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Why’d we do this?

There are now…

• ~60 state-based and ~120 non-state conflicts, the most since 1946

• a record 92 countries involved in conflicts beyond their borders, and

• a record 120 million people displaced from their homes.

Of course, most foreign service officers tell us diplomacy is a life calling they answer despite the low pay. But as our world gets wilder…

• That call also gets harder to answer as the cost of living keeps soaring

• Diplomacy is no longer the only (or even the best) way to make a difference, and

• Fast-growing intel and defence agencies can now offer better career progression.

So can our foreign ministries still attract and retain the peacemakers our world needs?

How’d we do this?

Let’s be clear: the whole exercise needs caveats big enough to illegally park the chargé’s 2026 Land Rover Defender (then ignore the fine, naturalment). 

• Systems vary wildly (some even pay you by your number of kids!)

• Perks vary wildly between HQ vs embassies abroad (some get free rent?!)

• Philosophies vary wildly (Sweden bans agencies from ‘salary leading’ an industry, while Singapore pegs government salaries above the median to attract talent), and

• While you can leave Netflix to go work for Disney, you can’t leave your foreign ministry (MFA) to go work for the MFA in Iran (unless you want to go to jail).

And of course, no salary package takes into account your spouse’s professional and financial black hole during all those years posted to Lower Slobbovia.

Still, to glean some amusing meaningful insights, we’re contrasting G20 salaries that are:

• Ranked counsellor (mid-management)

• Recently promoted (rather than years in the role)

• At HQ (rather than out on a posting)

• Adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), and

• We’ve also ranked how far each salary sits from the local median.

Oh, and we’ve invited input from our 140,000+ readers across almost every foreign ministry on the planet. For those capitals where speaking to your favourite geopolitics media start-up might land a diplomat in jail, we used all kinds of intriguing methods, like (not even joking) slipping salary chat into a conversation about Labubus. #tradecraft

And a final update: whereas last year’s runaway inflation made pinpointing Argentine and Turkish salaries like nailing truffle mousse to the chancery gates, things have now settled enough to make their inclusion both feasible and worthy (plus who doesn’t like mousse).

And whereas we ignored Russia last year, there are some intriguing reasons to start including the Kremlin’s envoys in this salary study, if not on your Christmas card list.

So, let’s dive in, shall we?

Which G20 country pays its diplomats the worst?

🇮🇩 Indonesia – USD34k per annum (ppp)

Yep, still Indonesia — the world’s third-largest democracy straddles a rapidly changing region with a rapidly deteriorating security outlook. But it barely pays foreign ministry (‘Kemlu’) counsellors $10k. Even when you adjust for local costs (PPP), that’s ~$30k.

So why do they stick around? Indonesian diplomats told us they’re proud to be representing their country, it’s a dream they’ve had since they were kids, and there’s a degree of prestige attached, too. But getting paid such an “offensively small amount of money”, the career path can really start to feel like unrequited love. And judging from this year’s unrest, they’re not the only locals frustrated by Indonesia’s income inequality.

Indonesia’s newish president (Prabowo) has signalled an interest in playing a more active role on the world stage, but he might need to invest much more in diplomacy first.

Which G20 country pays its diplomats the best?

🇺🇸 The US – USD143k

Indeed, it’s still the US paying the best, though we got a brutal reminder this year that salary isn’t everything. A traditional advantage to public service has always been job security, but State’s decision to cut ~3,000 positions (including some voluntary) via an unusual ‘workforce reduction’ process throws that advantage into question.

To be clear, many US diplomats would sympathise with the general notion that the State Department really needs reform — it can feel downright unworkable at times.

But we say the Trump Administration’s workforce reduction approach was ‘unusual’ because State largely ditched these employees based not on their performance or skillset, but rather just where they happened to be serving in May 2025. The result is the US — now grappling with mounting challenges from China, Russia, and beyond — just fired a bunch of diplomats who (yes) speak perfect Chinese, Russian, and beyond.

Now of course, those departing folks might double or triple their salary by heading down to K Street or Wall Street, but the thousands still slogging it out at Foggy Bottom or over in Lower Slobbovia will think a little longer next time a head-hunter pings them on LinkedIn, rather than wait to find out the hard way they’re the next ‘reduction’ casualty.

Which G20 foreign ministry might be losing most appeal?

🇨🇳 China – USD51k (ppp)

Chinese diplomats told us their counsellor-level salary is comfortable in China, particularly when you throw in some subsidized Beijing housing. So what’s the problem? First, they’re still unhappy with their overseas conditions, even after last year’s rare pay-rise. The result is fewer applicants for overseas postings, as it’s widely seen as a financial step backwards.

But second, they tell us China’s MFA is losing its appeal among Gen Z and Alpha graduates in the first place, for a few reasons:

• i) Fewer young folks are motivated by any urge to get out and see the West. To the contrary, there’s pride in (say) China’s gleaming infrastructure and hip EVs.

• ii) Those young’ns motivated to serve in government are more likely to opt for departments like commerce or defence, which are seen (rightly in our view) as carrying more weight in China’s system. And…

• iii) There’s also now just more competition: a bright young grad can earn double that mid-career MFA salary as a junior lawyer at an international firm, for example. But beyond the money, there’s also a lot more ‘heat’ around China’s tech sector, with startups promising their own glamorous path (while still helping the country).

Of course, China hardly risks a diplomat shortage. Some ~3.4 million grads qualified for the latest guokao civil service exam, for example, equating to around 86 applicants per available government position. But still, it’s rare (and interesting) to get an insider sense that maybe it’s not all Tsingtao and Sugus for China’s diplomats right now, either.

Which G20 country is giving its diplomats the worst pay-rise?

🇲🇽 Mexico – Nothing since 1998

As we explored last year, Mexico still hasn’t changed its diplomat salary scale since 1998 (a wild but true stat). The result is a) some Mexican diplomats literally living in poverty, b) overworked Mexican missions unable to fill vacancies, and c) downright toxic workplaces.

And that’s sub-optimal when your diplomats are supposed to be grappling with a raft of major disputes with your massive neighbour and single-largest trading partner, the US, rather than (seriously) standing in line at the local food bank.

There’s been hope the more internationally-minded President Sheinbaum might fix this — she’s already ventured abroad more in her first year than her predecessor/mentor (‘AMLO’) did in his entire six-year term, for example. But so far, nothing has changed.

Which G20 country is giving its diplomats the biggest pay cut?

🇦🇷 Argentina – 20-30% cut

Many Argentine diplomats awoke a few months ago wondering if they could make their next rent payment, or which kid they’d have to pull out of school. Why?

Like other foreign services, Argentine diplomats get an extra allowance when serving in expensive cities abroad. Otherwise, you literally can’t afford the job.

But Buenos Aires decided it was changing that allowance’s tax status, resulting in an immediate 20-30% pay cut. They went on strike in protest, and the attempted reforms are now with the courts, but it’s unclear how much this issue has resonated with a broader Argentine public already doing it tough themselves.

It’s semi-similar for old rivals the UK, with the Starmer government aiming to trim another $100M from the already Atkins-thin Foreign Office. It’s part of a broader attempt to course-correct the UK’s fiscal trajectory, but it’s also a reminder of the tough choices for any governments needing to balance their books while still hoping their diplomats can somehow tilt the world table back in their favour (fewer will now apply to serve abroad).

Which G20 country just gave its diplomats a pay-rise?

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia – $64k (ppp)

King Salman signed off on a new (improved) salary scale last year, though it’s arguably just reversing the kingdom’s pay cut from 2016. What’s going on here?

Riyadh pitched this raise as necessary for delivering on the crown prince’s ‘Vision 2030’ of modernising and diversifying the country’s economy away from fossil fuels.

And yet that link between Vision 2030 and diplomatic salaries might be a little more nuanced than just resourcing your foreign service for success: rather, the big 2030 nation-building policy has spurred demand for talent across multiple sectors, making it tougher for the foreign ministry and other legacy employers to retain their best and brightest. So this is arguably just a defensive pay-rise for a ministry already favoured by Saudi elites.

Still, the fact this pay-rise has happened despite the kingdom recording another massive deficit and pondering big layoffs at its signature ‘NEOM’ mega project, suggests the Saudis do still want to back their global ambitions with credible diplomatic firepower.

And… what about Russia?

🇷🇺 Russia – USD56k (ppp)

US diplomatic cables (via Wikileaks ) famously described Russia’s foreign ministry as “a bastion of low pay”, noting diplomats often need to rely on spousal income or family money to make ends meet.

Now, we won’t shed a tear for diplomats serving an expansionist warmongering dictator like Putin. But what we will do is point out that the above counsellor salary is roughly what Putin pays a soldier if they’re injured while invading Ukraine. As for if they die? That soldier’s family gets up to ten times as much (~USD150k in direct currency conversion), totalling more than what a Russian might earn their entire life in some regions.

This all not only hints at the lengths Putin is willing to go to avoid another mobilisation like the one that sent Russians fleeing in 2022. It’s also a pretty clear reflection of Putin’s priorities right now: a mid-career diplomat is barely worth as much as a soldier languishing in hospital. So to those Russian diplomats reading this… maybe defect?

What about the rest?

(G20 Counsellor @ HQ, PPP)

1. $143k 🇺🇸 United States

2. $129k 🇧🇷 Brazil

3. $121k 🇯🇵 Japan

4. $121k 🇹🇷 Turkey

5. $109k 🇿🇦 South Africa

6. $104k 🇫🇷 France

7. $97k 🇨🇦 Canada

8. $95k 🇩🇪 Germany

9. $94k 🇦🇺 Australia

10. $84k 🇮🇹 Italy

11. $81k 🇦🇷 Argentina

12. $79k 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

13. $75k 🇮🇳 India

14. $64k 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

15. $63k 🇰🇷 South Korea

16. $56k 🇷🇺 Russia

17. $55k 🇲🇽 Mexico

18. $51k 🇨🇳 China

19. $30k 🇮🇩 Indonesia

(Re-ranked by how much counsellor salaries differ from local median salary)

1. +657% 🇮🇳 India

2. +224% 🇧🇷 Brazil

3. +210% 🇹🇷 Turkey

4. +175% 🇮🇩 Indonesia

5. +151% 🇿🇦 South Africa

6. +141% 🇺🇸 United States

7. +132% 🇯🇵 Japan

8. + 121% 🇷🇺 Russia

9. +114% 🇫🇷 France

10. +105% 🇦🇺 Australia

11. + 72% 🇩🇪 Germany

12. + 71% 🇲🇽 Mexico

13. + 66% 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

14. + 58% 🇨🇦 Canada

15. + 83% 🇮🇹 Italy

16. + 36% 🇨🇳 China

17. + 33% 🇰🇷 South Korea

18. + 28% 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

19. n/a 🇦🇷 Argentina (median data still volatile)

International / regional
(Counsellor @ HQ, PPP)

1. $135k 🇪🇺 European Union

2. $139k 🇺🇳 United Nations

3. $90k 🌍 African Union

Oh, and are you a diplomat – or someone else in-the-know – who’s convinced we’ve got something wrong, or should add your country? Reach out or complete this form!

We’re very happy to protect your anonymity 🕵️