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Average Oil and Petrochemical Engineer Salary in China for 2026

An oil and petrochemical engineer in China earns about 349,300 CNY a year. That's 1% roughly in line with 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 159,400 CNY a year, while the very top stretches to 553,800 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 an oil and petrochemical engineer make in China?

Average salary
349,300 CNY
29,108 CNY per month
Lowest reported
159,400 CNY
13,283 CNY per month
Highest reported
553,800 CNY
46,150 CNY per month

A typical oil and petrochemical engineer working in China brings home around 29,108 CNY a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 159,400 CNY, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 553,800 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 oil and petrochemical engineer 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 oil and petrochemical engineer 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 oil and petrochemical engineers in China earn less than 376,800 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 239,300 CNY (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 502,200 CNY (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of oil and petrochemical engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 159,400 CNY. The highest stretch to 553,800 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.

159,400
Low
376,800
Median
553,800
High
239,300
25th
502,200
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in CNY

Oil and petrochemical engineer pay by experience in China

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an oil and petrochemical engineer 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 oil and petrochemical engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    183,600 CNY
  • 2-5 Years
    +31% from previous
    240,500 CNY
  • 5-10 Years
    +50% from previous
    359,900 CNY
  • 10-15 Years
    +21% from previous
    436,200 CNY
  • 15-20 Years
    +10% from previous
    478,100 CNY
  • 20+ Years
    +8% from previous
    514,800 CNY

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 50%. That is the point at which a oil and petrochemical engineer 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.

Oil and petrochemical engineer pay by education in China

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving oil and petrochemical engineer 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 oil and petrochemical engineer salary in China broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    209,500 CNY
  • Master's Degree
    +94% from previous
    407,300 CNY

Oil and petrochemical engineer gender pay gap in China

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and China is no exception. Male oil and petrochemical engineers in China earn an average of 369,900 CNY a year, while female oil and petrochemical engineers earn around 325,900 CNY. 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.

Oil and Petrochemical Engineer gender pay gap

12%

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

Men 369,900 CNY
Women 325,900 CNY

Pay raises for an oil and petrochemical engineer 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 12% every 16 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 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

Oil and petrochemical engineer 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 oil and petrochemical engineers in China reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an oil and petrochemical engineer 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 oil and petrochemical engineers 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

Oil and petrochemical engineer: 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

Oil and petrochemical engineer salary by city and region in China

Oil and petrochemical engineer 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.

  • Guangdong
  • Hebei
  • Beijing (city)
  • Jiangsu
  • Shanghai (city)
  • Henan
  • Sichuan
  • Hangzhou
  • Chongqing (city)
  • Anhui
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
GuangdongRegion397,900 CNY430,500 CNY183,700-637,500 CNY
HebeiRegion389,200 CNY417,100 CNY180,300-615,300 CNY
Beijing (city)City389,200 CNY421,400 CNY180,300-619,000 CNY
JiangsuRegion388,100 CNY420,100 CNY180,300-620,300 CNY
Shanghai (city)City385,300 CNY419,400 CNY175,900-614,600 CNY
HenanRegion384,200 CNY413,900 CNY176,800-607,400 CNY
SichuanRegion383,300 CNY414,000 CNY174,000-606,400 CNY
HangzhouCity378,800 CNY409,000 CNY172,200-603,400 CNY
Chongqing (city)City377,200 CNY407,100 CNY172,400-597,800 CNY
AnhuiRegion377,200 CNY407,100 CNY172,200-598,600 CNY
ShandongRegion375,200 CNY406,300 CNY172,200-596,100 CNY
Xi anCity371,100 CNY401,300 CNY172,200-592,600 CNY
Tianjin (city)City371,100 CNY401,300 CNY172,200-592,600 CNY
GuangzhouCity369,900 CNY397,900 CNY172,200-587,800 CNY
JinanCity366,200 CNY394,500 CNY167,100-581,000 CNY
WuhanCity362,200 CNY388,100 CNY164,200-573,500 CNY
YunnanRegion361,600 CNY389,200 CNY164,200-571,300 CNY
ZhejiangRegion361,600 CNY386,400 CNY164,200-572,200 CNY
GuangxiRegion357,700 CNY385,300 CNY163,800-566,900 CNY
HubeiRegion354,000 CNY384,200 CNY161,600-562,600 CNY
JiangxiRegion353,600 CNY384,200 CNY161,600-562,600 CNY
HunanRegion353,600 CNY383,300 CNY161,600-563,000 CNY
NanjingCity353,600 CNY384,200 CNY161,600-562,600 CNY
ChengduCity352,000 CNY378,300 CNY159,500-556,000 CNY
ShenyangCity352,000 CNY378,300 CNY159,500-556,000 CNY
ShantouCity341,400 CNY369,900 CNY158,700-543,200 CNY
HarbinCity340,400 CNY367,900 CNY157,600-539,700 CNY
HeilongjiangRegion340,000 CNY366,200 CNY157,600-539,800 CNY
ShanxiRegion339,100 CNY363,000 CNY154,700-537,300 CNY
LiaoningRegion335,800 CNY365,400 CNY154,700-535,800 CNY
ChangchunCity335,800 CNY361,500 CNY154,700-533,000 CNY
ShaanxiRegion332,500 CNY359,900 CNY152,000-528,500 CNY
FujianRegion330,900 CNY357,700 CNY152,000-525,700 CNY
ShenzhenCity330,900 CNY357,700 CNY152,000-525,700 CNY
GansuRegion330,700 CNY357,300 CNY152,100-524,700 CNY
SuzhouCity325,900 CNY351,200 CNY151,800-518,900 CNY
Shanghai (region)Region322,600 CNY348,300 CNY150,000-514,300 CNY
GuizhouRegion319,600 CNY344,600 CNY148,300-510,000 CNY
FuzhouCity319,600 CNY345,700 CNY148,300-510,300 CNY
QingdaoCity318,800 CNY341,900 CNY148,300-504,300 CNY
Chongqing (region)Region318,800 CNY341,900 CNY148,300-504,500 CNY
WenzhouCity317,700 CNY345,100 CNY148,300-507,300 CNY
DalianCity317,700 CNY345,100 CNY148,300-507,300 CNY
JilinRegion315,900 CNY341,400 CNY146,200-504,400 CNY
DongguanCity313,700 CNY340,400 CNY146,200-500,100 CNY
WuxiCity308,900 CNY332,500 CNY142,300-489,500 CNY
ChangshaCity307,400 CNY330,900 CNY138,800-487,600 CNY
QuanzhouCity307,400 CNY330,700 CNY138,800-485,200 CNY
FoshanCity305,600 CNY330,700 CNY138,800-485,300 CNY
Beijing (region)Region305,600 CNY327,300 CNY138,800-483,800 CNY
KunmingCity301,800 CNY325,600 CNY139,100-476,600 CNY
NingxiaRegion301,300 CNY325,600 CNY139,100-476,600 CNY
Nei MonggolRegion296,000 CNY319,600 CNY137,400-472,100 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]Region296,000 CNY319,600 CNY137,400-472,100 CNY
Tianjin (region)Region294,300 CNY315,900 CNY136,200-466,900 CNY
Xinjiang UygurRegion294,300 CNY315,900 CNY136,200-466,900 CNY
QinghaiRegion292,000 CNY315,700 CNY136,100-464,400 CNY
XiamenCity288,100 CNY308,300 CNY130,400-454,900 CNY
HainanRegion282,300 CNY307,400 CNY128,900-450,300 CNY
ZhengzhouCity277,400 CNY301,300 CNY129,000-442,300 CNY

Oil and Petrochemical Engineer in China: FAQs

  • How much does an oil and petrochemical engineer make per month in China?

    An oil and petrochemical engineer in China earns about 29,108 CNY a month before tax, based on an annual average of 349,300 CNY.

  • What's the salary range for an oil and petrochemical engineer in China?

    Entry-level oil and petrochemical engineers in China start near 159,400 CNY. Top-end pay reaches around 553,800 CNY. The middle 50% of earners sit between 239,300 and 502,200 CNY.

  • Is the median oil and petrochemical engineer salary in China higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 376,800 CNY, higher than the average of 349,300 CNY. Half of oil and petrochemical engineers in China earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for oil and petrochemical engineers in China?

    Men working as an oil and petrochemical engineer in China earn around 14% more than women on average (369,900 vs 325,900 CNY a year).

  • Do oil and petrochemical engineers in China get bonuses?

    About 60% of oil and petrochemical engineers in China reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.

  • Do oil and petrochemical engineers earn more in the public or private sector in China?

    In China, the public sector pays an oil and petrochemical engineer about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do oil and petrochemical engineers in China get a pay raise?

    An oil and petrochemical engineer in China sees a raise of around 12% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.