Data Guide
Wage & Price Data Guide
Learn how to read PPP-adjusted wages, wage changes, historical peaks and consumer price indices before comparing OECD economies.
Two Data Sets, Two Different Questions
Average Annual Wages
How have average wages changed across countries and over time?
- PPP-adjusted U.S. dollars
- Constant prices
- Full-time-equivalent basis
- Historical annual data
- 1-, 5- and 10-year changes
- Historical Peak
Consumer Price Levels
How do consumer price levels differ between countries in the same year?
- United States = 100
- 2022, 2023, 2024
- 8 consumer categories
- Price indices
- Not inflation rates
- Not actual household bills
Wage and price data answer different questions and should not be combined into a simple verdict about which country is better.
Reading an Average Wage
$60,000
USD PPP · Constant 2025 Prices · Average Annual Wage
Average
The total of all wages included in the statistic divided by the number of employees represented. It is not a median and does not mean every worker earns the same.
Annual Wage
An average yearly wage, not a monthly or hourly figure.
PPP-Adjusted
Converted using purchasing power parities to reduce the effect of currency and price-level differences between countries.
Constant Prices
Historical wages expressed on a single price basis so real change over time is easier to compare.
Full-Time Equivalent
A common hours basis that reduces distortion from differing part-time shares.
What the Wage Number Is Not
Average Wage
The mean wage across the employees represented in the dataset.
Used on this site
Median Wage
The midpoint where half of workers earn more and half earn less.
Not provided
Take-Home Pay
The amount an individual receives after taxes and deductions.
Not provided or calculated
Average annual wage data should not be used as an estimate of what a specific worker, occupation or household will receive.
Reading Wage Changes
Total Percentage Change
((Latest Wage ÷ Earlier Wage) − 1) × 100Earlier $50,000 → Latest $55,000 = (($55,000 ÷ $50,000) − 1) × 100 = +10.0%
Average Annual Change
((End Wage ÷ Start Wage)^(1 ÷ Number of Years) − 1) × 100Average annual change is an annualised rate. It does not mean wages changed by exactly the same percentage every year.
1-, 5- and 10-year changes compare the latest wage with the exact year 1, 5 or 10 years earlier. If that exact target year is missing, the value is shown as - rather than substituting a neighbouring year.
Peaks and Long-Term Direction
Historical Peak
The highest wage value in the available historical series, shown with both its amount and year. It is not necessarily the highest in the country's entire history, and comparability is limited for countries with shorter coverage.
Change From Peak = ((Latest Wage ÷ Historical Peak) − 1) × 100Growth Index
The first shared year in the selected range is set to 100; later values show change relative to that start. A Growth Index is not a wage amount.
Start Year 100 → Latest Year 115 = +15% from start.
Reading Consumer Price Levels
85
15 index points below the United States reference.
100
Equal to the United States reference for the selected year and category.
120
20 index points above the United States reference.
- This is a relative price index.
- Not a U.S. dollar amount.
- Not an inflation rate.
- Not an individual's cost of living.
- Not an OECD average.
- The benchmark is fixed at United States = 100.
Index Points Are Not Percentages
Country A Index 108 · Country B Index 95
Index-Point Difference: 108 − 95 = 13 points
You can write
Country A is 13 index points higher than Country B.
Do not write
Country A is 13% more expensive.
For a relative percentage you must compute ((108 ÷ 95) − 1) × 100 = 13.7%, and label it as an additional relative ratio — not the raw index-point difference.
Eight Consumer Price Categories
Overall
The combined price level across all consumer categories.
Food
Groceries and non-alcoholic drinks bought for the home.
Clothing
Garments and shoes, including repair and hire.
Housing
Rent, water, electricity, gas and other household fuels.
Health
Medicines, outpatient care and hospital services.
Transport
Vehicles, fuel, maintenance and public transport fares.
Recreation
Equipment, media, sport, and cultural and leisure services.
Restaurants & Accommodation
Eating out, takeaway meals and overnight accommodation.
A country can have a low overall index while still recording a relatively high index in one specific category.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
MisconceptionA wage index of 120 means people earn 20% more dollars.
Correct readingIt is a relative price level, 20 index points above the U.S. reference of 100 — not a dollar or percentage amount.
MisconceptionThe average wage is what a typical worker takes home.
Correct readingIt is a mean across the dataset, gross of taxes — not median or take-home pay.
MisconceptionA 5-year change uses the nearest available year if the exact year is missing.
Correct readingOnly the exact target year is used; if missing it shows as -, never a neighbouring year.
MisconceptionWage and price together tell you which country is better to live in.
Correct readingThey answer different questions and should not be combined into a simple verdict.