Salary is the single most important factor in a candidate’s decision to accept or reject an offer. Yet most companies operate with outdated salary data, leading to offers that are either too low (losing candidates) or too high (overpaying the market). This analysis compiles data from our own placements, industry surveys, and market intelligence to give you an accurate picture of IT compensation in India for 2025.
Executive Summary
The headline: IT salaries in India grew 8-12% on average in 2025, but the distribution is extremely uneven. AI/ML and cybersecurity roles saw 20-30% increases, while traditional enterprise tech roles (Java, .NET, SAP) grew only 5-8%. The gap between metro and Tier 2 city salaries narrowed slightly, driven by remote hiring adoption.
Salary Benchmarks by Role (Annual CTC in Lakhs)
Software Development
| Role | 0-3 Years | 3-6 Years | 6-10 Years | 10+ Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontend Developer (React/Angular) | 5-9 | 10-18 | 18-28 | 28-42 |
| Backend Developer (Java/Node.js) | 5-10 | 10-20 | 20-32 | 30-50 |
| Full-Stack Developer | 6-10 | 12-20 | 20-35 | 32-50 |
| Mobile Developer (React Native/Flutter) | 5-9 | 10-18 | 18-30 | 28-45 |
| Python Developer | 5-10 | 10-20 | 20-32 | 30-48 |
Cloud and DevOps
| Role | 0-3 Years | 3-6 Years | 6-10 Years | 10+ Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure/GCP) | 6-10 | 12-22 | 22-38 | 35-55 |
| DevOps Engineer | 6-10 | 12-22 | 22-35 | 32-50 |
| SRE/Platform Engineer | 7-12 | 14-25 | 25-40 | 38-60 |
| Kubernetes Specialist | 8-14 | 16-28 | 28-45 | 40-65 |
AI, Data, and Analytics
| Role | 0-3 Years | 3-6 Years | 6-10 Years | 10+ Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Analyst | 4-8 | 8-15 | 15-25 | 22-35 |
| Data Engineer | 6-10 | 12-22 | 22-38 | 35-55 |
| ML Engineer | 8-14 | 16-28 | 28-48 | 42-70 |
| Data Scientist | 7-12 | 14-26 | 26-42 | 38-60 |
| AI/LLM Specialist | 10-18 | 20-35 | 35-55 | 50-80+ |
Cybersecurity
| Role | 0-3 Years | 3-6 Years | 6-10 Years | 10+ Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security Analyst | 5-9 | 10-18 | 18-30 | 28-42 |
| Penetration Tester | 6-10 | 12-22 | 22-35 | 32-50 |
| Security Architect | 8-14 | 16-28 | 28-48 | 42-65 |
| CISO | — | — | 40-60 | 60-1.2 Cr |
Enterprise Technology
| Role | 0-3 Years | 3-6 Years | 6-10 Years | 10+ Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAP Consultant (Functional) | 5-10 | 12-22 | 22-35 | 32-55 |
| SAP Developer (ABAP/Fiori) | 5-9 | 10-20 | 20-32 | 30-48 |
| Salesforce Developer | 5-10 | 12-22 | 22-35 | 32-50 |
| ERP Consultant (Oracle/MS Dynamics) | 5-10 | 10-20 | 20-32 | 30-48 |
Key Trends Driving Salary Changes
1. The AI premium is real and growing Professionals with hands-on experience in LLMs, prompt engineering, RAG architectures, and AI infrastructure command a 30-50% premium over comparable roles without AI expertise. This premium will likely persist through 2026 as demand continues to outstrip supply. Our analysis of India’s IT talent shortage covers which specific skills are driving these premiums.
2. Cybersecurity salaries are catching up India’s new data protection legislation (DPDPA 2023) and increasing cyber attacks have driven a surge in demand for security professionals. CISO salaries in particular have seen a 25-35% jump as boards take cybersecurity more seriously.
3. The DevOps-to-platform-engineering shift Traditional DevOps roles are evolving into platform engineering, and the salary jump is significant. Engineers who can build internal developer platforms (IDPs) using Kubernetes, Backstage, and Terraform command 20-30% more than traditional DevOps engineers.
4. Metro vs Tier 2 gap is narrowing Remote hiring has compressed the salary gap between metro and Tier 2 cities from 30-40% to 15-25%. Companies hiring remotely from Tier 2 cities are finding that candidates expect metro-adjacent salaries, especially for senior roles.
5. Counter-offers are at an all-time high With attrition rates stabilising, companies are fighting harder to retain existing employees. Roughly 40% of candidates who accept an offer receive a counter-offer from their current employer. The average counter-offer is 20-30% above the candidate’s current CTC.
How to Use This Data
For hiring managers:
- Use these benchmarks as a starting point, then adjust for your company’s brand, equity component, benefits, and work flexibility
- If you are consistently losing candidates at the offer stage, your salary bands are likely below market
- For niche roles, consider engaging our niche recruitment team for a customised talent mapping report that includes role-specific salary intelligence
For HR leaders:
- Review your compensation bands annually against market data — stale bands are the number one cause of hiring delays
- Build in a 10-15% buffer above band midpoints for hard-to-fill roles
- Consider total rewards (remote flexibility, learning budgets, ESOP) as salary multipliers
For candidates:
- These are CTC figures (cost to company), not in-hand salary — factor in PF, gratuity, and variable components
- Negotiate based on market data, not your current salary — the “percentage hike” model favours underpaid professionals
- Niche skills (AI, cybersecurity, platform engineering) give you disproportionate leverage
What to Expect in 2026
Based on current trends, we expect:
- AI/ML salaries to continue growing at 15-20% annually
- Cybersecurity roles to remain in critical demand with 12-18% growth
- Traditional development roles to grow modestly at 6-10%
- The metro-Tier 2 salary gap to narrow further, especially for remote roles
- Total compensation packages to increasingly include equity, wellness benefits, and learning stipends as companies compete beyond base salary
The companies that win the talent war are the ones that pay fairly, move fast, and offer meaningful work. Salary is necessary but not sufficient. Use these benchmarks to ensure you are in the conversation — then differentiate on everything else. For companies exploring remote hiring across India, the metro vs Tier 2 salary dynamics are especially relevant.
Related Reading
- India’s IT Talent Shortage: Which Skills Are Hardest to Find? — The skill gaps behind these salary trends and how to bridge them
- Remote Hiring in India: Building Distributed Tech Teams — How remote hiring is reshaping salary expectations across geographies
- Our Services — Salary benchmarking is included in every StakTeck engagement
