Christine Lagarde earns £632,716 as European Central Bank president - more than three times Keir Starmer's salary.

15:54, Fri, Jan 2, 2026 Updated: 16:07, Fri, Jan 2, 2026

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Lagarde's bumper salary package revealed (Image: Getty)

The bumper paypacket of top Eurocrat, Christine Lagarde, has been exposed as more than three times higher than that of the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. Ms Lagarde, who holds the position of the President of the European Central Bank (ECB) has a salary of some €726,000 (£632,716) in 2024, whilst Mr Starmer takes home £172,153.

She also earns nearly four times as much as the chairman of the United States Federal Reserve, who earns $203,000 (€172,720/£150,416) a year, despite the US economy substantially outstripping the European Union.

Between 2008 and 2023, the EU economy grew just 13.5%, from $16.37 (£12.13) trillion to $18.59 (£13.77) trillion, while U.S. GDP climbed by 87% (from $14.77 trillion to $27.72 trillion).

Ms Legarde, a French politician, previously served as Managing Director for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and before that was a French Government Minister.

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Revealed by analysis by the Financial Times, Ms Legarde's pay was initially declared as €466,000 (£405,685) by an ECB report, the paper has calculated it to actually be 56% higher than the figure provided.

The ECB is not required to follow the same rules as listed companies across the continent, which ensures companies give a "full and reliable picture of the remuneration" of their directors.

Her sky-high salary makes her the best-paid Eurocrat across the entire European Union, with the bloc's own President, Ursula von der Leyen's basic salary being over a fifth lower. It means she is paid more than the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz (€348,300/£303,324), and the President of the United States of $400,000 (£296,840).

Analysis showed that, in addition to her sizable basic remuneration, she was also awarded €135,000 (£117,578) in additional benefits, including housing expenses. Additionally, she receives €125,000 (£108,868) in extra pay from her position as a member of the Board of Directors for the Bank for International Settlements.

The ECB said that the salary of Ms Legarde was set by a committee, set in 1998 and that "the only change to salary since then, for all presidents, has been the annual salary adjustment that applies to all ECB staff."

She will also receive, from the end of this decade, a massive pension of around €178,000 (£155,014) from the ECB.

Ms Legarde, when heading the IMF, used her position to issue stark warnings about the UKs attempts to leave the European Union. In a report launched by Ms Legarde, she warned that leaving the EU without a Brexit deal would cause "substantial costs" to be incurred by the UK economy.

She added: "[Leaving without a deal] would mean in reasonably short order a reduction in the size of the UK economy."

Ms Legarde resigned from her post at the top of the IMF to become president of the ECB. During her time at the head of the IMF, it was reported by Forbes magazine that her salary was not subject to taxation.