The minimum wage will be 1,213 leva (620.20 euros) from January 1, 2026, the government decided at its meeting. Its amount will increase by 12.6% or by 136 leva compared to its current value, the press center of the Council of Ministers reports. The minimum hourly wage will reach 7.31 leva (3.74 euros).
The higher minimum wage will increase the incomes of nearly 600,000 people. According to data from the National Statistical Institute, those employed under such a contract and working full-time as of the second quarter of 2025 are about 456,700 people. The increase in the minimum wage will increase by 12.6% the pay of about 83,000 personal assistants who care for children and adults with disabilities. The salaries of nearly 30,000 workers in social services funded by the state, professional foster families, as well as all workers under employment programs and measures financed by the budget will also increase.
The new minimum wage is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code. It is in line with one of the possible reference values for assessing adequacy proposed by the EU Minimum Wages Directive, which provides for them to be 50% of the gross average wage.
A higher minimum wage will contribute to reducing poverty among workers and will increase the purchasing power and consumption of the lowest-income groups in the labor market. The proposed amount of BGN 1,213 is in line with forecasts for the growth of the gross domestic product and the labor market in Bulgaria.