Minimum wages are set by the governments of various countries usually in order to protect the interest of employees most especially public and civil servants. Through the implementation of minimum wages, an employee –most especially in the public sector –realizes the least amount he/she should expect as a wage. These are the Top 10 Countries with the lowest minimum wages in the world.
In general, minimum wages may be calculated hourly, daily, weekly or on a monthly basis. A country’s minimum wage is usually set by the central government based on standards which may vary from one country to another. Notably, some countries (such as India) adopt complicated minimum wage structures and this usually results in many minimum wage rates for each of these countries.
As contained in this article, we have compiled a list top 10 countries with lowest minimum wages in the world
Top 10 Countries with the Lowest Minimum Wages in the World
1. Cuba
- $9 monthly
Cuba is a Republican state considered the largest Carribean island. It was discovered by Columbus in 1492 and thereupon Spain colonized it until independence was attained in 1898. Even after independence from Spanish dominance, Cuba was still under the influence of the US until 1960 when it attained the status of a republic.
Sugar is the largest export commodity in Cuba as it constitutes more than 70% of the country’s exports. A Spanish-speaking country; Cuba is majorly secular and its entire landmass stretches across 110, 922 square kilometres.
Cuba is the country with the world’s lowest minimum wage. On a monthly basis, an employee in Cuba receives the minimum wage of 225 Cuban pesos –equivalent to $9. To supplement this meagre monthly wage, each Cuban employee is supplied with food on a free-of-charge basis. This minimum wage structure has been in place since May 1, 2005.
N: B;- The global dollar conversion and the exchange rate statistics provided for Cuba herein are for 2012. At the time this article was written, no recent data could be fetched concerning Cuba’s minimum wage.
Countries With The Lowest Minimum Wages In The World
2. Bangladesh
- $19 monthly
Bangladesh is one of the Republican states in the southern part of Asia. Previously regarded as the Eastern Province of Pakistan, Bangladesh experienced a brutal civil war after which it gained independence in 1971. Its economy is majorly dependent on the supply of jute products –contributing more than 60% of global jute production.
Bangladesh comes behind Cuba as the country with the second-lowest minimum wage in the world. Analytically, Bangladesh’s minimum wage structure is quite elaborate and it varies from one industry to another. In every 5-year period, the National Minimum Wage Board uses a three-dimensional forum in fixing the minimum wage for Bangladeshi industries one after the other. Therefore, a worker in the garment industry receives the monthly minimum wage of $68. For employees working in any economic sector not bound by “industry-specific wages’’, the minimum monthly wage is fixed at $19 –equivalent to 1,500 takas. This minimum wage structure has been effective as of December 1, 2013.
- 3. The central African Republic
- 218.75 CFA francs per hour
The central African Republic is one of the landlocked countries in Africa. In 1910, it merged with Chad and formed a territory under French Equatorial Africa. In 1960, it declared independence from French dominance.
The central African Republic is one of the lowly-developed countries in Africa. Effective as of 2011, the country’s hourly minimum wage is estimated at 218.75 CFA francs. Alternatively, this amounts to the monthly minimum wage of 35,000 CFA francs.
- 4. Kyrgyzstan
- $14 monthly
Kyrgyzstan is one of the Republican states in the central part of Asia. It ceded to Russian dominance in the nineteenth century but eventually attained independence in 1991. By and large, Kyrgyzstan is endowed with resources including gas, oil, and minerals.
A person working legally in Kyrgyzstan receives the monthly minimum wage of $14 equivalent to 1140 Kyrgyzstani som. (Nominally), this minimum wage structure serves administrative purposes and has been effective since 1st of January 2017.
5. Tanzania
Tanzania is a Republican state in the Eastern region of Africa. It was created in 1964 through the fusion of two autonomous states being Zanzibar and Tanganyika. It is widely recognized for the exportation of cotton, sisal, tea, and coffee.
Tanzania’s minimum wage doesn’t have a fixed structure as it ranges from one sector to another. Effective as of July 2013, the Tanzanian monthly minimum wage ranges (depending on the economic sector) from 40,000 Tanzanian shillings to 400,000 Tanzanian shillings.
6. The Gambia
- $1.25 daily
Gambia (officially the Gambia) is one of the Republican states in West Africa. Widely bordered by Senegal, Gambia ceded to Britain in 1843 and remained under British control until it declared independence in 1965.
The Gambia maintains the sixth lowest minimum wage in the world. The country fixes its daily minimum wage at $1.25 which is equivalent to 50 dalasis. Meanwhile, this minimum wage structure has remained effective since 2015.
7. Malawi
- MK 687.70 daily
Malawi is a Republican state in the central of East Africa. A member state of the Commonwealth; Malawi declared independence from British control in 1964. Effective as of January 1, 2016, the minimum wage in Malawi is fixed at MK 687.70 per day.
- 8. Guinea Bissau
- $30 monthly
In Guinea Bissau, a person working legally receives the monthly minimum wage of $30 which is equivalent to 19,030 CFA francs. In addition to this wage, such a person is given a bag of rice. Meanwhile, this wage structure has remained effective in Guinea Bissau since 2015.
9. DR Congo
- $1.83 daily
The Democratic Republic of Congo comes ninth amongst the countries with the lowest minimum wages in the world. In the country, each worker receives the daily minimum wage of $1.83 which is equivalent to 1,680 Congolese francs. This minimum wage structure has remained effective since January 1, 2009.
10. Liberia
- $0.31 per hour
Liberia has the tenth lowest minimum wage in the world. A worker in Liberia receives the hourly minimum wage of $0.31 which is equivalent to 15 Liberian dollars. Notably, the daily working hours, in this regard, is restricted to eight hours. For unskilled workers, no added benefits are included in this wage structure. In the case of a civil servant, the monthly minimum wage is fixed at $114 –alternatively 5,600 in Liberian dollars. This minimum wage system has remained effective in Liberia since 2014.
That’s all about The Top 10 Countries With The Lowest Minimum Wages In The World.
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