The rich European country that’s the only one where women earn more than men

One of the world’s smallest countries is the only place in Europe where women are paid more than men.

Luxembourg is not only tiny but it is also the world’s richest country and offers its residents and tourists not only a high standard of living but also free public transport.

Since February 2020, all buses, trains, and trams have been free for both residents and tourists

This landlocked country in northwestern Europe has made its money by being a major centre for large private banking and its finance sector is the biggest contributor to its economy.

With a GDP per capita of $143,743 (approximately £109,000), Luxembourg is nearly twice as wealthy as the UK, which has a current GDP-PPP per capita of £58,880.

Despite its wealth, the country has just over half the population of Birmingham with just 672,050 people compared to Birmingham’s 1,144,900.

In fact, Luxembourg’s population size is only just larger than that of Glasgow, which sits at 635,640.

And it’s no surprise that locals here have a high standard of living with residents enjoying great healthcare, a strong education system, and well-maintained public services.

Luxembourg has a gender pay gap of (-0.7 %), it is the only European country with a negative figure, meaning women earned slightly more than men in 2022.

It is no secret that the gender pay gap is a problem worldwide with it still being very much evident in the European Union (EU), with women earning on average 12.7% less per hour than men.

Sadly the gender pay gap has only changed minimally over the last decade, with a 3-percentage point reduction since 2014.

In 2021, the gender pay gap in the EU was 12.7%, which is equivalent to women earning about 10.5 months less than men per year.

Apart from Luxembourg, Italy, Romania and Belgium had the lowest gender pay gap at less than five per cent.

In the UK women on average earn 14.7% less than men while Estonia has the biggest inequality in pay with women paid 21.3% less than men.