Data Scientist salaries in India range widely because the title covers analysts, modellers and ML engineers. Production deployment experience and domain depth move pay more than pedigree does, though premier-institution graduates often start higher. The live panel shows current CTC, expected CTC and the education mix for Data Scientist profiles.
Data Scientist pay by experience
Current CTC, median and middle half (25th to 75th percentile), from HyrEzy's candidate database. Roles matched on current job title, all India.
View as table
| 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Profiles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 yrs | ₹4.5 LPA | ₹7 LPA | ₹12.1 LPA | 908 |
| 3–5 yrs | ₹6.5 LPA | ₹11 LPA | ₹18 LPA | 764 |
| 6–9 yrs | ₹13.9 LPA | ₹25.9 LPA | ₹37.2 LPA | 196 |
| 10–14 yrs | ₹15.8 LPA | ₹32.9 LPA | ₹46.2 LPA | 95 |
One title, three jobs
Many companies use "Data Scientist" for an analytics role with SQL and dashboards. Others mean a statistical modeller who builds forecasting or propensity models. A third group means an engineer who ships models into production and monitors them. Pay rises sharply from the first to the third.
Before benchmarking, write down what the person will actually deliver in the first six months. That tells you which pool you are hiring from.
Does an IIT or IIM degree change the offer?
Premier-institution graduates often start at higher bands, and early in a career the institution is a strong signal. By five to seven years of experience, the gap usually narrows: what the candidate has built and deployed matters more than where they studied.
HyrEzy's database includes 9,111 IIT alumni and 9,944 IIM alumni, and the live panel shows the education-tier mix for Data Scientist profiles so you can see how much of the pool comes from premier institutions.
What moves a Data Scientist offer up
The factors that consistently lift offers:
- Models running in production, with monitoring and retraining in place.
- Domain depth in lending, insurance, e-commerce or healthcare, where models carry direct revenue or risk impact.
- Strong engineering: Python beyond notebooks, SQL at scale, and experience with a feature store or ML platform.
- Experimentation skill: designing and reading A/B tests correctly.
Using the data in your hiring decision
Check the live panel for your target city and experience, then decide whether you are hiring an analyst, a modeller or an ML engineer. Many mis-hires in data science come from paying modeller rates for analyst work, or offering analyst rates to someone who can take models to production.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average Data Scientist salary in India?
It varies widely by role type, city and experience. HyrEzy's live talent search shows current and expected CTC for Data Scientist profiles, filterable by city and experience range.
Do IIT graduates earn more as Data Scientists?
Early in their careers, often yes. After five to seven years, production experience and domain depth usually matter more than the institution.
What is the difference between a Data Scientist and an ML Engineer?
A Data Scientist typically focuses on analysis, modelling and experimentation; an ML Engineer focuses on putting models into production and keeping them running. Many companies blend the two, which is why pay varies so much for the same title.
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