Market report

India's AI and Data Talent Map, 2026

Data as of 20 September 2026 · By Ravi Dubey, Founder, HyrEzy

HyrEzy's database holds 19,716 profiles titled AI engineer, ML engineer, data scientist or data engineer. Bangalore and Hyderabad have the largest pools (4,120 and 2,908). AI engineers earn a median ₹7.2 LPA overall, rising from ₹6 LPA at 0–2 years to ₹33.5 LPA at 10–14 yrs.

AI Engineers
3,512
Median ₹7.2 LPA
ML Engineers
2,953
Median ₹6.8 LPA
Data Scientists
6,014
Median ₹10 LPA
Data Engineers
7,237
Median ₹8.5 LPA

Where AI and data talent is

AI engineers, ML engineers, data scientists and data engineers combined, by city. Delhi NCR includes Gurugram and Noida.

Pune
2,676
Mumbai
1,059
Source: HyrEzy candidate database, snapshot 20 September 2026. Method
View as table
Profiles
Bangalore4,120
Hyderabad2,908
Pune2,676
Delhi NCR2,540
Mumbai1,059
Chennai926

AI and data profiles by city and role

Profiles in HyrEzy's database. Darker cells hold more profiles.

CityAI EngineerML EngineerData ScientistData Engineer
Bangalore7185861,3081,508
Delhi NCR557401847735
Gurugram10374248213
Noida159119195243
Hyderabad5593206461,383
Pune1954359981,048
Mumbai168162363366
Chennai243156211316
Source: HyrEzy candidate database, snapshot 20 September 2026. Method

AI engineer salary by experience

Current CTC, median and middle half.

0–2 yrs
₹6
3–5 yrs
₹10
6–9 yrs
₹24
10–14 yrs
₹33.5

The AI engineer title is young: 2,013 of 3,512 profiles have under three years of experience, which pulls the headline median down.

Source: HyrEzy candidate database, snapshot 20 September 2026. Method
View as table
25th pctMedian75th pctProfiles
0–2 yrs₹4 LPA₹6 LPA₹9.1 LPA1,512
3–5 yrs₹6.2 LPA₹10 LPA₹15 LPA851
6–9 yrs₹14 LPA₹24 LPA₹33 LPA106
10–14 yrs₹15.6 LPA₹33.5 LPA₹40.5 LPA44

AI engineer salary by city

Current CTC, all experience levels.

Gurugram
₹10.5
Delhi NCR
₹8.5
Hyderabad
₹7.6
Noida
₹7.2
Pune
₹6.5
Mumbai
₹6.5
Chennai
₹5.5
Source: HyrEzy candidate database, snapshot 20 September 2026. Method
View as table
25th pctMedian75th pctProfiles
Gurugram₹6 LPA₹10.5 LPA₹16 LPA79
Delhi NCR₹5.5 LPA₹8.5 LPA₹15 LPA414
Bangalore₹5 LPA₹8 LPA₹14 LPA549
Hyderabad₹5 LPA₹7.6 LPA₹13.4 LPA433
Noida₹4.8 LPA₹7.2 LPA₹10.6 LPA122
Pune₹4.8 LPA₹6.5 LPA₹12 LPA105
Mumbai₹4.1 LPA₹6.5 LPA₹12.8 LPA114
Chennai₹4 LPA₹5.5 LPA₹8.6 LPA192

Data scientist salary by city

Current CTC, all experience levels.

Gurugram
₹14.5
Hyderabad
₹10.3
Noida
₹10
Mumbai
₹9
Chennai
₹7.4
Pune
₹7
Source: HyrEzy candidate database, snapshot 20 September 2026. Method
View as table
25th pctMedian75th pctProfiles
Gurugram₹8.1 LPA₹14.5 LPA₹24 LPA96
Bangalore₹6 LPA₹12 LPA₹22 LPA573
Delhi NCR₹7 LPA₹12 LPA₹20 LPA318
Hyderabad₹5.5 LPA₹10.3 LPA₹20.4 LPA206
Noida₹6 LPA₹10 LPA₹16 LPA75
Mumbai₹6 LPA₹9 LPA₹20.4 LPA119
Chennai₹4.1 LPA₹7.4 LPA₹12.5 LPA83
Pune₹5 LPA₹7 LPA₹12.3 LPA211

Frequently asked questions

Which Indian city has the most AI talent?

In HyrEzy's database, Bangalore has the most AI engineers, ML engineers, data scientists and data engineers combined (4,120), followed by Hyderabad (2,908) and Pune (2,676).

What does an AI engineer earn in India?

The median current CTC of AI engineers is ₹7.2 LPA. With 3–5 years of experience the median is ₹10 LPA, and at 6–9 years ₹24 LPA.

Where do data scientists earn the most?

Gurugram has the highest median data scientist CTC at ₹14.5 LPA, followed by Bangalore at ₹12 LPA.

About this data

  • Source: HyrEzy's candidate database, snapshot taken 20 September 2026. 7,07,237 profiles were considered; 1,26,358 of them record a current CTC.
  • Pay is the current CTC a candidate recorded, in ₹ lakh per annum. It is not offer data. Values below ₹1.5 LPA or above ₹250 LPA are excluded as entry errors.
  • Roles are matched on current job title, so "Data Engineer" means people whose current title says so. The pool covers product companies, services companies and enterprises.
  • Expected hike compares expected with current CTC, counting only expectations between 0.8 and 3 times current pay.
  • Privacy: we publish only aggregates. Any group with fewer than 30 CTC records is not shown for pay, and fewer than 10 profiles is not shown at all. No individual can be identified.
  • Notice periods are not reported: imported profiles often store a default value when notice is missing, which makes the field unreliable in aggregate.

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