Bangladesh Approves New National Pay Scale for Government Employees Setting Top Grade Salary at 156000 Taka
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Bangladesh has unveiled its 2026 National Pay Scale, marking a historic shift in public sector compensation that will see base salaries for government employees rise significantly. Under the new structure approved this past Monday, the entry-level base salary for the lowest tier, Grade 20, is set at 20,000 taka. For the first time in the nation’s history, the maximum base salary for Grade 1 officers will surpass the 100,000 taka threshold, reaching 156,000 taka.
The revised structure represents a marked increase compared to the country’s inaugural pay scale introduced in 1973. At that time, entry-level base pay was 130 taka, while the highest grade was set at 2,000 taka. Over the past 53 years, the minimum base salary has increased approximately 154-fold, while the maximum has risen 78-fold. Depending on the grade, base salaries will see increases ranging from 100 to 142 percent.
The new policy will be implemented in four phases, encompassing base pay and various allowances, with retroactive effect from July of this year. In addition to base salary adjustments, the updated compensation package includes a newly introduced mobile phone allowance for all officials and employees. Other existing benefits—such as house rent, which varies by grade and location, a universal medical allowance of 1,500 taka, education allowances for children, festival bonuses, Bengali New Year bonuses, and travel or daily allowances—will continue to supplement the total earnings.
The evolution of government pay scales reflects decades of incremental adjustments. Following the initial 1973 “National Scales of Pay,” which contained 10 grades, subsequent revisions occurred in 1977, 1985, 1991, 1997, 2005, 2009, and 2015. The 1977 scale introduced 21 grades, while the 1985 and 1991 revisions stabilized the structure at 20 grades. By the 2005 scale, the maximum base pay reached 23,000 taka, and the 2015 structure saw the entry-level salary set at 8,250 taka with a Grade 1 maximum of 78,000 taka.
The 2026 framework marks the first major overhaul in nearly a decade. Officials noted that by normalizing base pay structures and integrating additional allowances, the new policy aims to provide a comprehensive update to the remuneration of the nation’s civil workforce.
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