Bar chart: Teacher salary

The bar chart compares the average annual salaries, in thousands of dollars, of primary and secondary school teachers in five countries.

Overall, secondary teachers earned more than primary teachers in every country. Germany paid the most and Kazakhstan the least, with a very wide gap between them.

Germany's teachers were the best paid, with primary teachers earning $66,000 and secondary teachers $72,000, a difference of $6,000. The UK came second, at $40,000 for primary and $43,000 for secondary teachers. The German figures were therefore far higher than those of any other country.

Poland and Mexico had similar and much lower salaries. In Poland, primary teachers earned $22,000 and secondary teachers $24,000, while Mexican teachers received $19,000 and $22,000 respectively. The gap between the two types of teacher was greater in Mexico, at $3,000, than in Poland, at $2,000.

Kazakhstan had the lowest salaries by a long way, at just $9,000 for primary teachers and $10,000 for secondary teachers. A German primary teacher therefore earned more than seven times as much as one in Kazakhstan.