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THE COST OF HAPPINESS

How Much You Should Tip Across The World, Mapped

From tipping your cab drivers to hotel staff, here are tipping expectations around the world.

1 year ago · 42.5k reads ·

Using TripAdvisor's tipping guide, HawaiianIslands mapped out the different tipping protocols around the world, including how much travelers should tip restaurant and hotels workers and drivers in different countries.

Here's what the data from 162 countries shows.

Key Takeaways

Restaurant tips are highest in the US (20 percent), followed by Canada, Belize and Mexico. But they're nonexistent in places like Australia, Denmark, South Korea and Japan.
In nearly one-third of the world, a 10 percent restaurant staff tip is considered adequate.
It's estimated that in the US, 58 percent of a server's income comes from tips.

Click to enlarge images

Via HawaiianIslands.

Comments

Joi Cardinal 1 year ago

these silly infographics dont convey data well
Biting Ginkgo 1 year ago

Should be zero because eveyone should be paid generous living wages in addition to basic income.
Paolino PcPhoto 1 year ago

@adwait lots of inaccuracies: most of EU you DO NOT leave any tip, unless you have an extraordinary service. Waiters are paid and having professional careers, unlike most of the US-based waiters.
Oisín Mac Fhearaí 1 year ago

I've never seen or heard of anyone tipping in Irish hotels, so maybe this data comes from tourists whose home country has a heavy tipping culture. Similarly, tipping isn't really a thing in restaurants here, unless you're in a large group (then the probability is high that one person will throw in a tip, then everybody feels pressured to do it).

Hopefully things don't get as bad as in the States, where everyone feels obliged to tip all the time, due to the lack of fair wage protection for restaurant staff. I'd rather not eat out if I'm subsidising an employer that doesn't treat their staff fairly. And of course, it converts the end of a nice social evening into a slightly awkward money thing where people have to make decisions and worry about either paying too much, or not tipping enough and being judged selfish by friends/family and wait staff. Just get rid of it, increase prices if need be, and skip all of that.
Paul Grimshaw 1 year ago

UK... 10% is standard tip WHEN GIVEN. Most people do not tip, and if they do, it's probably because it's on the receipt as an optional large table service charge.

Charts like this make it look like 10% is given all the time, it's simply not true. Same goes for hotels... i've never given a tip or seen a tip given in a hotel. Ironically, the taxi side of things is probably the opposite. A lot of 'keep the change' happens with taxis.
For 91 Days 1 year ago

I live in Spain and there is no tipping! Tipping culture is the worse, it gives businesses the chance not to take responsibilities for the people they're hiring.
1. Oisín Mac Fhearaí 1 year ago
  
  Glad to see I'm not alone in that belief. A few years ago I had a long argument with a friend about it. He thought it was selfish not to tip waitstaff who are probably underpaid. I thought it was unethical to subsidise restaurant owners and enable them to continue ripping off their staff (and giving customers a bad experience by turning a fun social dining event into an awkward social judgement event).
Mubashir s 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing...
Jeremy Walker 1 year ago

The standard in America is 15%; 20% is a *nice* tip.

The author has basically ignored what people actually do, and just unilaterally raised the tipping percentage for an entire country! I think it's safe to guess that they work in a tipped profession.
1. Elsie D. 1 year ago
  
  20% is standard base for ANY service in the US. Most servers and bartenders do not make a base minimum wage. Just because you are a bad tipper does not mean 20% isn't the standard. If you cannot afford to pay for the service you are receiving, consider going somewhere you are not taking up space and time of someone you will not fully pay.
  1. Vince Rogue 1 year ago
    
    No, he's right. 15% is the standard.
2. Robert Wainblat 1 year ago
  
  what world do you live in Jeremy? 15% would be considered subpar service. Most people tip 20%+ where the BARE minimum is 18%