NEW DELHI, India — India has recorded one of the world’s lowest gender pay gaps, marking a major step toward pay equity, according to a new global report released Monday.
The study, published by global payroll and compliance platform Deel, found that median salaries for men and women in India are now nearly equal, ranging between $13,000 and $23,000. The report attributed the shift to the rise of data-driven compensation models and increasing corporate focus on fairness and transparency.
Deel analyzed data from more than one million contracts and 35,000 customers across 150 countries to identify global pay trends. The findings show that India’s gender pay gap has narrowed faster than in most markets, reflecting evolving hiring practices and workplace reforms.
“It’s encouraging to see India emerge as one of the few countries where the gender pay gap has narrowed significantly. This progress reflects a broader shift toward fairness, transparency, and data-driven compensation models that reward merit over bias,” said Mark Samlal, General Manager for APAC at Deel.
The report also noted a 40 percent year-on-year decline in median pay for engineering and data professionals in India, from $36,000 in 2024 to $22,000 in 2025, amid market realignment and tighter global budgets. India continues to maintain a hybrid workforce, with about 60 to 70 percent full-time employees and 30 to 40 percent contract workers, underscoring the country’s continued reliance on flexible employment models.
Globally, the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada continue to offer the highest median compensation levels across job categories, with specialized fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital marketing commanding 20 to 25 percent pay premiums due to skill shortages.
Deel’s data further revealed a steady rise in equity-based compensation across emerging markets like India and Brazil, as more employers adopt long-term incentive models. However, gender pay disparities remain more pronounced in technology and product roles than in sales positions, with the widest gaps seen in Canada, France, and the United States. (Source: IANS)
