India achieves one of the world’s smallest gender pay gaps: Report

New Delhi: India’s gender pay gap has narrowed significantly, placing the country among those with the smallest disparities worldwide, according to a report released on Monday by global payroll and compliance platform Deel.

The report found that median salaries for men and women in India are now nearly identical, ranging between $13,000 and $23,000 annually — a sign of increasing pay equity and the growing use of data-driven compensation models.

Deel’s analysis, based on data from over one million contracts and more than 35,000 customers across 150 countries, offered detailed insights into international pay trends.

However, the study also highlighted a steep 40 per cent year-on-year decline in median pay for engineering and data professionals in India, dropping from $36,000 in 2024 to $22,000 in 2025.

India continues to rely heavily on a hybrid workforce structure, with 60 to 70 per cent full-time employees and 30 to 40 per cent contract workers, underscoring a sustained preference for flexible work models, the report said.

“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, APAC at Deel.

The report added that the US, UK and Canada continue to offer the highest median compensation globally, particularly across technology and specialist roles. Jobs in AI, cybersecurity and digital marketing command pay premiums of 20 to 25 per cent due to skill shortages and limited benchmark data.

Median equity grants for technology professionals have also risen steadily in emerging markets such as India and Brazil since 2021, signalling a global trend toward equity-based pay structures. The US leads in equity package size, followed by Canada and France.

Globally, gender pay disparities remain most pronounced in technology and product roles, while sales positions show comparatively smaller gaps, with the widest differences reported in Canada, France and the United States.

IANS