Salary comparison · 2026
Lawyer salary by country
The pay gap between the highest and lowest market for the same lawyer role is 2.6x. Employer location is the single biggest salary lever in this career.
A lawyer earns the most in Switzerland, with a 2026 median of $150,000 per year, and the least of these 12 markets in Spain at $58,000. Full comparison below, entry level to senior.
| Country | Entry | Median | Senior | Local median | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | $71k | $150k | $440k | CHF 130k | Details → |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $70k | $145k | $430k | $145k | Details → |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $59k | $125k | $365k | AED 460k | Details → |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $56k | $115k | $345k | A$175k | Details → |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $56k | $115k | $345k | S$155k | Details → |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $52k | $110k | $320k | C$150k | Details → |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $46k | $95k | $280k | £75k | Details → |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $43k | $90k | $265k | €83k | Details → |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $42k | $88k | $260k | €81k | Details → |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $42k | $86k | $255k | €79k | Details → |
| 🇫🇷 France | $37k | $76k | $225k | €70k | Details → |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $28k | $58k | $170k | €53k | Details → |
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Gross annual estimates from the Paygrade research dataset, updated 7 July 2026. Method explained on the methodology page.