At the end of the first quarter of 2026, the average salary of men in Ukraine was UAH 33,798, while for women it was UAH 24,791. Thus, women received on average UAH 9,007 less. The largest gender wage gap is recorded in the arts, sports, entertainment and recreation sectors. This is evidenced by data from the State Statistics Service, writes informator. ua.
Trends.
The total average monthly salary of full-time employees in January-March this year amounted to UAH 28,885. Women's wages were 73% of men's wages.
The largest gap in nominal wages in favor of men was observed in the following industries:.
arts, sports, entertainment and recreation - 47.1%;
financial and insurance activities - 38.7%;
information and telecommunications - 37.8%.
At the same time, the IT sector and the financial industry remain the highest paid in Ukraine. The highest average salaries at the beginning of the year were received by workers in the information and telecommunications sector - UAH 80,550 per month. In financial and insurance activities, the average salary was UAH 60,588.
At the same time, men predominate in the highest paid positions in these industries.
Average wages in Ukraine continue to grow. If in the fourth quarter of 2025 it was UAH 28,337, then in the first quarter of 2026 it increased to UAH 28,885. Thus, during the quarter, wages increased by UAH 548, or 1.9%.
Reasons.
According to the State Statistics Service, the gender gap is partly explained by the different employment structure of men and women. Experts note that about 24% of this gap is due to the fact that women are significantly more likely to work in relatively low-paid sectors, particularly in education, health and care..
In recent years, the share of women among those looking for work has increased from 57% to 64%. At the same time, despite the growing demand for female labor, this does not automatically lead to an increase in wages.
It was reported that the average salary in Ukraine in January of this year was UAH 27,975, which is 9.5% less than in December 2025. The highest salaries were recorded in Kyiv and the region (43,865 UAH and 28,598 UAH, respectively).