Average Social Worker Salary in Bangladesh for 2026
A social worker in Bangladesh earns about 105,300 BDT a year. That's 66% below the national average of 311,700 BDT.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Bangladesh sit around 49,700 BDT a year, while the very top stretches to 167,100 BDT. Everything on this page is in Bangladeshi taka (BDT, 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 Bangladesh, 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 social worker make in Bangladesh?
A typical social worker working in Bangladesh brings home around 8,775 BDT a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 49,700 BDT, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 167,100 BDT 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 social worker 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 social worker pay ranges in Bangladesh
A good way to think about salary in Bangladesh is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all social workers in Bangladesh earn less than 113,420 BDT 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 71,400 BDT (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 152,000 BDT (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of social workers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 49,700 BDT. The highest stretch to 167,100 BDT, 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.
Social worker pay by experience in Bangladesh
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a social worker in Bangladesh, 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 social worker salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years56,100 BDT
- 2-5 Years+32% from previous73,880 BDT
- 5-10 Years+49% from previous110,340 BDT
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous134,600 BDT
- 15-20 Years+9% from previous146,200 BDT
- 20+ Years+9% from previous158,700 BDT
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 49%. That is the point at which a social worker 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.
Social worker pay by education in Bangladesh
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving social worker pay in Bangladesh. 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 social worker salary in Bangladesh broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School61,580 BDT
- Certificate or Diploma+58% from previous97,260 BDT
- Bachelor's Degree+69% from previous164,200 BDT
Social worker gender pay gap in Bangladesh
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Bangladesh is no exception. Male social workers in Bangladesh earn an average of 94,400 BDT a year, while female social workers earn around 114,000 BDT. That works out to a 17% gap in favour of women, 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.
Social Worker gender pay gap
17%
Men earn this much less than women on average in Bangladesh.
Pay raises for a social worker in Bangladesh
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 Bangladesh sees a raise of about 6% every 29 months, which works out to roughly 2% 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 Bangladesh, the national average raise is around 5% every 28 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Bangladesh:
- Banking
- Energy
- 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 Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Social worker bonus rates in Bangladesh
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.
15% of social workers in Bangladesh reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a social worker a low-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 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 85% of social workers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Bangladesh
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
Social worker: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Bangladesh is about 25% 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
20%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Bangladesh on average.
Social worker salary by city in Bangladesh
Social worker pay is not even across Bangladesh. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Dhaka
- Chittagong
- Rajshahi
- Bogra
- Sylhet
- Khulna
- Barisal
- Jessore
- Jamalpur
- Coxs Bazar
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhaka | City | 114,820 BDT | 114,820 BDT | 56,460-176,800 BDT |
| Chittagong | City | 112,180 BDT | 110,500 BDT | 59,480-174,000 BDT |
| Rajshahi | City | 110,120 BDT | 110,120 BDT | 54,700-169,000 BDT |
| Bogra | City | 109,000 BDT | 106,740 BDT | 55,940-164,200 BDT |
| Sylhet | City | 105,980 BDT | 112,660 BDT | 47,400-164,200 BDT |
| Khulna | City | 105,880 BDT | 105,940 BDT | 52,180-161,600 BDT |
| Barisal | City | 104,040 BDT | 111,900 BDT | 48,140-161,300 BDT |
| Jessore | City | 98,820 BDT | 89,120 BDT | 51,120-148,300 BDT |
| Jamalpur | City | 92,900 BDT | 84,580 BDT | 48,920-138,200 BDT |
| Coxs Bazar | City | 89,980 BDT | 88,580 BDT | 48,160-138,800 BDT |
| St. Martin | City | 88,580 BDT | 89,460 BDT | 40,640-137,400 BDT |
| Chandpur | City | 85,760 BDT | 93,140 BDT | 41,900-137,400 BDT |
Social Worker in Bangladesh: FAQs
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How much does a social worker make per month in Bangladesh?
A social worker in Bangladesh earns about 8,775 BDT a month before tax, based on an annual average of 105,300 BDT.
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What's the salary range for a social worker in Bangladesh?
Entry-level social workers in Bangladesh start near 49,700 BDT. Top-end pay reaches around 167,100 BDT. The middle 50% of earners sit between 71,400 and 152,000 BDT.
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Is the median social worker salary in Bangladesh higher or lower than the average?
The median is 113,420 BDT, higher than the average of 105,300 BDT. Half of social workers in Bangladesh earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for social workers in Bangladesh?
Men working as a social worker in Bangladesh earn around 17% less than women on average (94,400 vs 114,000 BDT a year).
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Do social workers in Bangladesh get bonuses?
About 15% of social workers in Bangladesh reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
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Do social workers earn more in the public or private sector in Bangladesh?
In Bangladesh, the public sector pays a social worker about 25% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do social workers in Bangladesh get a pay raise?
A social worker in Bangladesh sees a raise of around 6% every 29 months, equivalent to roughly 2% a year.