Indian engineers' median pay drops 40% in 2025, US salaries rise

Product and design professionals in India also saw median pay drop to $23,000, compared to $138,000 in the US, highlighting growing inequality in global tech salaries

The median pay for engineering and data professionals in India declined by 40 per cent to $22,000 in 2025 from $36,000 in 2024, The Economic Times reported today. Meanwhile, median pay for comparable roles in the United States increased to $150,000 from $122,000 over the same period.

 

Product and design roles in India also recorded a downturn, with median pay falling to $23,000, compared to $138,000 in the US.

 

Gender pay gap narrows in India’s tech sector 

Gender pay disparities remain more pronounced in technology and product roles than in sales, where some improvement has been noted, the news report said, citing data from payroll and compliance platform Deel and equity management firm Carta. The widest gaps were observed in Canada, France, and the US.

 

 

India, however, stands out for having one of the narrowest gender pay gaps globally. Median salaries for men and women are nearly identical, ranging between $13,000 and $23,000 depending on role and function.

 

In sales, the country achieved gender parity, with both men and women earning an average of $12,000. However, in product and design roles, men earned a median salary of $23,000, while women earned $18,000. Similarly, in data roles, men earned $18,000 compared to $13,000 for women.

 

Equity-based pay gains traction 

Compliance platform Deel manages more 35,000 customers across over 150 countries. Equity data is sourced from thousands of Carta’s total compensation clients, representing over 900,000 active salary and equity data points. Only firms valued at a minimum of $300 million were considered for the global comparisons.

 

The report highlighted that total compensation for top technical professionals is rising worldwide, driven by an increase in equity-based remuneration. Carta’s data further showed that median equity grants for engineers — as a proportion of company ownership — have consistently grown between 2021 and 2025, with the sharpest increases seen in emerging markets such as Brazil and India. This reflects a broader global move towards equity-heavy compensation structures.

 

 

Backend roles spur salary growth 

According to the Instahyre Product-Tech PayCheck 2025 report, pay hikes in India’s tech sector are being driven by skill depth and domain expertise—particularly in backend engineering and DevOps — while early-career frontend and mobile roles are seeing stagnation or even decline.

 

At the same time, tier-II cities like Indore, Jaipur, and Chandigarh are emerging as serious talent pools, with nearly 35–40 per cent of skilled candidates in key roles now based outside the metros. Freshers with Python skills now earn up to $13,700 per annum. Seasoned backend professionals (10+ years) command up to $58,800 per annum.