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Average Data Scientist Salary in India for 2026

A data scientist in India earns about 608,500 INR a year. That's 58% above 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 305,600 INR a year, while the very top stretches to 946,800 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 data scientist make in India?

Average salary
608,500 INR
50,708 INR per month
Lowest reported
305,600 INR
25,466 INR per month
Highest reported
946,800 INR
78,900 INR per month

A typical data scientist working in India brings home around 50,708 INR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 305,600 INR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 946,800 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 data scientist 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 data scientist 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 data scientists in India earn less than 608,500 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 412,000 INR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 778,500 INR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of data scientists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 305,600 INR. The highest stretch to 946,800 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.

305,600
Low
608,500
Median
946,800
High
412,000
25th
778,500
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in INR

Data scientist pay by experience in India

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a data scientist 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 data scientist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    366,200 INR
  • 2-5 Years
    +33% from previous
    485,300 INR
  • 5-10 Years
    +33% from previous
    646,600 INR
  • 10-15 Years
    +20% from previous
    774,200 INR
  • 15-20 Years
    +7% from previous
    832,000 INR
  • 20+ Years
    +8% from previous
    895,900 INR

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 33%. That is the point at which a data scientist 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.

Data scientist pay by education in India

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving data scientist 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 data scientist salary in India broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    472,100 INR
  • Master's Degree
    +38% from previous
    649,700 INR
  • PhD
    +31% from previous
    854,300 INR

Data scientist gender pay gap in India

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and India is no exception. Male data scientists in India earn an average of 626,800 INR a year, while female data scientists earn around 587,800 INR. That works out to a 7% 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.

Data Scientist gender pay gap

6%

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

Men 626,800 INR
Women 587,800 INR

Pay raises for a data scientist 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 13% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 10% 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

Data scientist 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.

57%

57% of data scientists in India reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a data scientist 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 43% of data scientists 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

Data scientist: 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

Data scientist salary by city and region in India

Data scientist 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.

  • Bihar
  • Karnataka
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Mumbai
  • Delhi (city)
  • Gujarat
  • West Bengal
  • Hyderabad
  • Jharkhand
  • Maharashtra
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
BiharRegion754,900 INR814,500 INR345,700-1,198,300 INR
KarnatakaRegion731,700 INR745,000 INR359,900-1,141,000 INR
Uttar PradeshRegion728,500 INR671,000 INR394,800-1,102,900 INR
MumbaiCity725,700 INR743,300 INR357,300-1,134,100 INR
Delhi (city)City725,700 INR772,700 INR341,400-1,148,200 INR
GujaratRegion719,100 INR761,400 INR339,100-1,134,100 INR
West BengalRegion714,600 INR725,700 INR348,300-1,110,500 INR
HyderabadCity706,200 INR735,500 INR340,000-1,109,600 INR
JharkhandRegion704,300 INR646,600 INR381,800-1,064,100 INR
MaharashtraRegion699,700 INR741,500 INR327,800-1,104,400 INR
Andhra PradeshRegion699,700 INR670,600 INR361,500-1,069,900 INR
KeralaRegion698,200 INR659,400 INR369,300-1,064,100 INR
RajasthanRegion692,500 INR663,100 INR361,600-1,058,800 INR
Tamil NaduRegion688,900 INR675,100 INR352,000-1,057,700 INR
Madhya PradeshRegion684,900 INR659,400 INR357,300-1,047,900 INR
PuneCity675,200 INR633,300 INR357,700-1,027,600 INR
AssamRegion675,100 INR660,500 INR345,100-1,037,600 INR
JaipurCity674,100 INR687,100 INR330,700-1,048,100 INR
ChhatisgarhRegion664,500 INR610,100 INR359,900-1,004,600 INR
BangaloreCity660,500 INR660,500 INR330,900-1,023,400 INR
AhmadabadCity659,200 INR620,300 INR352,000-1,004,400 INR
HaryanaRegion659,200 INR648,200 INR335,800-1,014,700 INR
OrissaRegion658,300 INR670,600 INR320,500-1,023,000 INR
LucknowCity652,200 INR626,800 INR340,400-999,500 INR
Delhi (region)Region650,800 INR675,200 INR311,700-1,019,200 INR
Jammu & KashmirRegion650,800 INR650,800 INR325,800-1,004,500 INR
ChennaiCity649,700 INR689,900 INR307,400-1,027,600 INR
NagpurCity649,700 INR677,100 INR311,700-1,021,800 INR
KanpurCity643,800 INR672,600 INR308,300-1,011,500 INR
SuratCity642,800 INR669,100 INR309,800-1,009,600 INR
Pimpri-ChinchwadCity637,500 INR687,100 INR294,700-1,009,200 INR
KolkataCity637,500 INR612,500 INR330,700-971,200 INR
Himachal PradeshRegion633,300 INR683,800 INR292,000-1,006,300 INR
PunjabRegion632,400 INR658,300 INR305,600-993,600 INR
IndoreCity626,800 INR677,100 INR286,400-995,200 INR
BhopalCity619,800 INR619,800 INR312,400-962,900 INR
GhaziabadCity605,700 INR559,000 INR327,800-917,200 INR
UttaranchalRegion602,700 INR602,700 INR301,300-934,900 INR
LudhianaCity592,600 INR592,600 INR296,000-918,600 INR
GoaRegion590,200 INR566,900 INR308,900-903,500 INR
TripuraRegion589,400 INR637,500 INR272,800-934,900 INR
Arunachal PradeshRegion587,800 INR623,700 INR275,800-929,700 INR
CoimbatoreCity576,500 INR563,300 INR294,300-888,400 INR
VisakhapatnamCity576,500 INR576,500 INR286,400-895,900 INR
agraCity575,100 INR608,500 INR271,300-907,100 INR
PatnaCity573,500 INR573,500 INR288,100-888,400 INR
ManipurRegion572,200 INR558,300 INR292,000-879,700 INR
MeghalayaRegion565,100 INR612,500 INR261,300-899,900 INR
ChandigarhRegion563,300 INR563,300 INR282,300-874,900 INR
NagalandRegion562,200 INR518,300 INR301,700-847,000 INR
VadodaraCity556,000 INR533,000 INR290,800-852,900 INR
Dadra & Nagar HaveliRegion553,400 INR563,300 INR272,800-864,900 INR
PondicherryRegion545,300 INR514,300 INR290,800-829,000 INR
Daman & DiuRegion541,700 INR510,300 INR288,100-823,400 INR
MaduraiCity539,700 INR583,000 INR247,800-860,300 INR
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsRegion538,600 INR562,200 INR259,100-847,000 INR
MizoramRegion537,300 INR537,300 INR267,100-830,500 INR
SikkimRegion529,600 INR563,000 INR251,500-839,500 INR
LakshadweepRegion492,700 INR514,300 INR239,000-773,400 INR

Data Scientist in India: FAQs

  • How much does a data scientist make per month in India?

    A data scientist in India earns about 50,708 INR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 608,500 INR.

  • What's the salary range for a data scientist in India?

    Entry-level data scientists in India start near 305,600 INR. Top-end pay reaches around 946,800 INR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 412,000 and 778,500 INR.

  • Is the median data scientist salary in India higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 608,500 INR, higher than the average of 608,500 INR. Half of data scientists in India earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for data scientists in India?

    Men working as a data scientist in India earn around 7% more than women on average (626,800 vs 587,800 INR a year).

  • Do data scientists in India get bonuses?

    About 57% of data scientists in India reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do data scientists earn more in the public or private sector in India?

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

  • How often do data scientists in India get a pay raise?

    A data scientist in India sees a raise of around 13% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.