The country’s average monthly salary has indeed increased, reaching 860 euros gross in 2025, but the others have not stood still either. In Serbia, the average gross monthly salary has reached 1,290 euros; in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1,245; in Montenegro, 1,203 euros; and in North Macedonia, 1,100 euros, according to a previous Monitor publication based on official data from the statistical agencies of the respective countries.

So far, the race for employees has been lost, as wages in the countries of the region continue to remain 30-50% higher than in Albania.

In fact, the prime minister has kept his promise, but only for himself and the country’s president.

“Monitor,” in cooperation with its correspondents in the Western Balkan countries, reports the salaries of the highest levels of government, such as the president and prime minister, in all 6 Western Balkan countries.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania top the list in terms of salaries, while Albania is absolutely first for the salaries of top leaders in relation to the country’s average salary.

In Albania, the President has a gross monthly salary of 425 thousand lek, or 4,470 euros at the current exchange rate. His salary is 5.2 times higher than the average wage in the country.

The Albanian prime minister has an average gross monthly salary of 393 thousand lek, or 4,130 euros. His salary is 4.8 times higher than the country’s average and the highest among all prime ministers in the Balkans.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the administrative structure is complicated. Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have a single state president. Instead, it is led by a three-member Presidency representing the country’s three main ethnic communities.

The country has two prime ministers, one for each of its two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. For the prime ministers, the average gross salary, calculated as the average of the two salaries, is around 4 thousand euros, and for the presidents, the average is around 4,600 euros, the highest in the Balkans.

However, in relation to the country’s average salary, the difference is lower than in Albania (respectively 3.7 times for the president and 3.2 times for the prime minister) because of the higher wages in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In terms of net salaries, the Albanian president and prime minister lead the Balkans, as Bosnia and Herzegovina has a higher tax burden. The Albanian president’s net salary is around 320 thousand lek, or nearly 3,400 euros, compared with the presidential average of 3 thousand euros in Bosnia.

The Albanian prime minister is by far the highest-paid, as he receives a net 302 thousand lek, or nearly 3,200 euros, compared with 2,600-2,700 euros for Bosnia’s prime ministers. In fact, the Albanian prime minister has a higher net salary than the gross salaries of most of his counterparts in the Balkans.

The other Balkan countries, although they have higher average salaries, are more modest in the compensation of the top leaders who guide the country’s policies.

In Montenegro, the president has a gross salary of 2,700 euros, or 2.2 times above Montenegro’s average salary. The country’s prime minister has a salary at similar levels.

Serbia is the state that has managed to achieve the highest average gross salary in the region, but in contrast it pays the country’s leaders less.

The president has a gross salary of 338 thousand dinars, or 2,740 euros, only 2.1 times more than the average salary in the country. The prime minister has a gross salary of 282 thousand denars, or around 2,300 euros, 1.8 times above the average salary in the country.

In North Macedonia, salaries are not officially declared, but the media have reported that the president and prime minister each receive around 140 thousand Macedonian denars net, corresponding to a gross salary of 206 thousand denars, or around 3,300 euros, or three times above the country’s average salary.

In Kosovo, the president’s base gross monthly salary is 1,980 euros, or 1.64 times above the average salary in the country. The prime minister has a base gross salary of 1,870 euros (1.55 times above the average salary).

Leaders’ salaries in relation to the average

Albania is the country where the president and prime minister have the biggest gap with the country’s average salary, at about 5 times more.

The second-highest difference is in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at 3.2-3.7 times. Next comes North Macedonia, at around 3 times, followed by Kosovo at 2.6-2.8 times.

In Montenegro, top leaders’ salaries are 2.2 times above the average, and Serbia ranks last, where leaders earn less than double the average.

While Serbia has the highest average monthly salary in the Balkans and 50% more than in Albania, the Albanian president and prime minister have salaries respectively 63% and 80% higher than their Serbian counterparts.

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