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Average Certified Nursing Assistant CNA Salary in India for 2026

A certified nursing assistant CNA in India earns about 263,200 INR a year. That's 31% below the national average of 384,200 INR.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in India sit around 129,000 INR a year, while the very top stretches to 407,300 INR. Everything on this page is in Indian rupee (INR, symbol ₹), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in India, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does a certified nursing assistant CNA make in India?

Average salary
263,200 INR
21,933 INR per month
Lowest reported
129,000 INR
10,750 INR per month
Highest reported
407,300 INR
33,941 INR per month

A typical certified nursing assistant CNA working in India brings home around 21,933 INR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 129,000 INR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 407,300 INR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior certified nursing assistant CNA working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How certified nursing assistant CNA pay ranges in India

A good way to think about salary in India is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all certified nursing assistant CNAs in India earn less than 266,000 INR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 175,900 INR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 341,900 INR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of certified nursing assistant CNAs sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 129,000 INR. The highest stretch to 407,300 INR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

129,000
Low
266,000
Median
407,300
High
175,900
25th
341,900
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in INR

Certified nursing assistant CNA pay by experience in India

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a certified nursing assistant CNA in India, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical certified nursing assistant CNA salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    152,100 INR
  • 2-5 Years
    +29% from previous
    196,800 INR
  • 5-10 Years
    +37% from previous
    268,900 INR
  • 10-15 Years
    +24% from previous
    332,100 INR
  • 15-20 Years
    +8% from previous
    357,700 INR
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    381,800 INR

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 37%. That is the point at which a certified nursing assistant CNA typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Certified nursing assistant CNA pay by education in India

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving certified nursing assistant CNA pay in India. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average certified nursing assistant CNA salary in India broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    190,500 INR
  • Master's Degree
    +58% from previous
    301,700 INR

Certified nursing assistant CNA gender pay gap in India

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and India is no exception. Male certified nursing assistant CNAs in India earn an average of 243,000 INR a year, while female certified nursing assistant CNAs earn around 273,300 INR. That works out to a 11% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Certified Nursing Assistant CNA gender pay gap

11%

Men earn this much less than women on average in India.

Women 273,300 INR
Men 243,000 INR

Pay raises for a certified nursing assistant CNA in India

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in India sees a raise of about 9% every 18 months, which works out to roughly 6% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in India, the national average raise is around 9% every 16 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in India:

  • Banking
    1%
  • Energy
    2%
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Certified nursing assistant CNA bonus rates in India

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

56%

56% of certified nursing assistant CNAs in India reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a certified nursing assistant CNA a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 44% of certified nursing assistant CNAs reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in India

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Certified nursing assistant CNA: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in India is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

5%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in India on average.

Public sector 392,300 INR
Private sector 371,100 INR

Certified nursing assistant CNA salary by city and region in India

Certified nursing assistant CNA pay is not even across India. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Uttar Pradesh
  • West Bengal
  • Maharashtra
  • Bihar
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Delhi (city)
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Gujarat
  • Orissa
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Uttar PradeshRegion325,900 INR315,700 INR172,200-500,100 INR
West BengalRegion322,600 INR348,300 INR150,000-514,300 INR
MaharashtraRegion322,600 INR327,300 INR159,100-504,400 INR
BiharRegion314,500 INR340,000 INR142,300-499,300 INR
Madhya PradeshRegion311,700 INR339,100 INR142,300-498,500 INR
Andhra PradeshRegion308,900 INR332,500 INR142,300-489,600 INR
Delhi (city)City308,900 INR314,500 INR151,800-478,000 INR
Tamil NaduRegion296,000 INR282,500 INR152,300-454,300 INR
GujaratRegion294,700 INR301,300 INR146,200-460,500 INR
OrissaRegion294,700 INR315,900 INR136,100-464,900 INR
BangaloreCity292,000 INR296,000 INR143,200-454,300 INR
KolkataCity288,700 INR314,500 INR134,600-462,300 INR
HyderabadCity288,700 INR277,400 INR152,100-445,100 INR
RajasthanRegion288,700 INR314,500 INR134,600-460,500 INR
KarnatakaRegion288,700 INR315,700 INR134,600-462,300 INR
PunjabRegion288,700 INR277,400 INR152,100-445,100 INR
MumbaiCity288,100 INR312,400 INR130,400-457,300 INR
LucknowCity288,100 INR312,400 INR130,400-457,300 INR
KeralaRegion283,400 INR288,100 INR139,100-437,900 INR
ChhatisgarhRegion282,300 INR273,300 INR148,300-431,300 INR
KanpurCity281,500 INR268,900 INR148,300-431,100 INR
ChennaiCity275,800 INR281,500 INR136,200-431,100 INR
JharkhandRegion275,800 INR265,000 INR143,200-420,800 INR
AssamRegion275,800 INR265,000 INR142,300-420,800 INR
Jammu & KashmirRegion275,500 INR282,300 INR136,200-431,300 INR
AhmadabadCity275,500 INR283,400 INR136,200-430,500 INR
SuratCity275,200 INR263,100 INR142,300-419,400 INR
HaryanaRegion273,000 INR263,900 INR143,200-420,100 INR
PuneCity272,800 INR275,800 INR134,600-420,800 INR
Pimpri-ChinchwadCity272,800 INR294,300 INR124,400-430,500 INR
ManipurRegion267,100 INR258,400 INR138,200-409,000 INR
Himachal PradeshRegion267,100 INR290,800 INR125,100-425,100 INR
UttaranchalRegion266,000 INR273,300 INR128,900-417,200 INR
JaipurCity266,000 INR286,400 INR123,400-424,300 INR
NagpurCity263,900 INR252,300 INR137,400-406,300 INR
BhopalCity261,300 INR265,000 INR125,700-404,600 INR
Delhi (region)Region261,300 INR251,500 INR136,200-398,300 INR
IndoreCity259,100 INR279,400 INR117,440-412,000 INR
VisakhapatnamCity258,400 INR263,100 INR127,700-399,900 INR
TripuraRegion258,400 INR275,500 INR117,520-409,000 INR
GhaziabadCity257,700 INR246,500 INR136,100-394,300 INR
LudhianaCity247,800 INR254,700 INR123,400-389,200 INR
CoimbatoreCity247,800 INR239,000 INR129,000-378,800 INR
NagalandRegion246,500 INR239,000 INR129,000-378,800 INR
PondicherryRegion246,500 INR253,400 INR119,900-384,500 INR
MeghalayaRegion240,500 INR263,100 INR112,420-385,300 INR
GoaRegion239,000 INR259,100 INR110,380-383,300 INR
Arunachal PradeshRegion239,000 INR240,500 INR115,400-369,300 INR
ChandigarhRegion239,000 INR240,500 INR115,620-369,300 INR
VadodaraCity239,000 INR259,100 INR110,380-383,300 INR
PatnaCity238,900 INR243,000 INR115,600-371,100 INR
Dadra & Nagar HaveliRegion238,900 INR257,700 INR109,520-381,800 INR
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsRegion233,900 INR225,300 INR123,400-361,600 INR
MaduraiCity233,900 INR254,700 INR107,960-375,200 INR
agraCity232,400 INR237,400 INR112,180-361,500 INR
MizoramRegion232,400 INR239,000 INR113,840-365,400 INR
SikkimRegion225,300 INR231,000 INR109,720-351,900 INR
LakshadweepRegion221,500 INR212,500 INR114,000-340,400 INR
Daman & DiuRegion214,000 INR217,900 INR105,800-332,100 INR

Certified Nursing Assistant CNA in India: FAQs

  • How much does a certified nursing assistant CNA make per month in India?

    A certified nursing assistant CNA in India earns about 21,933 INR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 263,200 INR.

  • What's the salary range for a certified nursing assistant CNA in India?

    Entry-level certified nursing assistant CNAs in India start near 129,000 INR. Top-end pay reaches around 407,300 INR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 175,900 and 341,900 INR.

  • Is the median certified nursing assistant CNA salary in India higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 266,000 INR, higher than the average of 263,200 INR. Half of certified nursing assistant CNAs in India earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for certified nursing assistant CNAs in India?

    Men working as a certified nursing assistant CNA in India earn around 11% less than women on average (243,000 vs 273,300 INR a year).

  • Do certified nursing assistant CNAs in India get bonuses?

    About 56% of certified nursing assistant CNAs in India reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do certified nursing assistant CNAs earn more in the public or private sector in India?

    In India, the public sector pays a certified nursing assistant CNA about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do certified nursing assistant CNAs in India get a pay raise?

    A certified nursing assistant CNA in India sees a raise of around 9% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 6% a year.