India’s booming digital economy and massive adoption of AI and machine learning have created enormous demand for data science professionals. One of the most common questions learners and freshers ask is: “What is the salary of a data scientist in India per month for freshers?” Understanding potential earnings is an important part of planning a career, setting expectations, and choosing the right training.

In this blog, we’ll explore:

• The average data scientist salary in India per month for freshers
• What influences the starting salary
• Comparison with other data jobs
• Skills that enable freshers to receive higher packages
• Industry and city-specific trend
• Future prospects and growth

Whether you are a student, a working professional transitioning into data science, or an individual interested in the field, this guide will enable you to understand what is achievable and how to negotiate the best starting salary.

✅ Quick Overview: Data Scientist Salary in India for Freshers

Average monthly salary: ₹40,000–₹80,000

Annual CTC (Cost to Company): ₹5–10 lakhs for new graduates

• Salaries range depending on skills, city, employer size, and academic record
• High growth opportunities within 2–3 years of experience
• Topmost fresher packages mostly come in metro cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, and Gurugram

These estimates are on the basis of industry surveys, HR reports, and data on IT hiring platforms.

Why Data Scientist Salary in India is So Attractive

Here's why freshers tend to target data science as a profession:

Increased demand: Every sector is turning data-driven.

Lack of qualified talent: Organizations vie for fresh graduates with the desired skills.

Cross-industry applications: Finance, retail, healthcare, e-commerce, logistics, etc.

Future prospects: AI, machine learning, big data, and cloud computing will continue to rise in demand.

These reasons together make the data scientist salary in India for freshers one of the highest in the segment of entry-level IT professionals.

Detailed Look: What is the Salary of a Data Scientist in India per Month for Freshers?

Though numbers differ, here's a general idea based on freshers:

• Level Annual CTC (₹) Monthly Salary (approx.)
• Lower Range 4.5–6 LPA ₹35,000–₹45,000
• Average 6–8 LPA ₹50,000–₹65,000
• Higher Range 8–10 LPA ₹65,000–₹80,+

LPA = Lakhs Per Annum

The figures depict offers to fresh graduates with data science training, internships, or quality academic projects.

Factors Influencing Data Scientist Fresher Salary in India

There are several factors that decide how much a fresher can get:

Education background: Top engineering college/MS data science graduates tend to receive better offers.

Technical skills: Proficiency in Python, machine learning, SQL, and visualization tools.

Internships/projects: College internships/project work increase employability.

Location: Metro areas tend to have better pay due to the cost of living and tech company concentration.

Company type: MNCs and AI-first companies might pay more to freshers.

Certifications: Top data science or machine learning certifications will hold value.

City-Wise Data Scientist Fresher Salary in India

Bengaluru (Bangalore)

India's leading technology hub.

• Average fresher salary per month: ₹55,000–₹80,000.
• Good presence of AI startups and R&D facilities.

Hyderabad

Emerging data science ecosystem.

• Fresher salary: ₹50,000–₹75,000.

Pune & Mumbai

Financial capital and IT hub.

• ₹45,000–₹70,000 for freshers.

Gurugram & NCR

AI focuses on fintech and e-commerce.

• ₹50,000–₹75,000 per month.

Chennai, Kolkata, Kochi

₹35,000–₹60,000, depending on company and skill set.

Comparison: Data Scientist vs Other Entry-Level Data Roles

Role Average Monthly Salary

1. Data Scientist ₹50,000–₹70,000
2. Data Analyst ₹30,000–₹50,000
3. Business Analyst ₹35,000–₹55,000
4. Machine Learning Engineer ₹60,000–₹80,000

Why the difference?

Data scientists usually create predictive models and collaborate with business strategy, which requires greater skill depth.

Skills That Increase Fresher's Salary in Data Science

Employers want practical skills. Top in-demand skills:

• Python (data wrangling, scripting, model building)
• Machine Learning (classification, regression, clustering)
• Data Visualization (Tableau, Power BI, Seaborn, Matplotlib)
• SQL (data extraction, joins, subqueries)
• Big Data fundamentals (Hadoop, Spark)
• Cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure)

Freshers who have project work or GitHub repositories tend to receive better offers.

Impact of Academic Background

Graduates possessing:

• B.Tech / BE in Computer Science, IT, or related streams
• Master's in Data Science / Statistics / Applied Mathematics
• Specialized certifications or bootcamp

Non-technical graduates are also eligible, but typically start a notch lower unless they have strong projects.

Future Growth After Entry-Level

• The good news: data science salaries increase rapidly.
• 2–3 years experience: ₹10–18 LPA (₹80,000–₹1.5 lakh/month)
• 5+ years: ₹18–30+
• Senior data scientists, AI engineers, or team leads: ₹30–50 LPA+

Industries Hiring Fresh Data Scientists

1. Banking and Finance: Fraud detection, credit scoring
2.  E-commerce: Recommendation systems, customer segmentation.
3. Healthcare: Predictive analytics, medical image analysis.
4. Logistics: Demand forecasting, route optimization.
5. Media & Entertainment: Content recommendations, sentiment analysis.

Freshers' Reality: Beyond Salary

Though salary is crucial, also keep in mind:

• Training opportunities and mentorship.
• Project variety.
• Company culture and group.
• Access to data and tools.

These have a greater effect on long-term development than starting pay.

Sample Fresher Job Description & Expected Package

"Seeking a data scientist with good Python and machine learning fundamentals, knowledge of SQL and data visualization. Freshers welcome; take-home ₹50,000–₹70,000 based on skills and internship."

This is the norm for mid-level and startup companies.

Why Data Science is Still a Top Fresher Choice

Job demand: Large and small corporations require data insights.

Competitive pay: One of the highest-paying fresh entry-level positions.

Innovation: Work on AI, NLP, and computer vision.

Career growth: Wide scope to specialize later.

Tips to Maximize Your Starting Salary

• Build a strong GitHub or portfolio.
• Complete industry projects (e.g., Kaggle).
• Earn certifications.
• Learn to communicate insights, not just build models.
• Prepare for interviews: coding, case studies, business understanding.

Highest Fresher Offers in India

Some top data science talent from IITs or with internships at big firms have reported packages:

₹12–15 LPA (₹1–1.2 lakh/month)

These are exceptions, but indicate the potential of the field.

Trends to Expect: India Salaries for Data Scientists

• Adoption of AI is increasing in SMEs, hence greater entry-level positions.
• Wages can increase as talent supply cannot keep pace with demand.
• Jobs that combine AI with domain expertise (e.g., healthcare, finance) will receive high pay.

⚖ Salary vs Cost of Living

Freshers in Mumbai or Bengaluru will earn more, but have to shell out more too. Cities like Pune and Hyderabad tend to provide a balance.

India vs Global Data Scientist Salary

1. US freshers: $6,000–$8,000 per month (₹5–6 lakh)
2. Europe: €3,500–€5,000 per month (₹3–4 lakh)
3. India: ₹40,000–₹80,000 per month

Indian salaries are competitive locally because of a lower cost of living.

Data Scientist vs Machine Learning Engineer for Freshers

ML engineer's salary might be slightly more because of:

• Need for deployment skills.
• Greater coding demands.

Fresher data scientist jobs usually emphasize analysis and prototyping.

Long-Term Career Progression & Salary Growth

• Junior Data Scientist → Data Scientist → Senior Data Scientist → Lead → Chief Data Officer
• All the transitions can almost double your salary every 3–5 years if you continue to update your skills.