Business · Economy · 13 hrs ago
Germany’s top 1% income threshold is €111,693 a year
A study of the 27 EU countries estimates how much annual income puts someone among the richest 1% in each country.
In Germany, the threshold is €111,693 a year, based on equivalent income, which adjusts for household size.
The figure is more than twice Germany’s median annual income of €53,098.
Across the EU, the threshold ranges from €22,715 in Romania to €205,420 in Luxembourg.
The study also compares pay gaps, finding that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earns 6.3 times the country’s median income.
It says some company chief executives earn far more, reaching up to 690 times their country’s median in EU markets where CEO pay is disclosed.
People in Germany need an annual equivalised income of at least €111,693 to be in the country’s top 1%, according to a report by DataPulse Research.
The report was commissioned by AMEXcited, a magazine published by American Express.
Luxembourg has the EU’s highest threshold for the top 1%, at €205,420 a year, while Romania has the lowest, at €22,715.
Germany’s median annual income is €53,098, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz earns €333,704 a year, or 6.3 times the median.
The study covers all 27 EU member states and uses public data sources.
- Who
- DataPulse Research analysts, in a report commissioned by AMEXcited.
- What
- The report says an annual equivalised income of €111,693 puts someone in Germany’s top 1%.
- When
- The report was described in an article published on 26 October 2026.
- Where
- Germany, as part of a comparison across the 27 EU member states.
- Why
- The report examines income thresholds and differences in earnings across EU countries.
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- Germany top 1% threshold
- €111,693 a year
- Luxembourg top 1% threshold
- €205,420 a year
- Romania top 1% threshold
- €22,715 a year
- German median annual income
- €53,098
- German chancellor’s annual salary
- €333,704