How much does the World Bank president get paid?
And how it compares to the IMF, ADB, IADB and AfDB
Hi everyone,
For those who are on the hunt for jobs at MDBs (which I’m guessing might be you), make sure you subscribe to the paid plan to get the freshest job listings each Monday, so you can apply early and track them down before they disappear.
If you’re wondering what’s in these emails, job listings dated 21 July, 2025 or older are now freely accessible. You can check out the most recent unlocked post here.
If you’re interested in (subjectively) feeling poor, then one of the best ways of doing this is to compare your salary against the pay of CEOs.
And since we’re all interested in MDBs here, it makes sense to take a look at how much the Presidents and Executive Directors of MDBs get paid.
So let’s break it all down.
World Bank Group
The World Bank Group's top executives get net-of-tax salaries, plus contributions to pensions and other benefits like health coverage and relocation support.
As of mid-2023, the president's package stood out, with additional perks for U.S. citizens like tax allowances:
I couldn’t find more recent information, but the bottom line is the entire package a couple of years ago was about $965,063.
A couple of months ago, the World Bank announced the international poverty line was being updated to $3 a day. So this means the President’s salary is about 88,000% higher than the international poverty line. Not bad…
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
ADB's executive pay focuses on base salaries, set by the Board of Governors. Benefits include tax-free status, housing allowances, education grants, and medical insurance. Data as of late 2023 shows the president's salary topping the list:
In addition, the President also receives ‘a special representation allowance’ of $45,667. I can’t find any info on benefits, but the base salary is roughly $600k, which is slightly more than the President of the World Bank’s base salary.
Plus, I should mention, the cost of living in the Philippines is lower, and the President’s income is tax-free. The World Bank’s president, who is a US citizen, may actually be paying tax on his income.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
The IMF's Managing Director gets a tax-free salary, a representation allowance for official duties, and robust retirement benefits. Kristalina Georgieva's terms, effective October 2024, include annual CPI adjustments.
Annual Salary: $603,950
Representation Allowance: $108,110
Benefits cover travel (first-class), vacation, medical insurance, and a pension supplement that can reach 100% based on service years. Adjustments happen July 1 each year based on Washington-area CPI.
I can’t find any info on other benefits like pension payments, but taken together, her base salary is $712,060. So this is higher than both the World Bank and ADB presidents.
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
IDB executives receive net salaries plus budgeted benefits like medical, life insurance, and accrued termination perks. Data from the 2024 annual report lists the president's package separately, excluding an executive allowance of $92,403.
So, taken together, the IDB’s President’s full package is about $807,492. This is less than the World Bank president’s full package.
African Development Bank (AfDB)
AfDB salaries use Units of Account (UA), equivalent to the IMF's SDR. Convert using the August 2025 rate: 1 UA ≈ 1.42 USD.
The president's salary isn't in standard grade data, since it’s set by the board. But vice presidents fall under executive levels. Benefits include tax-free pay, relocation, education grants, and medical coverage.
I couldn’t actually find info on the AfDB president’s base salary, but I’m guessing it’d be around $500k based on the figures for the other MDBs we looked at above.
And there you have it: an overview of how much the top MDB leaders get paid to fight poverty.
Make sure you subscribe to MDB Jobs to get the latest vacancies delivered straight to your inbox each Monday.
