Police play an important role in maintaining public order and ensuring the safety of our citizens. To support these critical services, the European government allocates considerable resources each year.
In 2022, public spending on order and security across the European Union reached 1.7% of GDP.
But how well are police officers compensated for their important work? How do police salaries compare across Europe?
Using estimates from Eurostat’s pay calculator, the official EUS statistical bureau, Euronows looks at police salaries in the EU and UK.
Spain pays the lowest from the European Big Four
In 2023, monthly total police salaries ranged from 699 euros in Bulgaria to 5,761 euros in Denmark. These numbers apply to 35-year-old male police officers who have over 10 years of experience, low-Trinity education and 36 hours a week of work.
Apart from Denmark, police officers’ salaries have exceeded 4,000 euros in three countries. Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium followed Denmark, with salaries of around 4,200 euros, while the Dutch executives earned 3,881 euros and the Irish executives earned 3,576 euros.
In France, police officers who met the above specifications won 3,395 euros, while in Italy this figure was 2,537 euros. Among the top four economies in the EU, Spanish police officers received a minimum salary of 2,271 euros.
Police officers have won under 1,250 euros in five EU countries. Salaries were just under 1,250 euros in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Croatia, exceeding 1,050 euros each, while Bulgarian executives were the lowest at just 699 euros.
Luxembourg is the only country that pays more women
Gender wage gaps are an important issue across Europe, and police are no exception.
Although data in some countries is unreliable, Luxembourg stands out as the only country where female police officers earn more than their male counterparts.
In most EU countries, male executives earn more than 10% of their female colleagues.
In 2022, one in five EU police officers were women. The chart above also highlights the salaries of female police officers.
Police Inspector and Detective Salaries
In many EU countries, police inspectors and detectives pay significantly higher than police officers’ salaries, but the highest and lowest countries remain the same.
Police inspectors and detectives salaries vary widely between 1,316 euros per month in Bulgaria to 6,351 euros per month in Denmark.
These figures represent the revenue of a 40-year-old man with over 15 years of experience, working on the 36-hour week standard.
advertisementThey also won over 5,000 euros (5,451 euros) a month in Ireland, delaying Germany (5,300 euros) and Luxembourg (5,243 euros). Austria (4,860 euros), the Netherlands (4,563 euros) and Belgium (4,144 euros) also provided salaries above 4,000 euros for these roles.
In addition to Bulgaria, police inspectors and detective salaries were under 2,000 euros in Latvia, Croatia, Lithuania, Romania, Poland and Hungary.
Among the Big Four in the EU, Germany stood out as an outlier with a salary of over 5,000, compared to 3,763 euros in France, 2,878 euros in Italy and 2,456 euros in Spain.
If adjusted for purchasing power, there will remain a significant gap
Purchasing Power Standard (PPS) salaries provide a more unbiased comparison.
advertisementA PPS is a “artificial currency unit” defined by Eurostat, where a single PPS unit is theoretically able to purchase the same amount of goods and services in each country. Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) “Eliminate the impact of differences in price levels across the country.”
Looking at the pay of police on PPS, the gap is smaller than the nominal figures, but there is a huge gap across the EU.
Low-Trinitarian-educated police officers’ salaries measured by PPS ranged from 1,158 in Bulgaria to 4,397 in Denmark. The upper and lower countries remain the same as nominal numbers.
Portugal ranked fourth from the bottom with a salary of 1,632 pps. In “Big Four,” Spain had the lowest salary at 2,481 pps.
advertisementDenmark also broke through the rankings of police inspectors and detectives’ salaries, offering 4,848 pps, followed by Germany and Ireland. In contrast, Bulgaria reports minimum salaries in this category at 2,179 pps, with Hungary (2,211 pps) and Lithuania (2,248 pps) nearby.
Gender pay gaps measured in PPS remain important issues for police officers, inspectors and detectives. For women in these roles, the rankings vary slightly.
Ireland provided the highest salaries for female inspectors and detectives at 4,539 pps, while Estonia and Latvia reported lower numbers than Bulgaria.
All Eurostat data represent the capital region. However, there may be variations in other regions.
advertisementNorthern and Western European countries lead police salaries, while Eastern and Southern European countries lag behind with lower wages.
However, Southern and Eastern Europe show significant improvements in rankings when adjusted to PPS.
UK police salaries
The UK figures are not included in the Eurostat estimates. These figures are not directly comparable, but it may be helpful to include data on British police officers based on national sources.
According to the UK government’s national career website, the average annual salary for a police officer ranges from £29,000 (€35,337) to £46,000 (€55,880) depending on experience, with a typical week ranging from 37 to 40 hours. This converts to a monthly salary of around 2,945 euros to 4,657 euros.
advertisementThe metropolitan police, which serves the Greater London area, has a starting salary of £38,269 (46,479 euros). This increases annually, reaching a maximum of £56,593 (68,734 euros) within seven years, with a monthly salary of around €5,728.
In 2022, the EU had an average of 341 police officers per 100,000 people, ranging from 137 in Finland to 550 in Cyprus.
Portugal reported that the lowest percentage of female police officers was 9%, while Latvia reported the highest share of 43%.
