The impact of minimum wages on overall health and well-being: Global evidence from the Gallup World Poll

Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos, Cahit Guven, Aydogan Ulker and Carol Graham

Social Science & Medicine, 2025, vol. 375, issue C

Abstract: We examine the impact of minimum wage increases on the overall self-reported health and subjective well-being of low-skilled workers using the Gallup World Poll from 2009 to 2020. We identify effects using within-country changes over time and cross-country variations in the timing and intensity of minimum wage increases across 87 countries. Our findings suggest that minimum wage increases benefit health and certain dimensions of subjective well-being. Specifically, we estimate a range of specifications and find that a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage leads to an increase in self-reported health ranging from 0 % to 1 % and an increase in satisfaction with the standard of living between 1 % and 6 %, at the outcome means. Minimum wage increases are linked to higher incomes, a lower likelihood of overtime work, enhanced social interactions, and more positive daily experiences. These benefits are especially significant in countries with stronger rule of law, among male workers, and for individuals in nations with free and universal healthcare access. A series of sensitivity and placebo tests confirm the robustness of these findings.

Keywords: Minimum wage; Self-reported health; Subjective well-being; Gallup world Poll (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I18 J38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118064

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