The average salary of an employee in Ukraine in August 2026 was 31,892 UAH. Over the year, it increased by 23.1%, although compared to July, it decreased by 1.1%. This figure refers to a specific month, not the entire year of 2026. This is reported by Novini.LIVE.
In the Novini.LIVE publication, a comparison is made with the amount of 14,589 UAH for 2022. Arithmetically, the difference is 17,303 UAH, or 118.6%. However, to conclude about the dynamics of salaries, it is necessary to ensure that the indicators cover the same categories of employees and are calculated using the same methodology.
How the average salary changed in 2026
The amount of 31,892 UAH should not be referred to as the average annual salary: it refers to August. Similarly, its comparison with the provided figure of 20,653 UAH for 2025 does not prove that salaries increased by 54.42% over the year. The figures for different periods are being compared here.
For the comparison of the same months, the State Statistics Service provides a different dynamic: in August 2026, the average salary was 23.1% higher than in August 2025. Meanwhile, a monthly decline was recorded in most types of economic activities.
The overall indicator also differs from the amounts that employers indicate in job postings. For example, salaries in job vacancies in Kyiv reflect offers for candidates, while the statistics of the State Statistics Service relate to the accrued payments of employed personnel.
Why the average salary does not reflect the income of most
Average and median salaries are different indicators. The average is obtained by dividing the total amount of salaries by the number of employees. The median is located in the middle of a sorted array: half of the employees earn less, half earn more.
For example, if four people earn 20,000 UAH each and a fifth earns 70,000 UAH, the average salary will be 30,000 UAH. The median will be 20,000 UAH. Therefore, an average indicator of nearly 32,000 UAH does not mean that the majority of Ukrainians earn this amount.
The increase in nominal salary does not equate to the same improvement in welfare. To assess purchasing power, inflation must be taken into account, and for job searching, it is more useful to compare payment in specific industries, regions, and professions.