BERLIN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Women in Germany earned on average 16 percent less per hour than men in 2025, unchanged from the previous year, according to data released on Tuesday by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
Women earned an average of 22.81 euros (26.81 U.S. dollars) per hour, 4.24 euros (4.98 U.S. dollars) less than men. The gender pay gap remained significantly smaller in eastern Germany, at 5 percent, compared with 17 percent in western Germany.
About 60 percent of the pay difference can be attributed to structural factors, including higher rates of part-time employment among women and their greater concentration in lower-paid sectors and occupations. The remaining 40 percent of the gap, equivalent to 1.71 euros (2.01 U.S. dollars) per hour, cannot be explained by the available data.
The adjusted gender pay gap showed that women earned 6 percent less than men even when performing comparable work with similar qualifications and employment histories.
Pay disparities were notably smaller in the public sector, where the gap stood at 4 percent, compared with 17 percent in the private sector. ■
