Average salary of a teacher and a doctor in Russia: how much they actually get paid
The average salary of a school teacher in Russia for January-June 2024 amounted to 71,444 rubles per month, and for a doctor in a state or municipal hospital 121,322 rubles. These are the latest Rosstat data for the public sector. A doctor on average earns 1.7 times more than a teacher, and the difference between regions reaches up to six times: a teacher in Chukotka earns 192,414 rubles, in Ingushetia 31,125. Below we will analyze why the six-month figure for teachers is higher than the annual one, how salaries have grown since 2013, and where they pay the most. The charts are interactive, links to Rosstat tables are provided throughout the text.
How much teachers, doctors, and other public sector employees earn
Rosstat separately calculates the salaries of twelve categories of workers in the social sphere and science. This refers only to state and municipal organizations: private schools and clinics are not included in these figures. The latest snapshot for January-June 2024 looks like this.
At the top of the list are those who almost always have an academic degree: university lecturers (143,518 rubles) and research staff (132,174). Doctors are third with 121,322 rubles. After that, there is a large gap, and the entire rest of the public sector falls into a range from 51 to 72 thousand.
A school teacher with their 71,444 rubles ends up in the upper part of this range, almost on par with college and technical school lecturers (71,658). A kindergarten teacher receives 55,645 rubles, a nurse or paramedic 60,629, a nursing assistant 51,753. The lowest on the list are social workers: 51,273 rubles.
The full table with a breakdown by region: salary of certain categories of social sector workers.
Does a teacher earn more than the average salary in the region?
In the first half of 2024, yes. Rosstat compares the salary of each category with the estimate of the average salary in the region's economy, and for teachers, this ratio was 111.9%. For doctors, it is 190%, which is almost two average salaries. Nurses and paramedics fall slightly short of the average at 94.9%. Junior medical staff receive 81% of it.
Why the teacher's salary for the half-year is higher than for the year
If you compare Rosstat tables for different periods, something strange is visible: for January-June 2018, teachers received an average of 42,226 rubles, and for the whole of 2018, 38,419. The half-year includes June, when teachers are paid vacation pay for their long summer break, and the average for six months comes out higher than the annual one. Therefore, the half-year figure for 2024, 71,444 rubles, cannot be compared with the annual figure for 2023, 55,634 rubles, to conclude a growth of a third. It is correct to compare year with year.
Doctors do not have such a jump: 113,602 rubles for 2023 and 121,322 rubles for the first half of 2024.
Salary of teachers and doctors by year
Rosstat's annual tables for these categories are available on the website for 2013-2016, 2018, and 2023. If we put them together in a single series, we get the following picture.
| Year | School teachers, RUB | Doctors, RUB | Teachers to regional average | Doctors to regional average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 29,038 | 42,253 | 96.9% | 141.0% |
| 2014 | 31,535 | 46,231 | 96.7% | 141.8% |
| 2015 | 32,638 | 47,874 | 106.3% | 156.0% |
| 2016 | 33,338 | 50,667 | 102.2% | 155.3% |
| 2018 | 38,419 | 75,007 | 101.4% | 198.0% |
| 2023 | 55,634 | 113,602 | 97.2% | 198.6% |
Over ten years, the salary of a teacher grew 1.9 times, and that of a doctor 2.7 times. The entire gap for doctors accumulated between 2016 and 2018: in two years, their average salary added almost 25 thousand rubles, and the ratio to the regional average jumped from 155% to 198%. Since then, it has remained flat.
For teachers, the ratio has stayed around 100% all the time, and that is by design: the salaries of public sector employees are tied to the regional average by presidential decrees: teachers must be paid no less than the average, and doctors twice as much. Rosstat maintains these tables precisely to monitor compliance. Hence the stable 97-106% for some and 198% for others.
Note the year 2015. Starting from this year, Rosstat calculates the regional average using a new methodology, taking into account employees of individual entrepreneurs and individuals. The baseline for comparison became lower, and the ratio for teachers jumped from 96.7% to 106.3% without any significant growth in the salaries themselves.
Annual tables: teachers for 2023, doctors for 2023.
Whom Rosstat considers a teacher and a doctor
The "teachers" category includes all pedagogical workers of general education organizations: subject teachers, along with, for example, school psychologists and social educators. In the "doctors" category, Rosstat includes doctors and all employees of medical organizations with higher medical, pharmaceutical, or other higher education who provide medical services. This is the average for everyone, from a local GP to a head of department.
Teacher's salary by region
The spread between regions is huge. The chart shows five regions with the highest average teacher's salary, five with the lowest, and St. Petersburg and the Russian average in between.
At the top are Chukotka (192,414 rubles), Yamal (170,830), Magadan Oblast (160,125), Moscow (143,820), and Sakhalin (143,124). At the bottom are the republics of the North Caucasus and Mordovia: in Ingushetia 31,125 rubles, in Chechnya 34,486, in Karachay-Cherkessia 37,097, in Dagestan 38,133, in Mordovia 40,095.
It is more useful, however, to look not at rubles, but at how much a teacher receives compared to other residents of their region. Here the picture is different. In Primorsky Krai, a teacher earns 152.7% of the average for the krai, in the Moscow region 137.6%, in Moscow 131.5%. Meanwhile, in Bashkortostan it is 92.3%, in Mordovia and Komi 94.8% each: there, a teacher receives less than the average resident of the region.
St. Petersburg (98,571 rubles, 119.1% of the average for the city) and Moscow Oblast (95,751 rubles) follow right behind the northern regions.
Full table for all regions: salary of school teachers for January-June 2024. The overall average salary by region is collected in the ranking of regions by salary.
Doctor's salary by region
For doctors, the gap between the extreme regions is smaller, about five times, but the absolute amounts are also higher.
Doctors receive the most in Chukotka (291,916 rubles), in Yamal (283,519), in the Magadan Oblast (244,427), in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (231,499), and in Moscow (212,633). The least is in Ingushetia (57,566), North Ossetia (62,551), Kalmykia (62,998), Kabardino-Balkaria (63,509), and Karachay-Cherkessia (63,915).
For comparison: a teacher in Chukotka receives 3.3 times more than a doctor in Ingushetia. In St. Petersburg, the average doctor's salary is 153,733 rubles, in the Moscow Oblast it is 139,260.
The ratio to the regional average for doctors is close to 200% almost everywhere, but does not reach it everywhere. The lowest are the Zabaykalsky Krai (166.9%), Karelia (167.8%), and the Kursk Oblast (167.9%).
Table by region: doctors' salaries for January-June 2024. We wrote about how many doctors there actually are in Russia and how their numbers have changed in the article "Number of doctors in Russia by year".
Where they pay more: in federal, regional, or municipal institutions
Rosstat divides salaries by who owns the institution, and the difference here is more noticeable than one might expect.
| January-June 2024 | Federal | Subject of the RF | Municipal |
|---|---|---|---|
| School teachers | 114,916 | 103,120 | 63,476 |
| Doctors | 147,158 | 116,663 | 71,406 |
The average for teachers (71,444) lies close to the municipal figure: this means that the bulk of teachers work in municipal schools. A teacher at such a school receives 99.4% of the average for their region, while in a federal school they receive 180%. For doctors, the picture is the opposite, the overall average (121,322) is close to the salary in institutions of the subject of the RF. Hospitals mostly belong to the regions, and the municipal doctor's salary (71,406 rubles) applies to a small share of medical professionals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average salary of a teacher in Russia?
According to the latest Rosstat data, for January-June 2024, it is 71,444 rubles per month before personal income tax deduction. For the entire year of 2023, it was 55,634 rubles. The half-year figure is higher than the annual one due to summer holiday pay.
How much does a doctor earn in Russia?
On average, 121,322 rubles per month for January-June 2024 and 113,602 rubles for 2023. This is the accrued salary of doctors and other medical professionals with higher education in state and municipal organizations.
Who earns more, a teacher or a doctor?
A doctor. In the first half of 2024, 1.7 times more; in 2023, 2 times more. This is how the regulation is structured: the target for doctors is two average salaries in the region, while for teachers it is one.
How much does a nurse earn?
Mid-level medical staff (nurses, paramedics, midwives) received 60,629 rubles in January-June 2024, which is 94.9% of the regional average. Junior medical staff received 51,753 rubles.
Is this the take-home pay?
No. Rosstat publishes the accrued salary, before income tax withholding. To recalculate past amounts into today's prices, the inflation calculator will be useful.
In Brief
- A school teacher for January-June 2024 received an average of 71,444 rubles, while a doctor received 121,322 rubles.
- For 2023, the average for a teacher was 55,634 rubles, and for a doctor, 113,602 rubles. Since 2013, the teacher's salary has increased 1.9 times, and the doctor's 2.7 times.
- Teachers are paid about one average salary in the region, while doctors receive about two. This is by design, and Rosstat monitors it.
- There is a five-to-six-fold difference between regions: the highest pay is in Chukotka, Yamal, and the Magadan Oblast, while the lowest is in Ingushetia.
- The half-year figures for teachers are inflated by holiday pay; comparisons should be made year-on-year.