What you can expect to earn from ICT jobs in development
AI and digital skills are increasingly in demand across the sector. Here’s what these roles are paying.
Information and communication technology is no longer seen simply as a supporting function but as a core driver of impact across global development organizations. Digital tools, data science, and AI-assisted service delivery are increasingly central to how organizations design programs, manage operations, and reach communities at scale. The growing reliance on technology comes amid continued disruption across the sector. Funding constraints, shifting donor priorities, and geopolitical uncertainty have prompted many organizations to reassess how they operate — often accelerating digital transformation to stretch scarce resources further. As a result, demand for skilled ICT professionals has remained steady despite the hiring slowdown affecting many other roles. As global institutions, NGOs, and donors continue to invest in technology-led approaches for health, education, and governance, among other programming areas, we take a closer look at the ICT hiring landscape and what professionals with this expertise can expect to earn. Devex’s job board data shows that 3,246 ICT-related jobs were posted from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 last year, representing a slight decrease — around 4% — compared to the same period in 2024. This article focuses on the 1,352 ICT roles from 216 recruiting organizations that included salary information. To ensure consistency in our analysis, salaries listed in currencies other than U.S. dollars were converted from their original currencies, and 2024 figures were converted to 2025 U.S. constant prices. Where a salary range was provided for a role, we provide the average minimum and maximum values. ICT salaries by region and country Based on available data, ICT roles in development in 2025 offered an average annual salary of $79,017-$108,292, similar to the previous year’s average salary of $79,035-$104,305. North America was the region offering the highest average annual salary, with a range of $111,864-$179,728 — a 4% decrease compared to the previous year. It was followed by jobs listed as “worldwide,” continuing the 2024 trend. These roles provided an average annual salary range of $96,498-$117,342, also reflecting a decrease of around 4% compared to the previous year. The East Asia and Pacific region recorded the third-highest average annual salary at $80,754-$92,557, which is an almost 19% increase compared to the previous year’s numbers. Jobs in southern Africa received the lowest average salary last year at $34,248-$43,054, a significant decrease of 39% compared to the previous year. At the country level, Singapore boasted the highest average salary at $198,294-$368,276, followed by Saudi Arabia, where the range was $190,339-$353,491. However, these figures are based on a small sample — seven and two jobs respectively. Nauru, an island country in the Pacific, rounds out the top locations by country, averaging $125,500 for the annual salary. Meanwhile, for ICT jobs based in Madagascar, the salary expectation was just $9,324-$16,563 — the lowest average. Most salary transparency by location and hiring organization Postings for jobs based in North America offered the most salary transparency, accounting for 388 roles advertised with earning expectations. This was followed by Western Europe with 314 jobs with salary information, and the East Asia and Pacific region, for which data was available for 235 jobs. By country, hiring organizations based in the United States were the most transparent, posting 362 jobs with salary information. This was followed by the Philippines and India, with 107 and 83 roles respectively, accompanied by compensation details. Among employers, the Asian Development Bank provided the most information on salaries for its ICT vacancies. It shared salary expectations for 271 jobs, with the average annual salary ranging from $76,092-$79,098. The World Bank Group came in second, posting 154 jobs with this information, the average annual salary of which ranged from $94,774 to $173,130. Not far behind was ICF International, which shared this information for 143 jobs with the average salary sitting at $96,943-$168,649. The International Organization for Migration, which posted 36 jobs, offered an average salary of $43,927-$63,910. Next on the list was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with 27 jobs and the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office with 26 jobs, accompanied by annual pay expectations. NATO’s postings indicated an average annual salary of $111,480, while for the FCDO the range was $44,581-$48,085. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development advertised 25 jobs, all with disclosed salaries, with an average annual salary of $105,602. Amazon was next on the list with 24 roles advertised with salary expectations. While the e-commerce and cloud computing giant might not be considered a typical global development employer, they were looking for ICT talent to support the Worldwide Sustainability, or WWS, division, offering an average annual salary of $135,250 to $221,950. The International Finance Corporation and the International Atomic Energy Agency round out the list, with 21 and 20 posted jobs, respectively, with average annual salary ranges of $108,249-$201,098 and $57,547-$81,711. Highest-paid ICT jobs in 2025 Here are the five highest-paid ICT jobs posted on the Devex job board last year. The application period for these roles has closed. 1. Individual Consultant: AI Architect Lead Hiring organization: ADB Location: Mandaluyong City, Philippines Annual salary: $356,980 ADB appears 13 times on the list of the top 20 highest-paying jobs. 2. Director, Data and AI Hiring organization: World Bank Group Location: Washington, D.C., United States Annual salary range: $286,100-$429,400 The WBG appears three times on the list of the top 20 highest-paying jobs. 3. Deputy Director, AI & Data Enablement Hub Hiring organization: Gates Foundation Location: Washington, D.C., Seattle Annual salary range: $261,700-$442,100 The Gates Foundation appears four times on the list of the top 20 highest-paying jobs. 4. Senior Director Corporate Information Technology Services (Chief Information Officer) Hiring organization: African Development Bank Location: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire Annual salary range: $234,620-$321,430 5. Senior Partner, Digital Hiring organization: ICF Location: Reston, Virginia, United States Annual salary range: $231,370-$393,330
Information and communication technology is no longer seen simply as a supporting function but as a core driver of impact across global development organizations. Digital tools, data science, and AI-assisted service delivery are increasingly central to how organizations design programs, manage operations, and reach communities at scale.
The growing reliance on technology comes amid continued disruption across the sector. Funding constraints, shifting donor priorities, and geopolitical uncertainty have prompted many organizations to reassess how they operate — often accelerating digital transformation to stretch scarce resources further. As a result, demand for skilled ICT professionals has remained steady despite the hiring slowdown affecting many other roles.
As global institutions, NGOs, and donors continue to invest in technology-led approaches for health, education, and governance, among other programming areas, we take a closer look at the ICT hiring landscape and what professionals with this expertise can expect to earn.
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Roberto Paolo Mejorada is a Data Quality and Knowledge Management Associate at Devex. He is part of the Data Collection Team, focusing on overall content strategy, ensuring quality and accurate data, and providing support in research and analysis. He has a bachelor's degree in Humanities, and a master's degree in Political Economy from the University of Asia and the Pacific.
