Serbia to raise minimum wage by 10% starting January

Serbia’s government said it will increase the country’s minimum monthly net wage by 10.1% to 64,554 dinars ($647/551 euros) starting Jan. 1, after failing to reach an agreement with employers and unions.

Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said the government would partly meet employers’ demands by raising the non-taxable portion of minimum wages by 20.4% to 34,221 dinars. About 90,000 people in Serbia earn minimum wage, he added.

Monthly minimum wages in Serbia are typically increased each January. The government implemented an earlier hike in October after public dissatisfaction grew over rising food prices and months-long anti-government protests following the Nov. 1 collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad train station that killed 16 people.

To address broader discontent, President Aleksandar Vucic last month announced measures aimed at boosting citizens’ purchasing power and living standards, including capping retailers’ profit margins and offering lower interest rates on consumer loans.

According to the trade ministry, the minimum consumer basket in Serbia cost 55,870 dinars in May. Annual consumer price inflation rose to 4.9% in July, up from 4.6% in June.

Serbia’s statistical office reported that in the second quarter of 2025, about 2.37 million people were employed out of a population of roughly 6.59 million.

Earlier this year, the minimum monthly net wage was raised by 13.7% in January.