In 2026, Ukraine plans to increase the minimum wage from 8000 to 8688 hryvnias. This increase will be only 8.6% and will not be able to compensate for inflation, leaving the minimum wage significantly lower than the actual subsistence minimum.
This is reported by Finway
Minimum Wage Dynamics until 2028
According to the Budget Declaration for 2026-2028, the growth rates of the minimum wage will remain low. In 2027, the minimum wage will reach 9374 hryvnias, and in 2028 it will be 10,059 hryvnias. At the same time, experts emphasize that the rate of increase should be at least twice as high for a real improvement in the welfare of workers.
Minimum Wage and Poverty Line
Experts note that a person working full-time should not be living below the poverty line. The actual subsistence minimum is used to determine this line – the amount sufficient to cover basic needs for goods and services. By February 2025, the actual subsistence minimum was 10.6 thousand hryvnias, and as of July 2025, this amount exceeds 11 thousand hryvnias.
“According to the Budget Declaration, over the years, the minimum wage in Ukraine will be lower than the actual subsistence minimum.”
The Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine is proposing to set the minimum wage at no less than 50% of the projected average monthly salary of workers by the end of 2025, starting from January 1, 2026. According to calculations, this is approximately 12,195 hryvnias, which significantly exceeds the amount allocated in the budget draft.