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Average Research Officer Salary in Indonesia for 2026

A research officer in Indonesia earns about 89,639,700 IDR a year. That's 38% below the national average of 145,200,100 IDR.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Indonesia sit around 46,560,900 IDR a year, while the very top stretches to 136,800,100 IDR. Everything on this page is in Indonesian rupiah (IDR, symbol Rp), 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 Indonesia, 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 research officer make in Indonesia?

Average salary
89,639,700 IDR
7,469,975 IDR per month
Lowest reported
46,560,900 IDR
3,880,075 IDR per month
Highest reported
136,800,100 IDR
11,400,008 IDR per month

A typical research officer working in Indonesia brings home around 7,469,975 IDR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 46,560,900 IDR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 136,800,100 IDR 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 research officer 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 research officer pay ranges in Indonesia

A good way to think about salary in Indonesia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all research officers in Indonesia earn less than 86,040,800 IDR 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 59,758,700 IDR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 107,161,400 IDR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of research officers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 46,560,900 IDR. The highest stretch to 136,800,100 IDR, 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.

46,560,900
Low
86,040,800
Median
136,800,100
High
59,758,700
25th
107,161,400
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in IDR

Research officer pay by experience in Indonesia

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

  • 0-2 Years
    52,918,800 IDR
  • 2-5 Years
    +34% from previous
    71,039,200 IDR
  • 5-10 Years
    +30% from previous
    92,400,700 IDR
  • 10-15 Years
    +21% from previous
    111,838,600 IDR
  • 15-20 Years
    +9% from previous
    122,398,700 IDR
  • 20+ Years
    +5% from previous
    128,400,500 IDR

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 34%. That is the point at which a research officer 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.


Research officer pay by education in Indonesia

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

  • High School
    63,840,300 IDR
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +14% from previous
    72,840,900 IDR
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +41% from previous
    102,718,900 IDR
  • Master's Degree
    +21% from previous
    124,799,100 IDR

Research officer gender pay gap in Indonesia

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Indonesia is no exception. Male research officers in Indonesia earn an average of 94,561,900 IDR a year, while female research officers earn around 86,278,600 IDR. 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.

Research Officer gender pay gap

9%

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

Men 94,561,900 IDR
Women 86,278,600 IDR

Pay raises for a research officer in Indonesia

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 Indonesia 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 Indonesia, the national average raise is around 8% every 18 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Indonesia:

  • Banking
    2%
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
    1%
  • 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

Research officer bonus rates in Indonesia

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.

51%

51% of research officers in Indonesia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a research officer 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 5% of base salary. The remaining 49% of research officers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Indonesia

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

Research officer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Indonesia is about 9% 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

8%

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

Public sector 151,201,000 IDR
Private sector 139,199,500 IDR

Research officer salary by city in Indonesia

Research officer pay is not even across Indonesia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Jakarta
  • Surabaya
  • Tangerang
  • Bandung
  • Medan
  • Palembang
  • Semarang
  • Makasar
  • Malang
  • Surakarta
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
JakartaCity100,200,300 IDR96,118,100 IDR52,078,500-153,600,700 IDR
SurabayaCity99,241,400 IDR107,161,400 IDR45,599,600-157,201,600 IDR
TangerangCity98,880,700 IDR106,801,500 IDR45,478,500-157,201,600 IDR
BandungCity98,281,900 IDR100,321,300 IDR48,119,900-153,600,700 IDR
MedanCity97,321,300 IDR93,478,400 IDR50,639,500-148,800,300 IDR
PalembangCity94,440,800 IDR101,999,800 IDR43,438,200-149,999,200 IDR
SemarangCity93,358,300 IDR95,161,700 IDR45,719,900-145,200,100 IDR
MakasarCity92,280,500 IDR88,560,900 IDR47,999,400-141,598,200 IDR
MalangCity83,880,500 IDR80,520,300 IDR43,680,700-128,400,500 IDR
SurakartaCity83,641,100 IDR85,318,400 IDR41,040,700-130,799,600 IDR


Research Officer in Indonesia: FAQs

  • How much does a research officer make per month in Indonesia?

    A research officer in Indonesia earns about 7,469,975 IDR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 89,639,700 IDR.

  • What's the salary range for a research officer in Indonesia?

    Entry-level research officers in Indonesia start near 46,560,900 IDR. Top-end pay reaches around 136,800,100 IDR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 59,758,700 and 107,161,400 IDR.

  • Is the median research officer salary in Indonesia higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 86,040,800 IDR, lower than the average of 89,639,700 IDR. Half of research officers in Indonesia earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for research officers in Indonesia?

    Men working as a research officer in Indonesia earn around 10% more than women on average (94,561,900 vs 86,278,600 IDR a year).

  • Do research officers in Indonesia get bonuses?

    About 51% of research officers in Indonesia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.

  • Do research officers earn more in the public or private sector in Indonesia?

    In Indonesia, the public sector pays a research officer about 9% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do research officers in Indonesia get a pay raise?

    A research officer in Indonesia sees a raise of around 12% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.