Skip to content
worldsalaries .com

Average Head of Human Resources Salary in India for 2026

A head of human resources in India earns about 568,500 INR a year. That's 48% 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 267,100 INR a year, while the very top stretches to 902,100 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 head of human resources make in India?

Average salary
568,500 INR
47,375 INR per month
Lowest reported
267,100 INR
22,258 INR per month
Highest reported
902,100 INR
75,175 INR per month

A typical head of human resources working in India brings home around 47,375 INR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 267,100 INR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 902,100 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 head of human resources 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 head of human resources 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 head of human resourceses in India earn less than 605,700 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 392,300 INR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 798,900 INR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of head of human resourceses sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 267,100 INR. The highest stretch to 902,100 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.

267,100
Low
605,700
Median
902,100
High
392,300
25th
798,900
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in INR

Head of human resources pay by experience in India

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

  • 0-2 Years
    308,300 INR
  • 2-5 Years
    +38% from previous
    425,100 INR
  • 5-10 Years
    +42% from previous
    605,700 INR
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    739,500 INR
  • 15-20 Years
    +6% from previous
    780,700 INR
  • 20+ Years
    +9% from previous
    851,200 INR

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 head of human resources 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.

Head of human resources pay by education in India

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

  • Bachelor's Degree
    425,100 INR
  • Master's Degree
    +84% from previous
    780,700 INR

Head of human resources gender pay gap in India

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and India is no exception. Male head of human resourceses in India earn an average of 615,000 INR a year, while female head of human resourceses earn around 537,300 INR. That works out to a 14% 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.

Head of Human Resources gender pay gap

13%

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

Men 615,000 INR
Women 537,300 INR

Pay raises for a head of human resources 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 18 months, which works out to roughly 9% 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

Head of human resources 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.

84%

84% of head of human resourceses in India reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a head of human resources a high-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 5% to 9% of base salary. The remaining 16% of head of human resourceses 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

Head of human resources: 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

Head of human resources salary by city and region in India

Head of human resources 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.

  • Maharashtra
  • West Bengal
  • Rajasthan
  • Bangalore
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Bihar
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Gujarat
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
MaharashtraRegion713,900 INR671,000 INR378,800-1,088,100 INR
West BengalRegion691,200 INR705,500 INR340,000-1,078,200 INR
RajasthanRegion687,100 INR658,300 INR357,300-1,048,100 INR
BangaloreCity679,200 INR719,100 INR318,800-1,070,600 INR
Tamil NaduRegion677,100 INR623,200 INR366,200-1,023,000 INR
Uttar PradeshRegion675,200 INR702,800 INR325,800-1,057,700 INR
BiharRegion675,100 INR727,100 INR312,400-1,074,600 INR
Madhya PradeshRegion672,600 INR643,800 INR348,300-1,025,100 INR
Andhra PradeshRegion663,100 INR638,700 INR344,600-1,015,500 INR
GujaratRegion659,400 INR618,800 INR349,300-999,500 INR
Delhi (city)City659,200 INR620,300 INR352,000-1,004,600 INR
HyderabadCity658,300 INR642,800 INR335,100-1,009,200 INR
AhmadabadCity656,800 INR656,800 INR327,800-1,015,500 INR
MumbaiCity641,900 INR652,200 INR314,500-999,500 INR
AssamRegion637,500 INR585,900 INR341,900-962,300 INR
JharkhandRegion632,400 INR658,300 INR305,600-993,600 INR
OrissaRegion628,000 INR639,900 INR308,900-979,600 INR
KeralaRegion625,000 INR625,000 INR314,500-970,600 INR
KarnatakaRegion623,700 INR637,500 INR307,400-974,600 INR
PuneCity623,200 INR623,200 INR311,700-965,800 INR
KolkataCity623,200 INR596,800 INR325,800-953,200 INR
LucknowCity620,300 INR596,100 INR322,600-948,300 INR
ChennaiCity619,800 INR583,000 INR327,300-945,400 INR
SuratCity605,700 INR592,200 INR309,800-931,700 INR
PunjabRegion600,000 INR589,400 INR307,400-925,900 INR
BhopalCity598,600 INR637,500 INR283,400-948,900 INR
Delhi (region)Region597,800 INR588,500 INR305,600-922,900 INR
ChhatisgarhRegion590,200 INR614,600 INR282,300-926,000 INR
UttaranchalRegion589,400 INR623,700 INR275,500-931,900 INR
KanpurCity585,900 INR573,500 INR297,000-903,500 INR
JaipurCity582,700 INR596,100 INR283,700-908,200 INR
IndoreCity578,500 INR625,000 INR266,000-918,600 INR
CoimbatoreCity576,500 INR529,600 INR311,700-870,700 INR
MeghalayaRegion575,100 INR619,800 INR263,900-913,400 INR
Himachal PradeshRegion574,200 INR619,800 INR265,000-917,200 INR
HaryanaRegion572,200 INR524,300 INR309,800-862,200 INR
NagpurCity566,900 INR556,000 INR290,800-874,500 INR
NagalandRegion565,100 INR589,400 INR273,300-889,400 INR
LudhianaCity562,600 INR597,800 INR265,000-890,100 INR
VisakhapatnamCity559,000 INR592,600 INR263,900-887,100 INR
Jammu & KashmirRegion559,000 INR592,600 INR263,200-879,800 INR
ManipurRegion553,400 INR510,300 INR301,800-839,500 INR
VadodaraCity548,500 INR524,300 INR282,500-838,100 INR
TripuraRegion547,800 INR592,200 INR252,300-875,000 INR
PondicherryRegion545,300 INR545,300 INR273,300-846,500 INR
Pimpri-ChinchwadCity545,300 INR589,400 INR249,600-868,400 INR
GhaziabadCity535,900 INR558,300 INR257,700-844,100 INR
Arunachal PradeshRegion529,600 INR499,300 INR281,500-807,900 INR
ChandigarhRegion528,600 INR562,200 INR247,800-836,500 INR
agraCity519,300 INR487,600 INR273,000-786,600 INR
MizoramRegion518,300 INR548,800 INR240,500-817,800 INR
PatnaCity518,300 INR548,500 INR243,000-816,000 INR
Dadra & Nagar HaveliRegion516,100 INR524,300 INR253,400-805,900 INR
GoaRegion514,800 INR496,100 INR268,900-790,300 INR
MaduraiCity513,300 INR553,800 INR237,400-814,500 INR
SikkimRegion498,000 INR467,700 INR263,900-756,700 INR
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsRegion491,000 INR480,300 INR249,600-757,300 INR
Daman & DiuRegion476,600 INR476,600 INR238,900-739,500 INR
LakshadweepRegion462,300 INR453,200 INR233,900-712,100 INR

Head of Human Resources in India: FAQs

  • How much does a head of human resources make per month in India?

    A head of human resources in India earns about 47,375 INR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 568,500 INR.

  • What's the salary range for a head of human resources in India?

    Entry-level head of human resourceses in India start near 267,100 INR. Top-end pay reaches around 902,100 INR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 392,300 and 798,900 INR.

  • Is the median head of human resources salary in India higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 605,700 INR, higher than the average of 568,500 INR. Half of head of human resourceses in India earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for head of human resourceses in India?

    Men working as a head of human resources in India earn around 14% more than women on average (615,000 vs 537,300 INR a year).

  • Do head of human resourceses in India get bonuses?

    About 84% of head of human resourceses in India reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.

  • Do head of human resourceses earn more in the public or private sector in India?

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

  • How often do head of human resourceses in India get a pay raise?

    A head of human resources in India sees a raise of around 13% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.