Key Takeaways
- Immigrants in Germany see the strongest wage growth, with annual earnings rising by 48% over five years.
- U.S. immigrant incomes typically grow by 43% between year one and year five.
- New Zealand and the Netherlands are the only OECD countries where immigrant earnings decline after five years.
As immigrants settle into a new country, their earnings typically rise as they gain work experience and integrate into the labor market. However, the pace of earnings growth for immigrants varies across developed economies. While some countries offer strong upward mobility, others show little wage progression or even wage declines over the first five years.
This graphic shows the change in immigrants’ average real annual earnings between their first and fifth year in the host-country labor market using data from the OECD’s International Migration Outlook 2025.
| Country | Year One Earnings (USD) | Year Five Earnings (USD) | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $17,004 | $25,224 | 48% |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | $15,936 | $22,908 | 44% |
| 🇺🇸 U.S. | $27,375 | $39,163 | 43% |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | $25,872 | $36,804 | 42% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $14,892 | $19,236 | 29% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $29,557 | $37,618 | 27% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $14,304 | $18,204 | 27% |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | $2,904 | $3,636 | 25% |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | $37,932 | $46,716 | 23% |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | $10,620 | $12,816 | 21% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $18,936 | $22,560 | 19% |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | $9,300 | $10,848 | 17% |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | $59,752 | $67,877 | 14% |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | $48,120 | $45,432 | -6% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $26,592 | $24,864 | -6% |
Read more: Visual Capitalist