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Average Human Resources Section Head Salary in India for 2026

A human resources section head in India earns about 386,400 INR a year. That's 1% roughly in line with 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 180,300 INR a year, while the very top stretches to 615,300 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 human resources section head make in India?

Average salary
386,400 INR
32,200 INR per month
Lowest reported
180,300 INR
15,025 INR per month
Highest reported
615,300 INR
51,275 INR per month

A typical human resources section head working in India brings home around 32,200 INR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 180,300 INR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 615,300 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 human resources section head 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 human resources section head 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 human resources section heads in India earn less than 417,100 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 268,900 INR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 558,300 INR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of human resources section heads sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 180,300 INR. The highest stretch to 615,300 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.

180,300
Low
417,100
Median
615,300
High
268,900
25th
558,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in INR

Human resources section head pay by experience in India

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

  • 0-2 Years
    204,700 INR
  • 2-5 Years
    +33% from previous
    271,300 INR
  • 5-10 Years
    +47% from previous
    397,900 INR
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    487,600 INR
  • 15-20 Years
    +9% from previous
    529,600 INR
  • 20+ Years
    +9% from previous
    575,100 INR

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 47%. That is the point at which a human resources section head 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.

Human resources section head pay by education in India

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

  • Bachelor's Degree
    233,900 INR
  • Master's Degree
    +95% from previous
    455,400 INR

Human resources section head gender pay gap in India

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and India is no exception. Male human resources section heads in India earn an average of 424,300 INR a year, while female human resources section heads earn around 351,900 INR. That works out to a 21% 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.

Human Resources Section Head gender pay gap

17%

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

Men 424,300 INR
Women 351,900 INR

Pay raises for a human resources section head 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 12% every 17 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 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

Human resources section head 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.

59%

59% of human resources section heads in India reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a human resources section head 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 41% of human resources section heads 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

Human resources section head: 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

Human resources section head salary by city and region in India

Human resources section head 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
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • West Bengal
  • Karnataka
  • Hyderabad
  • Maharashtra
  • Delhi (city)
  • Orissa
  • Kerala
  • Madhya Pradesh
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
BiharRegion472,100 INR513,300 INR217,900-752,600 INR
Uttar PradeshRegion472,000 INR510,200 INR216,800-751,700 INR
West BengalRegion464,900 INR501,400 INR214,000-741,500 INR
KarnatakaRegion459,700 INR492,700 INR209,500-727,100 INR
HyderabadCity454,300 INR491,000 INR208,600-722,100 INR
MaharashtraRegion450,300 INR487,600 INR207,700-717,900 INR
Delhi (city)City444,300 INR480,600 INR205,700-707,600 INR
OrissaRegion440,200 INR478,100 INR204,700-702,800 INR
KeralaRegion440,200 INR478,100 INR204,700-702,800 INR
Madhya PradeshRegion437,900 INR472,100 INR201,100-696,700 INR
ChennaiCity437,300 INR472,100 INR201,100-695,400 INR
JharkhandRegion437,300 INR472,100 INR201,100-695,400 INR
Tamil NaduRegion433,800 INR471,700 INR200,000-693,100 INR
PunjabRegion431,300 INR467,100 INR197,600-688,900 INR
GujaratRegion430,500 INR466,900 INR197,600-687,100 INR
RajasthanRegion430,000 INR466,300 INR197,600-684,900 INR
BangaloreCity428,400 INR462,300 INR195,200-680,100 INR
Andhra PradeshRegion426,700 INR462,300 INR195,200-681,900 INR
MumbaiCity425,100 INR460,500 INR196,800-679,200 INR
ChhatisgarhRegion424,900 INR459,700 INR196,800-675,100 INR
AssamRegion421,400 INR454,300 INR191,600-669,100 INR
AhmadabadCity411,400 INR445,100 INR189,300-652,200 INR
JaipurCity407,300 INR442,200 INR187,300-650,800 INR
IndoreCity407,300 INR442,200 INR187,300-646,600 INR
KolkataCity407,100 INR442,200 INR187,300-646,600 INR
BhopalCity407,100 INR442,200 INR187,300-646,600 INR
SuratCity403,100 INR433,800 INR187,500-643,400 INR
Jammu & KashmirRegion397,900 INR430,500 INR183,700-637,500 INR
LucknowCity397,900 INR430,500 INR183,700-637,500 INR
PuneCity397,900 INR430,500 INR183,700-633,300 INR
HaryanaRegion397,900 INR430,500 INR183,700-637,500 INR
KanpurCity392,300 INR424,300 INR180,500-623,200 INR
Pimpri-ChinchwadCity390,000 INR420,800 INR180,500-623,200 INR
CoimbatoreCity390,000 INR420,800 INR180,500-619,800 INR
NagpurCity386,400 INR417,100 INR180,300-615,300 INR
UttaranchalRegion386,400 INR417,100 INR180,300-615,300 INR
Himachal PradeshRegion386,400 INR417,100 INR180,300-615,300 INR
GhaziabadCity385,300 INR419,400 INR175,900-614,600 INR
Delhi (region)Region382,600 INR413,900 INR176,800-612,500 INR
VisakhapatnamCity376,800 INR404,600 INR172,400-596,800 INR
TripuraRegion376,800 INR404,600 INR172,400-596,800 INR
NagalandRegion375,200 INR406,300 INR172,400-595,300 INR
ManipurRegion371,100 INR401,300 INR172,200-592,600 INR
MeghalayaRegion371,100 INR399,900 INR172,200-590,200 INR
PondicherryRegion369,900 INR397,900 INR172,200-587,800 INR
MaduraiCity369,900 INR398,300 INR172,200-588,500 INR
LudhianaCity365,400 INR392,300 INR168,100-578,500 INR
Arunachal PradeshRegion365,400 INR392,300 INR168,100-578,500 INR
ChandigarhRegion357,700 INR385,300 INR163,800-566,900 INR
Dadra & Nagar HaveliRegion357,300 INR384,500 INR163,800-565,100 INR
MizoramRegion354,000 INR384,200 INR161,600-562,600 INR
agraCity354,000 INR382,600 INR161,600-563,300 INR
GoaRegion351,200 INR381,800 INR161,300-559,000 INR
PatnaCity351,200 INR381,800 INR161,300-559,000 INR
VadodaraCity351,200 INR381,800 INR161,300-559,000 INR
SikkimRegion332,500 INR361,600 INR152,300-528,600 INR
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsRegion327,300 INR354,000 INR152,100-520,900 INR
Daman & DiuRegion318,800 INR341,900 INR148,300-504,300 INR
LakshadweepRegion315,700 INR340,400 INR142,300-498,000 INR

Human Resources Section Head in India: FAQs

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

    A human resources section head in India earns about 32,200 INR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 386,400 INR.

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

    Entry-level human resources section heads in India start near 180,300 INR. Top-end pay reaches around 615,300 INR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 268,900 and 558,300 INR.

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

    The median is 417,100 INR, higher than the average of 386,400 INR. Half of human resources section heads in India earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for human resources section heads in India?

    Men working as a human resources section head in India earn around 21% more than women on average (424,300 vs 351,900 INR a year).

  • Do human resources section heads in India get bonuses?

    About 59% of human resources section heads in India reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.

  • Do human resources section heads earn more in the public or private sector in India?

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

  • How often do human resources section heads in India get a pay raise?

    A human resources section head in India sees a raise of around 12% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.