MDB Salaries: The Numbers You Want to See
A breakdown of regional MDB salaries
Trying to figure out what multilateral development banks (MDBs) really pay?
It can be tough to work through the noise.
So, to make things easy for you, I pulled the latest salary scales directly from the source documents across AfDB, ADB, IDB, EIB, EBRD, and IsDB. All numbers are converted into USD for clean comparisons.
The short version:
Junior hires typically earn $50,000 to $100,000
Mid-career specialists land between $100,000 and $250,000
Senior directors and VPs take home $300,000 to $450,000
Here’s the full breakdown, updated for 2025.
Salary Bands: Entry Level To Top Jobs
MDBs structure pay by internal grades. Each institution uses slightly different systems, but the levels map fairly well across banks.
Entry-Level: Analyst, Officer, Early Specialist
At the lower grades, salaries start around $50,000 to $90,000:
IDB Assistant (Grade 11): $52,000 to $82,800
EIB Grade 1: €44,900 to €71,800 (roughly $50,000 to $80,000)
AfDB Officer (PL6–PL8): 47,900 to 79,800 UA ($65,000 to $108,000 at 1 UA ≈ $1.37)
ADB TI1 (equivalent to former IS3–IS4 Specialist level): $106,000 to $189,700
Mid-Level: Specialists, Unit Heads, Division Chiefs
Pay rises sharply with experience. Most mid-career staff fall in the $100,000 to $250,000 range:
ADB TI2–TI4:
TI2: $157,400 to $220,400
TI3: $188,000 to $263,200
TI4: $214,800 to $300,700
AfDB Senior Officer (PL5): up to 110,000 UA (~$150,000)
IDB Specialist (Grades 4–5): $132,000 to $211,000
Senior Leadership: Directors, VPs, DGs
Senior leadership starts at $300,000 and can exceed $450,000 depending on the institution:
ADB M1 (Director): $220,000 to $355,700
ADB M2 (Deputy Director General): $286,400 to $401,000
ADB M3 (Director General): $328,900 to $460,500
AfDB Vice President: 211,000 to 289,000 UA ($290,000 to $395,000)
IDB Executive Vice President: $343,800 to $448,000
EIB Grade 9 (Director): €253,000 to €310,000 ($280,000 to $340,000)
The Perks:
Base salary is only one part of total compensation. MDBs stack on benefits that significantly raise real take-home value:
Full relocation packages
Housing allowances
Education grants for dependents
Medical, dental, and life insurance
Retirement contributions
Hardship, mobility, and field-posting bonuses
For families, education and dependent allowances alone can add 3–10% of base salary. Overall, these add-ons can push total compensation 10–30% above base salary, depending on location and family size.
Tax Treatment: The Hidden Advantage
Tax rules are a huge part of MDB compensation. Here’s where it gets valuable:
AfDB: tax-free salaries.
ADB: tax-free for expats.
EIB: taxed only by EU internal rules, not national income taxes.
IDB, EBRD: generally taxed by home country for most nationals, though tax equalization schemes exist for expats.
A tax-free or tax-equalized salary has obvious advantages over fully taxable private-sector income. Always check tax treatment before signing any contract, because it directly affects your actual income by 30% or more.
Currency and Location: Why $100K Isn’t Always $100K
MDB salaries aren’t always paid in USD, and cost-of-living adjustments apply:
AfDB (Tunis HQ): paid in UA (1 UA ≈ $1.37)
EIB (Luxembourg HQ): paid in EUR (€1 ≈ $1.10)
ADB (Manila HQ) and IDB (Washington HQ): paid in USD
IsDB (Jeddah HQ): paid in USD, but full pay scale not disclosed
Location premiums apply for field postings and high-cost cities. A $150,000 job in Washington DC has a very different purchasing power than $150,000 in Manila or Tunis.
MDB vs Private Sector: How Do They Stack Up?
MDBs pay competitively at mid-levels but don’t chase top-tier private sector salaries.
Mid-level MDB specialists (ADB TI3-TI4, IDB G4–G5) typically land in the $150,000 to $250,000 range.
Equivalent private-sector roles may match or slightly exceed these base salaries but often include 15–30% in annual bonuses.
MDB Director roles (ADB M1, ~$220K–$355K) pay well, but senior private-sector executives in finance or consulting often clear that in base salary alone, before bonuses.
The real MDB advantage is stability: strong benefits, tax perks, generous allowances, family support, global mobility, and far greater job security than private markets.
Regional MDB Salary Scales
Asian Development Bank
African Development Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
European Investment Bank
The Bottom Line
Sure, you won’t get Wall Street comp packages at MDBs. But you’ll get a globally competitive, stable, and well-cushioned international career with serious non-cash advantages.
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