New Data Reveals Germany’s Gender Pay Gap Remains Substantial
According to the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), women in Germany earned an average of 16 percent less per hour in 2024 compared to men. The average hourly gross wage for women was 22.24 euros, while men earned 26.34 euros, a difference of 4.10 euros.
The so-called unadjusted gender pay gap decreased by two percentage points compared to the previous year, the largest decline since the calculations began in 2006. The gap was the same in western and eastern states, decreasing by two percentage points in both regions. The unadjusted wage gap between women and men in the east remained significantly smaller, at five percent, compared to 17 percent in the west.
The decline is primarily attributed to the stronger development of women’s gross monthly wages, which increased by around eight percent to an average of 2,851 euros in 2024, compared to 2,633 euros in 2023. Men’s gross monthly wages rose less, by around five percent, to an average of 4,078 euros. The average monthly working hours of both women and men increased only slightly, with women working an average of 122 hours and men 149 hours in 2024, a slight increase of one hour per month compared to the previous year.
Statisticians attribute around 63 percent of the wage gap to the available characteristics, which would translate to 2.58 euros of the 4.10 euro difference. In 2023, 24 percent of the wage gap (1.06 euros) was due to women being more often employed in lower-paid professions and sectors, a figure that decreased to 21 percent (0.87 euros) in 2024, suggesting that women may be moving into better-paying jobs.
Another factor explaining the wage gap is the employment duration, with women being more often part-time, which typically comes with lower average hourly wages. This accounts for around 19 percent of the wage gap (0.79 euros). Around 12 percent of the wage gap (0.48 euros) can be attributed to the job requirements.
The remaining 37 percent of the wage gap (1.52 euros of the 4.10 euro difference) cannot be explained by the available characteristics, according to the Federal Statistical Office, corresponding to the adjusted gender pay gap of six percent. This means that, on average, female employees in the same job, with the same qualifications and with the same work biography, still earn six percent less per hour than their male colleagues, with the difference being eight percent in the eastern states.
It is assumed that the disparities would be smaller if more information on relevant factors, such as maternity leave, child care, or care for family members, were available for analysis. The adjusted gender pay gap is therefore seen as an “upper limit” for possible wage discrimination against women.