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Average Clinical Research Coordinator Salary in China for 2026

A clinical research coordinator in China earns about 398,300 CNY a year. That's 13% above the national average of 351,900 CNY.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in China sit around 187,300 CNY a year, while the very top stretches to 629,800 CNY. Everything on this page is in Chinese yuan (CNY, 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 China, 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 clinical research coordinator make in China?

Average salary
398,300 CNY
33,191 CNY per month
Lowest reported
187,300 CNY
15,608 CNY per month
Highest reported
629,800 CNY
52,483 CNY per month

A typical clinical research coordinator working in China brings home around 33,191 CNY a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 187,300 CNY, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 629,800 CNY 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 clinical research coordinator 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 clinical research coordinator pay ranges in China

A good way to think about salary in China is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all clinical research coordinators in China earn less than 420,800 CNY 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 273,000 CNY (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 559,000 CNY (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of clinical research coordinators sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 187,300 CNY. The highest stretch to 629,800 CNY, 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.

187,300
Low
420,800
Median
629,800
High
273,000
25th
559,000
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in CNY

Clinical research coordinator pay by experience in China

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a clinical research coordinator in China, 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 clinical research coordinator salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    215,100 CNY
  • 2-5 Years
    +39% from previous
    299,500 CNY
  • 5-10 Years
    +42% from previous
    424,900 CNY
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    518,300 CNY
  • 15-20 Years
    +5% from previous
    545,300 CNY
  • 20+ Years
    +9% from previous
    596,100 CNY

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a clinical research coordinator 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.

Clinical research coordinator pay by education in China

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving clinical research coordinator pay in China. 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 clinical research coordinator salary in China broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    299,500 CNY
  • Master's Degree
    +82% from previous
    545,300 CNY

Clinical research coordinator gender pay gap in China

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and China is no exception. Male clinical research coordinators in China earn an average of 421,400 CNY a year, while female clinical research coordinators earn around 383,300 CNY. That works out to a 10% gap in favour of men, 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.

Clinical Research Coordinator gender pay gap

9%

Men earn this much more than women on average in China.

Men 421,400 CNY
Women 383,300 CNY

Pay raises for a clinical research coordinator in China

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 China sees a raise of about 10% every 15 months, which works out to roughly 8% 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 China, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in China:

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

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

Clinical research coordinator bonus rates in China

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.

60%

60% of clinical research coordinators in China reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a clinical research coordinator 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 2% to 7% of base salary. The remaining 40% of clinical research coordinators reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in China

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

Clinical research coordinator: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in China 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

6%

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

Public sector 362,200 CNY
Private sector 341,400 CNY

Clinical research coordinator salary by city and region in China

Clinical research coordinator pay is not even across China. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Guangzhou
  • Guangdong
  • Beijing (city)
  • Shanghai (city)
  • Hebei
  • Hunan
  • Hangzhou
  • Chengdu
  • Shandong
  • Henan
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
GuangzhouCity451,000 CNY476,600 CNY209,500-712,100 CNY
GuangdongRegion448,500 CNY454,900 CNY221,500-696,700 CNY
Beijing (city)City437,900 CNY454,900 CNY209,500-689,900 CNY
Shanghai (city)City433,800 CNY454,300 CNY208,600-684,900 CNY
HebeiRegion430,000 CNY394,500 CNY232,400-649,700 CNY
HunanRegion430,000 CNY430,000 CNY214,000-665,300 CNY
HangzhouCity425,100 CNY425,100 CNY210,500-659,200 CNY
ChengduCity425,100 CNY392,300 CNY231,000-643,800 CNY
ShandongRegion424,900 CNY424,900 CNY210,500-658,300 CNY
HenanRegion420,800 CNY404,600 CNY221,500-648,200 CNY
Chongqing (city)City420,800 CNY457,300 CNY194,600-671,000 CNY
Tianjin (city)City420,100 CNY406,300 CNY221,500-643,800 CNY
JinanCity420,100 CNY431,100 CNY207,800-658,300 CNY
GuangxiRegion417,100 CNY433,800 CNY201,100-659,400 CNY
HarbinCity414,000 CNY421,400 CNY201,100-642,800 CNY
WuhanCity413,900 CNY430,000 CNY197,600-650,800 CNY
HubeiRegion412,000 CNY403,100 CNY209,700-632,400 CNY
SichuanRegion409,000 CNY433,400 CNY192,600-648,200 CNY
ShenyangCity409,000 CNY440,200 CNY189,300-649,700 CNY
JiangsuRegion407,100 CNY415,900 CNY197,600-633,300 CNY
AnhuiRegion404,600 CNY372,600 CNY217,900-610,100 CNY
LiaoningRegion404,600 CNY436,200 CNY187,300-645,800 CNY
ZhejiangRegion401,300 CNY394,800 CNY204,000-619,000 CNY
ShaanxiRegion396,300 CNY389,200 CNY204,700-610,100 CNY
HeilongjiangRegion394,800 CNY369,300 CNY208,600-597,800 CNY
SuzhouCity394,800 CNY385,300 CNY200,000-606,400 CNY
Xi anCity392,300 CNY424,300 CNY180,500-623,200 CNY
ShantouCity390,000 CNY398,300 CNY192,600-608,500 CNY
NanjingCity389,200 CNY363,000 CNY207,800-590,200 CNY
JiangxiRegion389,200 CNY406,300 CNY187,500-608,500 CNY
ShanxiRegion383,300 CNY396,300 CNY183,700-598,600 CNY
QingdaoCity383,300 CNY414,000 CNY174,000-606,400 CNY
YunnanRegion382,600 CNY367,200 CNY197,600-588,500 CNY
ShenzhenCity377,200 CNY397,900 CNY175,900-596,100 CNY
Chongqing (region)Region377,200 CNY362,200 CNY196,800-574,200 CNY
FujianRegion371,100 CNY363,000 CNY190,500-571,300 CNY
WenzhouCity371,100 CNY357,300 CNY191,600-566,900 CNY
ChangchunCity369,900 CNY384,500 CNY175,900-580,600 CNY
JilinRegion363,000 CNY385,300 CNY172,200-574,200 CNY
DalianCity362,200 CNY388,100 CNY164,200-573,500 CNY
GuizhouRegion357,300 CNY378,300 CNY167,100-563,000 CNY
FoshanCity353,600 CNY367,200 CNY172,200-555,800 CNY
GansuRegion351,900 CNY351,900 CNY176,800-545,300 CNY
FuzhouCity351,900 CNY340,000 CNY183,700-539,800 CNY
DongguanCity349,300 CNY354,000 CNY172,200-541,700 CNY
Xinjiang UygurRegion349,300 CNY319,600 CNY189,300-524,300 CNY
Shanghai (region)Region348,300 CNY357,300 CNY172,200-543,200 CNY
ChangshaCity345,700 CNY340,400 CNY176,800-533,000 CNY
KunmingCity341,900 CNY352,000 CNY167,100-535,800 CNY
Beijing (region)Region341,900 CNY322,600 CNY183,600-520,900 CNY
XiamenCity341,400 CNY320,500 CNY181,600-518,900 CNY
Nei MonggolRegion340,400 CNY314,500 CNY183,700-514,300 CNY
WuxiCity335,100 CNY340,400 CNY163,800-520,900 CNY
HainanRegion332,500 CNY359,900 CNY152,000-528,500 CNY
QinghaiRegion332,500 CNY317,700 CNY172,400-507,300 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]Region332,100 CNY314,500 CNY176,800-504,500 CNY
Tianjin (region)Region330,900 CNY357,700 CNY152,000-525,700 CNY
ZhengzhouCity330,900 CNY345,100 CNY159,100-518,900 CNY
QuanzhouCity330,900 CNY357,700 CNY152,000-525,700 CNY
NingxiaRegion327,800 CNY308,900 CNY172,400-498,500 CNY

Clinical Research Coordinator in China: FAQs

  • How much does a clinical research coordinator make per month in China?

    A clinical research coordinator in China earns about 33,191 CNY a month before tax, based on an annual average of 398,300 CNY.

  • What's the salary range for a clinical research coordinator in China?

    Entry-level clinical research coordinators in China start near 187,300 CNY. Top-end pay reaches around 629,800 CNY. The middle 50% of earners sit between 273,000 and 559,000 CNY.

  • Is the median clinical research coordinator salary in China higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 420,800 CNY, higher than the average of 398,300 CNY. Half of clinical research coordinators in China earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for clinical research coordinators in China?

    Men working as a clinical research coordinator in China earn around 10% more than women on average (421,400 vs 383,300 CNY a year).

  • Do clinical research coordinators in China get bonuses?

    About 60% of clinical research coordinators in China reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.

  • Do clinical research coordinators earn more in the public or private sector in China?

    In China, the public sector pays a clinical research coordinator about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do clinical research coordinators in China get a pay raise?

    A clinical research coordinator in China sees a raise of around 10% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.