CEO Salaries: What CEOs Get Paid in Different Countries

CEO salaries or CEO payscale around the world vary greatly depending on a number of factors. Determining the salary of a CEO might depend on the size of the company they work at, their work experience as a CEO or otherwise, the industry they are working in, the kind of company they work at, etc.

Read: CEO Salaries: What CEOs Get Paid in Different Industries

CEO payscale in Different Countries

Here is what CEO salaries look like around the world;

United States

In a report by Indeed.com dated February 2021, the average base CEO salary in the United States is US$116,565 annually, and US$25,000 profit sharing per year. This amounts to US$50.07 per hour.

An article by Kruze Consulting dated March 2020, reported the average startup CEO salary in the US to be US$142,000 annually in 2019.

India

The average base CEO salary in india is ₹2,989,350, according to a PayScale update from February 2021. Here, the CEO salaries tend to range from as low as ₹4,79,000 to as high as ₹10,000,000. This also affects the range of bonus the position receives, which ranges from ₹30,000 to ₹3,000,000.

According to a report from AmbitionBox in October 2020, the average startup founder and startup CEO salary in India is ₹33,40,000 for those with less than 1 year of experience to 24 years of experience. While startup CEO salaries range between ₹60,000 Lakhs to ₹96,00,000.

Brazil

The yearly average base CEO salary in Brazil is R$694,403 according to a study by the Economic Research Institute. The study also mentions that CEO salaries range between R$425,068 and R$1,177,661. Making the average hourly pay R$334 and the average bonus R$506,871.

Argentina

The average base CEO salary in Argentina is ARS$3,269,500 per year according to an update by PayScale dated September 2020. The same report mentions that CEO salaries can vary between ARS$2,000,000 to ARS$4,000,000, with bonuses amounting up to ARS$1,000,000.

Chile

According to SalaryExpert, the annual average base CEO salary in Chile is CLP $110.462.390, which makes the hourly rate CLP$53.107. They receive an average bonus of CLP$80.626.498 and the CEO salary tends to range between CLP$67.627.347 to CLP$144.299.768 for entry level CEOs and senior CEOs respectively. The report also estimates CEO salaries in the future. A rise of 26% is expected by 2026 making the estimated salary CLP$187.362.869.

Average worker salary vs CEO salary in India and the US

In an article on Salary Explorer, the average yearly salary of the average employed person in India is ₹383,000, while the average salary of a CEO is ₹2,992,503 according to a PayScale update from February 2023. According to an article in the Economic Policy Institute dated February 2021, the average annual salary for an average employed person in the US is US$40,000 per year, while the average base CEO salary in the United States is US$278,565.

According to an article in the Economic Policy Institute dated February 2020, the average annual salary for an average employed person in the US is US$40,000 per year, while the average base CEO salary in the US is US$128,740.