy from 1990 to 2025, expressed in constant 2025 USD at purchasing power parity. At $53,864 in 2025, Italy sits approximately 17% below the OECD average of $64,809 — and real wages remain slightly below the 1990 level of $54,995, 35 years on. Source: OECD Average Annual Wages dataset.","domain":"labor","category":"Labour & Employment","keywords":["Labour & Employment","Wages & Earnings","Italy","Macroeconomics","Purchasing Power Parity"],"publisher":"OECD — Centre for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs","frequency":"Annual","geography":"Italy","temporal_coverage":"1990/2025","unit":"Avg. Annual Wage (USD PPP)","last_updated":"2026-07-25","last_updated_text":"25 July 2026","data_as_of":"2025","variable_measured":"Mean gross annual wage of full-time full-year employees in Italy","measurement_technique":"National accounts and labour force surveys, converted to constant 2025 USD at purchasing power parity","license":"https://apiardata.com/data-license","is_accessible_for_free":true,"sources":[{"name":"OECD Average Annual Wages — SDMX REST API endpoint","url":"https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.ELS.SAE,DSD_EARNINGS@AV_AN_WAGE,1.0?format=csv"},{"name":"OECD — Average Wages indicator page","url":"https://www.oecd.org/en/data/indicators/average-wages.html"}],"meta":[{"label":"Frequency","value":"Annual"},{"label":"Coverage","value":"1990–2025"},{"label":"Observations","value":"36"},{"label":"Geography","value":"Italy"},{"label":"Base period","value":"Constant 2025 USD at PPP"},{"label":"Last updated","value":"25 July 2026"}],"kpis":[{"label":"Italy Avg. Wage (2025)","value":"$53,864","unit":"Constant 2025 USD, PPP","trend":{"direction":"up","value":"+1.2% vs. 2024"}},{"label":"vs. OECD Average","value":"-17%","unit":"Below OECD avg. of $64,809","trend":{"direction":"down","value":"Italy below OECD average"}},{"label":"10-Year Real Change","value":"-3.9%","unit":"2015 to 2025","trend":{"direction":"down","value":"From $56,043 in 2015"}},{"label":"Real Wage Peak","value":"$57,790","unit":"Constant 2025 USD, PPP","trend":{"direction":"down","value":"Reached in 2010, not recovered since"}}],"series":[{"key":"value","label":"Italy Average Annual Wage (USD PPP, constant 2025)"}],"observation_count":36,"observations":[{"period":"1990","value":54995},{"period":"1991","value":55457},{"period":"1992","value":55403},{"period":"1993","value":54550},{"period":"1994","value":53843},{"period":"1995","value":52664},{"period":"1996","value":53133},{"period":"1997","value":54604},{"period":"1998","value":54825},{"period":"1999","value":55433},{"period":"2000","value":55459},{"period":"2001","value":55829},{"period":"2002","value":55314},{"period":"2003","value":55025},{"period":"2004","value":56146},{"period":"2005","value":56742},{"period":"2006","value":57067},{"period":"2007","value":56982},{"period":"2008","value":56972},{"period":"2009","value":57296},{"period":"2010","value":57790},{"period":"2011","value":56917},{"period":"2012","value":55107},{"period":"2013","value":55257},{"period":"2014","value":55531},{"period":"2015","value":56043},{"period":"2016","value":56266},{"period":"2017","value":55769},{"period":"2018","value":55440},{"period":"2019","value":55581},{"period":"2020","value":52901},{"period":"2021","value":55577},{"period":"2022","value":53955},{"period":"2023","value":52732},{"period":"2024","value":53243},{"period":"2025","value":53864}],"table":{"columns":[{"key":"year","label":"Year"},{"key":"value","label":"Avg. Annual Wage (USD PPP)"},{"key":"yoyChange","label":"YoY Change"}],"rows":[{"year":"1990","value":"54995","yoyChange":"n/a"},{"year":"1991","value":"55457","yoyChange":"+0.8%"},{"year":"1992","value":"55403","yoyChange":"-0.1%"},{"year":"1993","value":"54550","yoyChange":"-1.5%"},{"year":"1994","value":"53843","yoyChange":"-1.3%"},{"year":"1995","value":"52664","yoyChange":"-2.2%"},{"year":"1996","value":"53133","yoyChange":"+0.9%"},{"year":"1997","value":"54604","yoyChange":"+2.8%"},{"year":"1998","value":"54825","yoyChange":"+0.4%"},{"year":"1999","value":"55433","yoyChange":"+1.1%"},{"year":"2000","value":"55459","yoyChange":"0.0%"},{"year":"2001","value":"55829","yoyChange":"+0.7%"},{"year":"2002","value":"55314","yoyChange":"-0.9%"},{"year":"2003","value":"55025","yoyChange":"-0.5%"},{"year":"2004","value":"56146","yoyChange":"+2.0%"},{"year":"2005","value":"56742","yoyChange":"+1.1%"},{"year":"2006","value":"57067","yoyChange":"+0.6%"},{"year":"2007","value":"56982","yoyChange":"-0.1%"},{"year":"2008","value":"56972","yoyChange":"0.0%"},{"year":"2009","value":"57296","yoyChange":"+0.6%"},{"year":"2010","value":"57790","yoyChange":"+0.9%"},{"year":"2011","value":"56917","yoyChange":"-1.5%"},{"year":"2012","value":"55107","yoyChange":"-3.2%"},{"year":"2013","value":"55257","yoyChange":"+0.3%"},{"year":"2014","value":"55531","yoyChange":"+0.5%"},{"year":"2015","value":"56043","yoyChange":"+0.9%"},{"year":"2016","value":"56266","yoyChange":"+0.4%"},{"year":"2017","value":"55769","yoyChange":"-0.9%"},{"year":"2018","value":"55440","yoyChange":"-0.6%"},{"year":"2019","value":"55581","yoyChange":"+0.3%"},{"year":"2020","value":"52901","yoyChange":"-4.8%"},{"year":"2021","value":"55577","yoyChange":"+5.1%"},{"year":"2022","value":"53955","yoyChange":"-2.9%"},{"year":"2023","value":"52732","yoyChange":"-2.3%"},{"year":"2024","value":"53243","yoyChange":"+1.0%"},{"year":"2025","value":"53864","yoyChange":"+1.2%"}]},"qa":[{"question":"What is the average annual salary in Italy?","answer":"In 2025, the average annual salary in Italy was $53,864 in constant 2025 USD, adjusted for purchasing power parity. This figure covers mean gross wages for a full-time, full-year equivalent employee across the total economy, compiled by the OECD Centre for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs from national accounts and labour force surveys (series AV_AN_WAGE, measure WG, unit USD_PPP). The 2025 reading is up 1.2% from $53,243 in 2024."},{"question":"How does Italy's average wage compare to the OECD average?","answer":"Italy's 2025 average of $53,864 sits approximately 17% below the OECD-wide average of $64,809. Within the EU, Italy typically falls in the lower-middle tier — above Greece and most Central and Eastern European peers, but below Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium. Italy also trails Spain, whose 2025 average of $57,779 is roughly $3,915 higher."},{"question":"How has Italy's average salary changed over the past decade?","answer":"Between 2015 and 2025, Italy's average annual wage declined from $56,043 to $53,864, a real fall of roughly 3.9% over ten years. That contraction stands out among OECD peers and most likely reflects Italy's persistent productivity stagnation, a high share of informal and part-time work, and wage structures largely determined by multi-year national collective agreements (CCNL) that have struggled to keep pace with inflation, particularly after 2021."},{"question":"What was the impact of COVID-19 on Italian wages?","answer":"Italy's average wage fell 4.8% in 2020, from $55,581 in 2019 to $52,901 — the sharpest single-year decline in the 36-year dataset. The drop reflects both genuine earnings losses and composition effects as hours worked collapsed. Wages partially recovered in 2021 (+5.1%, reaching $55,577), but high inflation then drove another real decline: -2.9% in 2022 (to $53,955) and -2.3% in 2023 (to $52,732), before modest gains of +1.0% in 2024 and +1.2% in 2025."},{"question":"Why have Italian wages stagnated for over three decades?","answer":"Italy's average wage in 2025 ($53,864) remains slightly below its 1990 level ($54,995) in real terms — a real decline of roughly 2% over 35 years and one of the most striking stagnation stories in the OECD. The most commonly cited explanations are weak total factor productivity growth since the mid-1990s, a business structure dominated by small and medium-sized firms with limited capacity for productivity-linked pay, rigid multi-year collective bargaining that sets wages independently of firm-level performance, and a sectoral mix weighted toward lower-productivity services. Italy's wage gap relative to northern European peers has widened continuously since euro adoption in 1999."}]}