In 2018, average hourly labour costs in the whole economy (excluding agriculture and public administration) were estimated to be €27.4 in the European Union (EU) and €30.6 in the euro area. However, the average masks significant gaps between EU Member States, with the lowest hourly labour costs recorded in Bulgaria (€5.4), Romania (€6.9), Lithuania (€9.0), Hungary (€9.2) and Latvia (€9.3), and the highest in Denmark (€43.5), Luxembourg (€40.6), Belgium (€39.7), Sweden (€36.6), the Netherlands (€35.9) and France (€35.8).