Average monthly take-home pay in Croatia, at €684, is three times lower than in Western Europe, and only seven other EU countries have lower average take-home pay, showed the figures from the Institute Économique Molinari for 2017.

The Institute, a research and educational think-tank, aims to promote an economic approach to the study of public policy issues.

Luxembourg topped the list with the average take-home pay of €3151, while Romania was last, with the average pay of €321. Croatia ranked 21st on the list of 28 EU countries, Vecernji List daily reported on Thursday.

In the European Union, 11 countries had the average pay of more than €2000, making them the most attractive destination for economic migrants.

Market trends have picked up this year, so in July 2018 the median wage in Croatia was 5504 kuna (€741), according to the state statistics bureau, 2.5 percent higher compared to the same period in 2017.

Even though the average monthly pay in Western European countries is three times the pay in Croatia, the prices of most of goods and services are similar, sometimes even higher in Croatia due to high VAT rates, Vecernji List reported.

Although the 6-year long economic recession has set Croatia back significantly, wages have grown some 13 percent in the last four years. However, some countries, such as Austria, record similar growth on annual level, while in Croatia the annual growth rate stands at around 1.25 percent, higher only than in Slovakia out of all the EU countries.

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