Skillcept Online
Key takeaways
- With 1–3 years’ experience, Data Scientists earn ₹11.3–12.5 lakh a year; with 3–6 years, ₹15–16.6 lakh (AmbitionBox, 16 Oct 2026).1
- First jobs usually carry another title and pay less: a Junior Data Scientist averages ₹6.5 lakh (AmbitionBox, 0–4 years).2
- Sources disagree because they count different people and different pay: PayScale’s 1–4 year average total pay is ₹10,05,147; Levels.fyi’s median, which leans to big tech and includes stock, is ₹29,83,186.45
- AI skills move the number most: Naukri found AI-skilled median salaries 53% higher (July 2025).9
The short answer
If you want one source, use AmbitionBox. It shows a range for each experience band and how many salaries sit behind it, and its pages were updated the day we checked them. Here is what it showed on 16 October 2026.1
| Experience | Typical yearly pay | Salaries behind it |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 years | ₹11.3–12.5 L | 24,000 |
| 3–6 years | ₹15–16.6 L | 35,500 |
| 6–9 years | ₹20.5–22.6 L | 2,800 |
| Overall, 1–8 years | ₹15.3–16.9 LThe top 10% earn above ₹25.3 L | 61,600 |
Source: AmbitionBox, Data Scientist salaries in India, as of 16 Oct 2026. Ranges as AmbitionBox shows them.
Notice what’s missing: a band for under a year. Few people are hired straight into a “Data Scientist” title. Most first data science jobs have another title, and pay less. That’s the next table.
First jobs and freshers
These are the titles a first data science job usually carries, with what each source showed. Across them, the figures run from ₹3.5 lakh to ₹9.7 lakh a year.
| Title | Experience | Yearly pay | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Analyst | 0–1 year | ₹3.5–5.2 L | AmbitionBox30 salaries, a small sample |
| Junior Data Scientist | 0–4 years | ₹6.5 L average₹6.1–6.9 L typical | AmbitionBox292 salaries |
| Associate Data Scientist | 0–1 year | ₹6.5–9.7 L | AmbitionBox67 salaries |
| Data Scientist | Under 1 year | ₹5,95,255 average total pay | PayScale307 salaries |
Sources: AmbitionBox (14–16 Oct 2026)2 and PayScale (9 Jul 2026).4
So the realistic plan for most people is a first data science or analytics job, then the jump to the ₹11–17 lakh bands with a year or more of experience. AI skills can bring that jump sooner (below).
Where our bar sits: on Go, the minimum salary assured is ₹6 LPA, above AmbitionBox’s 0–1 year Data Analyst band. On Plus it starts at ₹9 LPA, near the top of the Associate Data Scientist band. It’s the lowest fixed pay a job must offer before any fee after placement is due, not a promise of a salary.
Why the sources disagree
Four sites, four different “averages” for the same job title. None of them is wrong. They count different people, and different kinds of pay.
| Source | What it showed | Based on | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| AmbitionBox | ₹15.3–16.9 L typical, 1–8 years | 61,600 salaries | 16 Oct 2026 |
| Indeed | ₹12,24,014 averageRange ₹7,06,826–₹21,19,631 | 315 salaries | 8 Oct 2026 |
| PayScale | ₹10,05,147 average total pay, 1–4 years | 754 salaries | 9 Jul 2026 |
| Levels.fyi | ₹29,83,186 median total payLeans to product and big-tech firms, and includes stock | 1,070 entries | 16 Oct 2026 |
Sources: AmbitionBox,1 Indeed,3 PayScale4 and Levels.fyi.5
Three things explain the gap:
- Whose salaries are counted. A sample full of big-tech engineers pays more than one spread across every kind of company.
- What counts as pay. Stock, bonuses and variable pay make a total much larger than a fixed salary.
- Experience. An “average” that mixes freshers with eight-year veterans describes neither.
So compare like with like: the same experience band, and the same kind of pay. For a first or second job, the AmbitionBox bands and PayScale’s early-career figures are the closest to what you’ll be offered.
By city and employer
On AmbitionBox’s numbers, Gurugram and Bengaluru pay Data Scientists the most.1
| City | Data Scientist, typical yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Gurugram | ₹17.8 L |
| Bengaluru | ₹16.8 L |
| Chennai | ₹16.5 L |
| Hyderabad | ₹16.4 L |
| Pune | ₹14.7–16.3 L |
Source: AmbitionBox, overall 1–8 years, as of 16 Oct 2026. Other sources order the cities differently.
A lakh between cities matters less than the kind of employer and role. foundit’s salary report put AI professionals with 0–3 years at ₹8.87–15.41 LPA, against ₹2.68–5.08 LPA for entry-level roles in IT services.6 Global capability centres (GCCs), the in-house tech and analytics centres of global companies, are a big part of the higher end. NASSCOM counts 2,117 of them in India, employing 2.36 million people,8 and Taggd put their entry roles (1–3 years) in data science, ML, analytics and data engineering at ₹10–18 LPA, a figure it calls indicative.7
What moves your number
AI skills
This is the biggest lever. Naukri’s AI Jobs Report found median salaries 53% higher for AI-skilled roles, with premiums of up to 56% for freshers.9 The World Bank, in its October 2025 report on South Asia, estimated a 28% wage premium for AI roles.10
Where demand is going
In September 2026, AI/ML hiring on Naukri rose 20% on the year while white-collar hiring overall rose 2%, and fresher hiring in AI/ML rose 19%.11 Indeed found AI mentioned in 39% of data and analytics job postings in India.12 The roles that pay more are the ones that combine data skills with AI.
Changing roles, not waiting for raises
Aon’s survey put India’s average salary increase at 9% in 2026, and projected 9.1% for 2027.13 At 9% a year, ₹6 lakh takes about five years to reach ₹9 lakh. A move into a data science role can get there in one step. That’s why most big jumps in pay come with a new role, not a raise.
Your minimum salary assured, worked out
On our Data Science & AI Job Guarantee Program, no fee after placement is due until a job pays at least your plan’s minimum salary assured. Enter your fixed annual pay to see yours on each plan.
- GoData Analyst roles₹6 LPA≈ ₹50,000 a month₹6 LPA on Go, whatever you earn today.
- PlusData Scientist roles₹9 LPA≈ ₹75,000 a month₹9 LPA or your salary + 35%, whichever is higher.
- InfinityAI/ML Engineer roles₹12 LPA≈ ₹1,00,000 a month₹12 LPA or your salary + 85%, whichever is higher.
Your minimum salary assured is the lowest fixed annual pay a job must offer before any fee after placement is due: a threshold for the fee, not a promise of any salary. The salary option uses the fixed pay on your last 3 payslips when you complete, if it’s ₹25 LPA or less and you share them. In writing: Agreement 2.3. Nothing you type here is stored or sent.
CTC, fixed pay and in-hand
Salary sites mostly quote yearly CTC (cost to company) as people report it. Your monthly in-hand pay is lower: CTC also counts your employer’s PF contribution, gratuity, insurance and any variable pay or bonus, and your own PF and income tax come out of what is left.
When we decide whether a job counts towards your minimum salary assured, we look only at fixed annual pay. In the words of our FAQ:
The fixed yearly cash pay in your offer letter: basic pay and fixed allowances. It doesn’t include variable pay or bonuses, joining or retention bonuses, stock or ESOPs, your employer’s PF and gratuity, insurance, reimbursements or benefits in kind.
- Basic pay and fixed allowances
- No bonuses or stock
- No employer PF or gratuity
In writingAgreement 2.1
Questions
What is a Data Scientist’s salary in India for freshers?
Few freshers start with the Data Scientist title. First data science jobs (Data Analyst, Junior or Associate Data Scientist) showed ₹3.5–9.7 lakh a year on AmbitionBox on 16 Oct 2026, and PayScale’s average total pay for Data Scientists with under a year was ₹5,95,255.
Which city pays Data Scientists the most?
On AmbitionBox (16 Oct 2026): Gurugram ₹17.8 lakh, then Bengaluru ₹16.8 lakh, Chennai ₹16.5 lakh and Hyderabad ₹16.4 lakh. Other sources order the cities differently, so the kind of employer matters more than a lakh between cities.
Are these salaries CTC or in-hand?
Mostly yearly CTC, as people report it. Monthly in-hand pay is lower once your PF, income tax and any variable pay are taken out.
How much does an AI skill add?
Naukri’s AI Jobs Report (July 2025) found median salaries 53% higher for AI-skilled roles, and the World Bank (October 2025) estimated a 28% wage premium for AI roles. AI/ML hiring also kept growing in 2026 while overall hiring was flat.
Sources
- AmbitionBox, Data Scientist salary in India, as of 16 Oct 2026.
- AmbitionBox, Junior Data Scientist (14 Oct 2026), Associate Data Scientist (15 Oct 2026) and Data Analyst (16 Oct 2026) salaries.
- Indeed, Data Scientist salaries in India, 8 Oct 2026.
- PayScale, Data Scientist salary in India, 9 Jul 2026.
- Levels.fyi, Data Scientist pay in India, 16 Oct 2026.
- foundit salary report, reported by IANS in Telangana Today, 2 Sep 2026.
- Taggd, GCC Talent Lab 2026, 4 Sep 2026.
- NASSCOM, GCC Runway Monitor, 9 Oct 2026.
- Naukri, AI Jobs Report, 16 Jul 2025.
- World Bank, South Asia Development Update, October 2025.
- Naukri, JobSpeak, September 2026, 6 Oct 2026.
- Indeed Hiring Lab, September 2025 labour market update, 25 Oct 2025.
- Aon, Salary Increase and Turnover Survey 2026–27, reported in Telangana Today, 14 Oct 2026.
