Nine European Union member states have minimum wages higher than Malta's €736 monthly payment, new statistics released today show. 

Statistics released by Eurostast show that the EU's ten eastern European members had minimum wages below €500 a month, with Bulgaria's €235 monthly rate the lowest across the 22 EU member states with minimum wage legislation. 

Luxembourg, with a monthly payment of €1,999 a month, has the highest minimum wage across the EU, followed by Ireland (€1,563), the Netherlands (€1,552) and Belgium (€1,532). 

Malta's €736 minimum wage is higher than Greece's €684 payment but lower than the €805 minimum wage set in Slovenia and €826 in Spain.

Although the highest minimum wage in the EU is nine times larger than the lowest one, disparities are considerably smaller once price level differences are eliminated.  

Minimum wages were above 60 per cent of median gross monthly earnings in just three member states - Portugal (64 per cent), France and Slovenia (both 62 per cent).  

Malta was one of seven member states to have a minimum wage lower than half of median gross monthly earnings, at 48 per cent. 

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