---
title: "European Minimum Wages Rose 23-87% Since 2020, With Eastern Europe Leading Growth"
subtitle: "Growth trajectories and current positioning relative to €1,686 EU average, monthly statutory wages"
description: "Analysis of European minimum wage changes 2020-2025 using improved dual-panel visualization. Eastern European countries led growth (Poland: 87%, Czechia: 51%) while Western nations maintain positions above €1,686 EU average."
author: "Steven Ponce"
date: "2025-07-29"
categories: ["MakeoverMonday", "2025"]
tags: [
"minimum-wage",
"european-union",
"economic-policy",
"wage-growth",
"data-transformation",
"ggplot2",
"dumbbell-chart",
"diverging-bars",
"comparative-analysis",
"policy-visualization",
"eastern-europe",
"western-europe",
"economic-inequality",
"makeover-monday-2025",
"dual-panel-charts"
]
image: "thumbnails/mm_2025_31.png"
format:
html:
toc: true
toc-depth: 5
code-link: true
code-fold: true
code-tools: true
code-summary: "Show code"
editor_options:
chunk_output_type: inline
execute:
freeze: true
cache: true
error: false
message: false
warning: false
eval: true
---
```{r}
#| label: setup-links
#| include: false
# CENTRALIZED LINK MANAGEMENT
## Project-specific info
current_year <- 2025
current_week <- 31
project_file <- "mm_2025_31.qmd"
project_image <- "mm_2025_31.png"
## Data Sources
data_main <- "https://data.world/makeovermonday/2025-week-31-wages-across-europe"
data_secondary <- "https://www.datawrapper.de/blog/low-wages-europe"
## Repository Links
repo_main <- "https://github.com/poncest/personal-website/"
repo_file <- paste0("https://github.com/poncest/personal-website/blob/master/data_visualizations/MakeoverMonday/", current_year, "/", project_file)
## External Resources/Images
chart_original <- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/poncest/MakeoverMonday/refs/heads/master/2025/Week_31/original_chart.png"
## Organization/Platform Links
org_primary <- "https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/explore/all/popul?lang=en&subtheme=labour.earn.earn_minw&display=list&sort=category&extractionId=earn_mw_cur"
org_secondary <- "https://data.world/makeovermonday"
# Helper function to create markdown links
create_link <- function(text, url) {
paste0("[", text, "](", url, ")")
}
# Helper function for citation-style links
create_citation_link <- function(text, url, title = NULL) {
if (is.null(title)) {
paste0("[", text, "](", url, ")")
} else {
paste0("[", text, "](", url, ' "', title, '")')
}
}
```
### Original
The original visualization **Low wages across Europe** comes from `r create_link("Datawrapper", data_secondary)`
<!--  -->

### Makeover
{#fig-1}
### <mark> **Steps to Create this Graphic** </mark>
#### 1. Load Packages & Setup
```{r}
#| label: load
#| warning: false
#| message: false
#| results: "hide"
## 1. LOAD PACKAGES & SETUP ----
suppressPackageStartupMessages({
if (!require("pacman")) install.packages("pacman")
pacman::p_load(
tidyverse, # Easily Install and Load the 'Tidyverse'
ggtext, # Improved Text Rendering Support for 'ggplot2'
showtext, # Using Fonts More Easily in R Graphs
scales, # Scale Functions for Visualization
glue, # Interpreted String Literals
patchwork # The Composer of Plots
)
})
### |- figure size ----
camcorder::gg_record(
dir = here::here("temp_plots"),
device = "png",
width = 12,
height = 10,
units = "in",
dpi = 320
)
# Source utility functions
suppressMessages(source(here::here("R/utils/fonts.R")))
source(here::here("R/utils/social_icons.R"))
source(here::here("R/utils/image_utils.R"))
source(here::here("R/themes/base_theme.R"))
```
#### 2. Read in the Data
```{r}
#| label: read
#| include: true
#| eval: true
#| warning: false
#|
eu_wages <- read_csv(
here::here('data/MakeoverMonday/2025/wages.csv')) |>
janitor::clean_names()
```
#### 3. Examine the Data
```{r}
#| label: examine
#| include: true
#| eval: true
#| results: 'hide'
#| warning: false
glimpse(eu_wages)
skimr::skim(eu_wages)
```
#### 4. Tidy Data
```{r}
#| label: tidy
#| warning: false
# Custom euro formatting function
format_euro <- function(x) {
paste0("€", scales::comma(x, accuracy = 1))
}
# Data tidying
eu_wages_long <- eu_wages |>
mutate(date = dmy(date)) |>
pivot_longer(
cols = -date,
names_to = "country",
values_to = "wage"
) |>
mutate(
country = str_to_title(country),
year = year(date),
wage_euros = wage,
wage_thousands = wage / 1000
) |>
arrange(country, date)
# Calculate additional metrics
eu_wages_summary <- eu_wages_long |>
group_by(country) |>
summarise(
start_wage = first(wage_euros),
end_wage = last(wage_euros),
total_change = end_wage - start_wage,
pct_change = (end_wage - start_wage) / start_wage * 100,
avg_wage = mean(wage_euros),
.groups = "drop"
) |>
arrange(desc(end_wage))
# Calculate average
current_avg <- mean(eu_wages_summary$end_wage)
# Dumbell data
dumbell_data <- eu_wages_summary |>
mutate(
country = fct_reorder(country, end_wage),
above_avg = end_wage > current_avg
)
# Diverging data
diverging_chart_data <- eu_wages_summary |>
mutate(
diff_from_avg = end_wage - current_avg,
country = fct_reorder(country, diff_from_avg),
above_avg = diff_from_avg > 0
)
```
#### 5. Visualization Parameters
```{r}
#| label: params
#| include: true
#| warning: false
### |- plot aesthetics ----
# Get base colors with custom palette
colors <- get_theme_colors(palette = list(
above_avg = "#1f77b4",
below_avg = "#d62728",
start_point = "#ff7f0e",
end_point = "#2ca02c",
connection = "#7f7f7f",
text_dark = "#2f2f2f",
text_light = "#666666"
))
### |- titles and caption ----
title_text <- str_glue("European Minimum Wages Rose 23-87% Since 2020, With Eastern Europe Leading Growth")
subtitle_text <- str_glue(
"Growth trajectories and current positioning relative to €1,686 EU average, monthly statutory wages<br><br>",
"Gray circles: 2020 starting wages | Colored dots/bars: 2025 final position (Blue: Above average, Red: Below average)"
)
# Create caption
caption_text <- create_mm_caption(
mm_year = current_year,
mm_week = current_week,
source_text = paste0("Eurostat")
)
### |- fonts ----
setup_fonts()
fonts <- get_font_families()
### |- plot theme ----
# Start with base theme
base_theme <- create_base_theme(colors)
# Add weekly-specific theme elements
weekly_theme <- extend_weekly_theme(
base_theme,
theme(
plot.title = element_text(
size = rel(1.2), family = fonts$title, face = "bold",
color = colors$title, lineheight = 1.1, hjust = 0.5,
margin = margin(t = 5, b = 10)
),
plot.subtitle = element_text(
size = rel(0.9), hjust = 0.5, family = fonts$subtitle,
color = alpha(colors$subtitle, 0.9), lineheight = 0.9,
margin = margin(t = 5, b = 20)
),
# Legend formatting
legend.position = "plot",
legend.box.margin = margin(b = 10),
legend.margin = margin(b = 5),
legend.title = element_text(face = "bold"),
# Axis formatting
axis.ticks.y = element_blank(),
axis.ticks.x = element_line(color = "gray", linewidth = 0.5),
axis.ticks.length = unit(0.2, "cm"),
axis.title.x = element_text(
face = "bold", size = rel(0.85),
margin = margin(t = 10)
),
axis.title.y = element_text(
face = "bold", size = rel(0.85),
margin = margin(r = 10)
),
axis.text.x = element_text(
size = rel(0.85), family = fonts$subtitle,
color = colors$text
),
axis.text.y = element_text(
size = rel(0.85), family = fonts$subtitle,
color = colors$text
),
# Grid lines
panel.grid.major = element_line(color = "#ecf0f1", linewidth = 0.4),
panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
# Margin
plot.margin = margin(20, 20, 20, 20)
)
)
# Set theme
theme_set(weekly_theme)
```
#### 6. Plot
```{r}
#| label: plot
#| warning: false
### |- Plot 1 Dumbbell Chart (The Journey) ----
p1 <- dumbell_data |>
ggplot(aes(y = country)) +
# Geoms
geom_segment(aes(x = start_wage, xend = end_wage,
color = above_avg),
linewidth = 1.1, alpha = 0.8) +
geom_point(aes(x = start_wage),
color = "gray30", fill = "white",
size = 3.5, shape = 21, stroke = 1.5) +
geom_point(aes(x = end_wage, color = above_avg),
size = 4, alpha = 0.9) +
geom_text(aes(x = end_wage,
label = paste0("+", round(pct_change, 1), "%")),
hjust = -0.35, size = 3.2, fontface = "bold",
color = colors$palette$text_dark) +
# Scales
scale_color_manual(
values = c("TRUE" = colors$palette$above_avg,
"FALSE" = colors$palette$below_avg),
guide = "none"
) +
scale_x_continuous(
labels = format_euro,
expand = expansion(mult = c(0.1, 0.25)),
limits = c(500, 2800),
breaks = seq(500, 2500, 500)
) +
# Labs
labs(
title = "A. Growth Journey (2020 --> 2025)",
subtitle = "How countries transformed their minimum wages",
x = "Monthly Minimum Wage",
y = NULL
) +
# Theme
theme(
plot.title = element_text(
size = rel(1.3),
family = fonts$title,
face = "bold",
hjust = 0.5,
color = colors$title,
lineheight = 1.1,
margin = margin(t = 5, b = 5)
),
plot.subtitle = element_markdown(
size = rel(1.1),
hjust = 0.5,
family = fonts$subtitle,
color = alpha(colors$subtitle, 0.9),
lineheight = 0.9,
margin = margin(t = 5, b = 10)
),
panel.grid.major.y = element_blank(),
panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
)
### |- Plot 2 Diverging Bar Chart (Current Position) ----
p2 <- diverging_chart_data |>
ggplot(aes(x = country, y = diff_from_avg, fill = above_avg)) +
# Geoms
geom_col(width = 0.75, alpha = 0.85) +
geom_hline(yintercept = 0, color = colors$palette$text_dark,
size = 1, alpha = 0.8) +
geom_text(
aes(label = format_euro(abs(diff_from_avg)),
hjust = ifelse(diff_from_avg > 0, -0.15, 1.15)),
size = 3.2, fontface = "bold",
color = colors$palette$text_dark
) +
# Scales
scale_fill_manual(
values = c("TRUE" = colors$palette$above_avg,
"FALSE" = colors$palette$below_avg),
labels = c("Below Average", "Above Average"),
name = NULL
) +
scale_y_continuous(
labels = format_euro,
breaks = scales::pretty_breaks(n = 6),
limits = c(-1100, 1200)
) +
coord_flip() +
# Labs
labs(
title = "B. Current Position vs European Average",
subtitle = paste0("Deviation from ", format_euro(round(current_avg)), " average"),
x = NULL,
y = "Difference from Average"
) +
# Theme
theme(
plot.title = element_text(
size = rel(1.3),
family = fonts$title,
face = "bold",
hjust = 0.5,
color = colors$title,
lineheight = 1.1,
margin = margin(t = 5, b = 5)
),
plot.subtitle = element_markdown(
size = rel(1.1),
hjust = 0.5,
family = fonts$subtitle,
color = alpha(colors$subtitle, 0.9),
lineheight = 0.9,
margin = margin(t = 5, b = 10)
),
panel.grid.major.y = element_blank(),
panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
)
### |- combined plot ----
# Create an invisible spacer plot
spacer <- ggplot() +
theme_void() +
theme(plot.margin = margin(0, 0, 0, 0))
combined_plots <- (p1 + spacer + p2) +
plot_layout(
widths = c(1.2, 0.01, 1)
)
combined_plots <- combined_plots +
plot_annotation(
title = title_text,
subtitle = subtitle_text,
caption = caption_text,
theme = theme(
plot.title = element_text(
size = rel(1.6),
family = fonts$title,
face = "bold",
hjust = 0.5,
color = colors$title,
lineheight = 1.1,
margin = margin(t = 5, b = 5)
),
plot.subtitle = element_markdown(
size = rel(1.1),
hjust = 0.5,
family = fonts$subtitle,
color = alpha(colors$subtitle, 0.9),
lineheight = 0.9,
margin = margin(t = 5, b = 0)
),
plot.caption = element_markdown(
size = rel(0.75),
family = fonts$caption,
color = colors$caption,
hjust = 0.5,
margin = margin(t = 10)
)
)
)
```
#### 7. Save
```{r}
#| label: save
#| warning: false
### |- plot image ----
save_plot_patchwork(
plot = combined_plots,
type = "makeovermonday",
year = current_year,
week = current_week,
width = 12,
height = 8
)
```
#### 8. Session Info
::: {.callout-tip collapse="true"}
##### Expand for Session Info
```{r, echo = FALSE}
#| eval: true
#| warning: false
sessionInfo()
```
:::
#### 9. GitHub Repository
::: {.callout-tip collapse="true"}
##### Expand for GitHub Repo
The complete code for this analysis is available in `r create_link(project_file, repo_file)`.
For the full repository, `r create_link("click here", repo_main)`.
:::
#### 10. References
::: {.callout-tip collapse="true"}
##### Expand for References
1. Data:
- Makeover Monday `r current_year` Week `r current_week`: `r create_link("Low wages across Europe", data_main)`
2. Article
- `r create_link("Low wages across Europe", data_secondary)`
:::