Countries that will pay the most and least to do your job
lovemoney staff
23 May 2017
Highest- and lowest-paying nations
The average annual salary across the world is $17,760 (£13.6k), according to the UN's International Labour Organization. But given the planet's vast income inequalities, wages differ widely from country to country. To give you an idea of just how different things are, we've rounded up the countries that pay the most, and least, for 12 common jobs.
Highest-paying country for teachers: Luxembourg – $131,000 (£100k) average salary
Qualified teachers may want to head to Luxembourg. While the job market is tiny, educators in the Grand-Duchy command an average salary of $131,000 (£100k), and entry-level pay is actually higher than almost every other country's maximum average teaching salary.
Lowest-paying country for teachers: Guinea-Bassau – $1,300 (£1k) average salary
On the flip side, teachers in the West African country of Guinea-Bassau struggle to earn a paltry $5 (£3.84) a day, a hundred times less than their counterparts in Luxembourg. According to UNESCO, the majority of educators in the country live below the poverty line and have trouble affording basic goods and services.
Highest-paying country for secretaries/executive assistants: Switzerland – $86,000 (£66k) average salary
If your touch typing, IT and diary management skills are up to scratch, Switzerland is calling your name. Secretaries and executive assistants are exceptionally well remunerated in the affluent country, with yearly earnings averaging $86,000 (£66k).
Lowest-paying country for secretaries/executive assistants: India – $3,800 (£2.9k) average salary
You may want to give India a miss. Experienced secretarial staff are paid a pittance in the country. On average, they earn just $3,800 (£2.9k) a year. And, while the cost of living is low, this salary is barely enough to get by.
Highest-paying country for doctors (specialists): Netherlands – $253,000 (£194k) average salary
The Netherlands rewards its hospital doctors handsomely. Specialist physicians in the country are the highest-paid in the world, with annual earnings topping $253,000 (£194k) on average.
Lowest-paying country for doctors (specialists): Cuba – $804 (£617) average salary
Cuban doctors are the world's worst-paid. Boasting the world's lowest patient to doctor ratio, Cuba has a glut of doctors and specialist physicians receive an annual salary of only $804 (£617). However, their low pay is supplemented by a range of subsidies and free services.
Highest-paying country for doctors (general practitioners): USA – $161,000 (£124k) average salary
American GPs enjoy the highest salaries on the planet, and then some. On average, family doctors in the USA earn a very respectable $161,000 (£124k) a year, and command the highest overtime pay rates to boot.
Lowest-paying country for doctors (general practitioners): Cuba – $360 (£276) average salary
Like their colleagues in the country's hospitals, Cuban GPs are very poorly paid. They earn just $360 (£276) a year on average. Be that as it may, GPs in Cuba receive generous subsidies, from housing to travel, so in reality this salary isn't really quite as low as it appears.
Highest-paying country for nurses: Luxembourg – $82,000 (£63k) average salary
Staying with medical health practitioners, nurses in Luxembourg are the highest-paid in the world. Though job openings are rather thin on the ground in the small nation, qualified nurses earn an average of $82,000 (£63k) a year.
Lowest-paying country for nurses: Cuba – $300 (£230) average salary
As you might have guessed, Cuba is the lowest-paying country for nurses. The socialist state pays its nurses just $300 (£230) a year on average. Again, it's worth bearing in mind that these wages are supplemented by a wide array of benefits and freebies.
Highest-paying country for fast food workers: Denmark – $45,000 (£35k) average salary
You can earn very good money flipping burgers in Denmark. Believe it or not, fast food workers in the country earn a not too shabby $21 (£16) an hour, giving them a bumper annual salary of $45,000 (£35k).
Lowest-paying country for fast food workers: India – $2,500 (£1.9k) average salary
Fast food workers in India aren't quite so lucky. The big chains pay entry-level staff around 86 cents (66p) an hour on average. Working an eight-hour day, five days a week, they can expect to earn a yearly salary of $2,500 (£1.9k) for their efforts.
Highest-paying country for skilled factory workers: Norway – $168,000 (£129k) average salary
Skilled manufacturing workers in Norway are the highest-paid factory employees on the planet. A factory worker with bankable skills earns $168,000 (£129k) a year on average, and experienced managerial staff command even higher wages.
Lowest-paying country for skilled factory workers: Bangladesh – $792 (£608) average salary
Norwegian factory workers may want to spare a thought for their counterparts in Bangladesh. Skilled factory workers, particularly in the textile industry, survive on as little as $66 (£51) a month, which translates to an annual salary of just $792 (£608).
Highest-paying country for civil servants: Canada – $90,600 (£69k) average salary
Working for the government doesn't pay too badly at all in Canada. In fact, the country's civil servants are the highest-paid in the world. Nice work if you can get it, the average annual salary for this type of role is a massive $90,600 (£69k) in the country.
Lowest-paying country for civil servants: Bhutan – $804 (£617) average salary
Civil servants in Bhutan on the other hand may want to consider defecting to the private sector. Government workers in the landlocked Himalayan kingdom are the lowest-paid on the planet, earning just $67 (£51) a month on average.
Highest-paying country for cleaners: Luxembourg – $27,152 (£21k) average salary
Cleaning is notoriously poorly paid in most countries, but there are some exceptions. Cleaners in Luxembourg, which boasts the world's highest minimum wage, earn at least $13 (£10) an hour, or $27,152 (£21k) a year, and most of them earn a lot more than that.
Lowest-paying country for cleaners: Uganda – $19.80 (£15.12) average salary
Cleaning is especially poorly paid in Uganda. And that's putting it mildly. The worst-paid workers earn just 6,000 shillings, $1.65 (£1.27) a month, the country's minimum wage, which is the lowest in the world.
Highest-paying country for construction workers: USA – $69,300 (£53k) average salary
Construction workers in the US are the highest paid in the world and builders in New York City take home the most cash. Their earnings average a whopping $69,300 (£53k) a year, and more with lucrative overtime.
Lowest-paying country for construction workers: Qatar – $2,290 (£1.8k) average salary
Often toiling long hours in sweltering temperatures, migrant workers who are building Qatar's FIFA World Cup stadia are paid as little as $6.30 (£4.90) a day, according to the UK's Guardian newspaper. This makes them the poorest-paid construction workers in the world.
Highest-paying country for police officers: Canada – $70,000 (£54k) average salary
Fighting crime pays in Canada. The typical cop in the country earns around $70,000 (£54k) a year and the job comes with a whole host of enticing benefits, including plenty of annual leave and the option to retire at 50.
Lowest-paying country for police officers: Nigeria – $1,700 (£1.3k) average salary
The lowest-paid police officers on the planet, Nigerian cops have to make do with wages of just $1,700 (£1.3k) a year, hardly enough to survive, which partly explains the high levels of corruption in the country and willingness of many police officers to accept bribes.
Highest-paying country for flight attendants: USA – $80,000 (£46k) average salary
According to salary info firm PayScale, flight attendants who work for US carrier Delta Air Lines earn an average of $60,000 (£46k) a year, making them the highest-paid cabin crew on the planet.
Lowest-paying country for flight attendants: India – $6,300 (£4.8k) average salary
Flight attendants in India take home a measly wage in comparison. They earn an average of just $6,300 (£4.8k) a year. Air India tends to offer the best wages in the country, while smaller budget and charter airlines pay the lowest.
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