DOU has published updated data on the salaries of Ukrainian developers based on a survey conducted in November–December 2025. Notably, over the past six months, salaries have declined for beginners, seniors, and leads. Growth was recorded only among middle-level developers and Principals. Meanwhile, Ukrainian developers working abroad saw salary decreases across all titles.

Below are the key takeaways.

• Overall, the median salary of Ukrainian developers remains stable. As of December 2025, it stood at $3,450.

• Over the past six months, salary declines were recorded among interns and juniors, seniors, team leads, and technical leads. The sharpest change was observed among System Architects, whose median salary dropped by $400. As a result, it returned to the 2022–2023 level and now stands at $6,500.
• Positive dynamics were observed only for middle-level specialists and developers with the title of Principal.

• The most noticeable changes occurred among specialists with 6–9 years of experience. This segment — often described as the upper Middle — showed the most consistent salary decline, which may point to market saturation and fewer high-paying offers.
• At the same time, the median salary of the most experienced developers with 15 or more years of experience remained unchanged compared to the previous survey wave, at $5,000.

• The highest median salary was reported among developers working with Scala, at $6,500. Strong results were also recorded for specialists using Rust ($5,250) and Ruby ($4,500), as well as Go and Kotlin, both at $4,200.

• On average, product companies, outstaffing companies, and startups pay developers more than service companies or non-IT businesses such as banks, telecom operators, and retailers. However, median salaries vary significantly by job title and company type.

• The median net (after-tax) salaries of Ukrainian developers living abroad have declined over the past six months. Negative dynamics were recorded across all titles: juniors saw a decrease of $55, middle-level developers lost $82, seniors $30, and the largest drop was among specialists at the Lead / Staff / Principal level and above, at $200.
• The highest net median salaries among relocated Ukrainian developers were reported in the UK, Canada, Portugal, and Spain, as well as among those who travel constantly. The lowest median salaries remain in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria.