Guzi et al (2026). Living Wages, Living Income, Living Tariff Worldwide. Update May 2026.

Abstract

This report builds on the original work by Guzi and Kahanec (2019) on measuring Living Wages globally. Since 2019, it has been updated regularly to reflect methodological developments and the evolving global discussion on Living Wages.

A growing international consensus recognises the payment of a Living Wage as a fundamental component of decent work and social and economic sustainability. This principle is rooted in Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reinforced by several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Recent global initiatives and regulatory frameworks increasingly expect companies to ensure wages that meet workers’ basic needs across their operations and supply chains.

Within this context, WageIndicator has developed its Living Wage methodology since 2013 and now operates in 208 countries. Using cost of living data collected through web surveys, price monitoring, and fieldwork, WageIndicator provides regularly updated estimates for Living Wages, Living Income for the self employed, and Living Tariffs for platform and gig workers.

This edition consolidates more than a decade of methodological development and expands the global applicability of the framework, including updates to the estimation of household earners, improvements to cost of living survey instruments, and additional guidance for applying Living Wage benchmarks.