Data science remains one of the highest-paying and fastest-growing career paths in India, with demand continuing to outstrip supply in 2026.
Salary by role and experience: Data Analyst (entry-level data career): Freshers ₹4-8 LPA, 3-5 years ₹8-18 LPA. Data Scientist (core role): Freshers ₹6-12 LPA, 3-5 years ₹15-30 LPA, 5-8 years ₹25-45 LPA. ML Engineer (implementation-focused): Freshers ₹8-15 LPA, 3-5 years ₹18-35 LPA, 5-8 years ₹30-50 LPA. AI Research Scientist (research-focused): PhD preferred, ₹25-50 LPA entry, ₹50-1.5 Cr at top labs.
Salary by company type: IT Services (TCS, Infosys analytics divisions): ₹6-15 LPA for junior, ₹15-30 LPA for senior. Product Companies (Flipkart, Swiggy, Razorpay): ₹15-30 LPA for junior, ₹30-60 LPA for senior. FAANG/Top Global (Google, Amazon, Microsoft India): ₹25-50 LPA for junior, ₹50-1.5 Cr for senior. Analytics Firms (Mu Sigma, Fractal, Tiger Analytics): ₹8-15 LPA for junior, ₹20-40 LPA for senior.
Skills that command premium: GenAI/LLM expertise (highest premium — 40-60% above general DS), NLP specialization (strong demand for Indian language NLP), Computer Vision (growing demand in manufacturing and retail), MLOps/Production ML (deploying models at scale), and Reinforcement Learning (niche but very high-paying).
City comparison: Bangalore leads (highest salaries and most opportunities), followed by Hyderabad (best value — strong salaries, lower costs), Mumbai (strong in financial data science), Pune (growing DS ecosystem), and Delhi-NCR (Gurgaon has strong analytics presence).