The generative AI revolution took over the tech world, and since that day, the era of data dominance has begun. In 2023, the number of data scientists around the globe was 2.7 million, but guess what is projected to happen by 2028?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2028, there will be 11.5 million data science jobs. It’s not just about job opportunities; Glassdoor reports that some data scientists earn salaries above a whopping ₹90 lakhs. That’s the reason why Harvard Business School says that data science is the hottest career choice of the century.
Looking to learn more about data scientist salary in India? Keep reading further, because we have collected research-backed figures for data scientist salaries for freshers and experienced working professionals.
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Who is a Data Scientist?
Data scientists are responsible for identifying key insights from structured or unstructured data to help businesses make winning data-driven decisions. The character of a data scientist involves expertise in multiple things, such as programming, statistics, data analytics, machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing.
In a business setting, data scientists typically mine data to figure out customer behavior, identify new revenue opportunities, and detect fraudulent transactions. To do so, they analyze volumes of quantitative and qualitative data, depending on the specific application.
Highest and Lowest Data Scientist Salary in India
The data scientist’s salary in India varies widely based on several factors, such as company, skills, expertise, and geographic location.
According to Glassdoor,
- The average salary for a data scientist is ₹12,12,305 per year in India.
- The starting salary for a junior data scientist is around ₹7,00,000.
- With the right skills and adequate experience, the salary of a data scientist can easily go above ₹20 lakhs.
Some essential skills like SQL, Python, machine learning and predictive modeling, deep learning, and NLP can help you get promising high figures.
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Factors That Decide Data Scientist Salaries
Skills
Some hard skills are very essential for a high-paying data scientist job. These skills include knowledge of programming languages, statistics and probability, machine learning and deep learning, database management, data visualization, etc.
In addition to technical skills, soft skills (attention to detail, leadership, active listening, effective communication skills, etc.) allow data scientists to think innovatively and provide better results for customers.
Knowing Python, R, and SQL alone can raise your salary as a data scientist in India to as high as ₹28 lakhs. However, if you are well equipped with knowledge about AI technology such as deep learning, NLP, and computer vision, the salary could easily go above ₹50 lakhs.
Level of Experience
There is a direct positive correlation between years of experience and the scale of a data scientist salary in India. Here’s a demonstration of how experience plays a critical role in salary levels.
| Position | Lowest Salary | Highest Salary |
| Junior Data Scientist (0–4 years) | ₹1.4 lakhs | ₹7.5 lakhs |
| Senior Data Scientist(4–8 years) | ₹7 lakhs | ₹18 lakhs |
| Lead Data Scientist(8+ years) | ₹16 lakhs | ₹26 lakhs |
Work Location
A deciding factor that governs the data scientist salary in India is location. Several cities in India offer data scientist positions, but with a range of salaries. Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore are understood as the highest-paying cities for data scientists in India.
The presence of high-tech companies, urbanization, and cost of living could explain why some cities offer better pay for data scientists than others. Since the cost of living can differ based on location, companies tend to offer higher pay to balance expenses. Further along in the blog, we will dig into the various salaries based on different locations.
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Top 6 Data Science Companies in India: Salary Overview
The data scientist salary in India can fluctuate depending on the company you work for. Here, we have compiled a list of the top companies in India and the salaries you can expect.
| Company Name | Entry-Level Salary | Average Salary | Highest Salary |
| Meta | ₹16 lakhs | ₹25 lakhs | ₹91.8 lakhs |
| Amazon | ₹8 lakhs | ₹16 lakhs | ₹60 lakhs |
| Apple | ₹14 lakhs | 32.5 lakhs | ₹56.8 lakhs |
| Microsoft | ₹17.9 lakhs | ₹30 lakhs | ₹65 lakhs |
| Uber | ₹15 lakhs | ₹25 lakhs | ₹35 lakhs |
| Google | ₹12 lakhs | ₹29 lakhs | ₹52 lakhs |
Data Scientist Salary in India: City-Wise
Location is crucial as it determines many factors, such as the average salary and the clients served by the company. Hence, the salary of a data scientist can vary depending on which city they work in.
According to cutshort.io, Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore rank among the top-paying cities for data scientists in India, followed by Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Coimbatore.
Data Scientist Salary in Mumbai
In Mumbai, the average annual salary for a data scientist amounts to ₹20,00,000. The lowest base pay stands at ₹14,00,000 per annum, while the highest reaches around ₹30,00,000 annually.
Data Scientist Salary in Pune
In Pune, the average annual salary for a data scientist amounts to ₹20,00,000. The lowest base pay stands at ₹14,00,000 per annum, while the highest reaches around ₹30,00,000 annually.
Data Scientist Salary in Bangalore
In Bangalore, the average annual salary for a data scientist amounts to ₹20,00,000. The lowest base pay stands at ₹14,00,000 per annum, while the highest reaches around ₹30,00,000 annually.
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Data Scientist Salary in Delhi NCR
In Delhi NCR, the average annual salary for a data scientist amounts to ₹20,00,000. The lowest base pay stands at ₹13,70,000 per annum, while the highest reaches around ₹30,90,000 annually.
Data Scientist Salary in Hyderabad
In Hyderabad, the average annual salary for a data scientist amounts to ₹18,20,000. The lowest base pay stands at ₹15,30,000 per annum, while the highest reaches around ₹25,20,000 annually.
Data Scientist Salary in Chennai
In Chennai, the average annual salary for a data scientist amounts to ₹15,20,000. The lowest base pay stands at ₹10,60,000 per annum, while the highest reaches around ₹22,80,000 annually.
Data Scientist Salary in Coimbatore
In Coimbatore, the average annual salary for a data scientist amounts to ₹12,80,000. The lowest base pay stands at ₹9,00,000 per annum, while the highest reaches around ₹19,20,000 annually.
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Data Scientist Salary in India: Industry-Wise
The rapid growth of information offers a possibility for many industries to expand their range using data science. You may be curious about the industries where data science is used and data scientists are employed. Here, we have compiled the top industries that utilize data science.
We have also compiled some top companies operating in these industries along with the salaries they offer. (Source: AmbitionBox)
Health Care and Pharmaceuticals
In the recent past, we have seen biotechnology evolve significantly. One of the driving factors behind the incursion of tech into healthcare is the ability of ML algorithms to predict the possibility of disease based on scans and reports. The accuracy of disease prediction has improved significantly, thanks to the data scientists working in this field.
The top recruiters of data scientists in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries in India are:
- GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals
- Highest Salary: ₹19 Lakhs
- Base Salary: ₹9 Lakhs
- Average Salary: ₹12.9 Lakhs
- GE Healthcare
- Highest Salary: ₹22 Lakhs
- Base Salary: ₹11 Lakhs
- Average Salary: ₹17.9 Lakhs
Finance
From predicting economic trends, stock market standings, and credit card fraud detection, data science has been the revolutionary tech stack for the finance industry. The finance industry is one of the first industries to adopt data science since it already has data mechanisms in place.
The top recruiters of data scientists in the finance sector in India are:
- JPMorgan Chase
- Highest Salary: ₹39 Lakhs
- Base Salary: ₹10.2 Lakhs
- Average Salary: ₹22 Lakhs
- HDFC
- Highest Salary: ₹29 Lakhs
- Base Salary: ₹10 Lakhs
- Average Salary: ₹18.5 Lakhs
Retail
Have you ever wondered how retail giants recommend products that you are looking for? How do they show up with marketing campaigns that you resonate with? Data science is the driving force behind that. The top recruiters of data scientists in the retail industry in India are:
- Amazon
- Highest Salary: ₹58 Lakhs
- Base Salary: ₹15 Lakhs
- Average Salary: ₹32.9 Lakhs
- Flipkart
- Highest Salary: ₹50 Lakhs
- Base Salary: ₹12.3 Lakhs
- Average Salary: ₹29.5 Lakhs
Digital Marketing
Marketing is one of the most important pillars of business. To comprehend how people move online and what intrigues them about your product, you have to use data and create personalized marketing campaigns. That’s where the need for data scientists rises.
Here are the top companies that hire a data scientist to improve their marketing campaigns:
- Meta
- Highest Salary: ₹91 Lakhs
- Base Salary: ₹16 Lakhs
- Average Salary: ₹25 Lakhs
- Google
- Highest Salary: ₹52 Lakhs
- Base Salary: ₹12 Lakhs
- Average Salary: ₹29 Lakhs
Professional Services
The top recruiters of data scientists in the professional services industry in India are:
- Deloitte
- Highest Salary: ₹24 Lakhs
- Base Salary: ₹6 Lakhs
- Average Salary: ₹14.4 Lakhs
- Citrix
- Highest Salary: ₹19.4 Lakhs
- Base Salary: ₹14.5 Lakhs
- Average Salary: ₹16.3 Lakhs
Go through these Data Science Interview Questions and Answers to excel in your interview.
Data Science Salary Based on Job Role
Data science positions come with various job roles. Here is an overview of what you can expect in terms of salary and responsibilities upon entering one of these fields.
How to Improve Data Scientist Salary
The location and company profile are not the only factors that affect your pay as a data scientist. Increasing your compensation as a data scientist can come from taking certain additional commitments.
Go Beyond the Scope of Data Science Skills
Once you reach a certain phase in your career where you feel like your compensation is not growing, it’s time to acquire new skills. Always remember that beyond data science lies Artificial Intelligence. There’s always room to learn new skills. You can acquire skills like transformers, generative adversarial networks, MLOps, deep learning model architecture, etc., and become an AI engineer or researcher.
Take On Certifications
In India, companies value hiring candidates who have professional certificates as they ensure their ability to do the job efficiently. There are numerous benefits to taking data science and AI certification courses in India:
- They verify your skills and ambitions.
- They are designed to match the company’s requirements.
- Acquiring AI skills calls for greater compensation gains.
- Most professional certifications cover updated curriculum from projects focusing on trending large language models to computer vision.
- They also give you a competitive edge in the company.
Negotiation
Playing with your negotiating skills can sometimes result in a salary increase. Before initiating negotiations, you must know exactly how much value you can offer. Several factors can influence your salary, such as geographic location, career level, education level, etc. Hence, researching the market average for data scientists can support your case for increased compensation during the discussion with your recruiter.
How Much Can You Make as a Data Scientist?
The value and demand for professionals who can work with data are at an all-time high. It is because of the growth of data as a resource and the immense expertise it provides organizations in making better decisions and improving their product offerings. If you make it into this field, you can easily expect an average compensation of ₹14 lakhs in India and US$156,000 in the USA.
Conclusion
With massive data streams produced by businesses daily, the need for data scientists to act on the information offered is higher. The complexity associated with job roles, specialized skills, and the impact a data science project could have on business and customers, make data science a great career stream. That is the reason why data scientist salary in India are one of the highest. Don’t wait any longer. Embark on your career as a data scientist.
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Data Scientist Salary in India: FAQs
Is data science a good career in 2024?
As we enter 2024, the prediction is that there will be more demand for data scientist roles. Further industries are recognizing the importance of data science and how it can help them shape their success. This will result in massive job opportunities for data scientists.
Will data science be in demand in 2025?
Based on a report from IBM, the demand for data scientists is expected to rise by 28% by 2025.
Do data scientists make good money?
Data scientists receive a higher-than-average salary. The average salary for a data scientist is ₹12,12305 per year in India, whereas the average base pay in India is ₹9,45,489 per year.
Can a data scientist earn 1 crore?
Yes, a lead data scientist in India with the right skill sets and ample years of experience can earn up to 1 crore in many renowned firms.
Is data science a high-paying job?
Among the high-paying roles in data science are positions such as data scientist, machine learning scientist, machine learning engineer, and database manager.