Salaries of Kotlin Developers in Russia Rose by 20% Over the Year

Kotlin developers' salaries have grown by 20%: what's happening in the market?

The job market for Kotlin developers continues to show steady growth. According to the results of the first half of 2024, the average salary of Kotlin language specialists increased by 20% compared to the same period last year. Experts attribute this trend to the active migration of Android projects to Kotlin, as well as the expansion of the language's use in backend development and cross-platform solutions.

According to data from job search services and recruiting agencies, the median salary for a Kotlin developer in Russia is now 250,000 rubles per month for Middle-level specialists and above. For Junior positions, the growth was less pronounced — around 10–12%, but demand for entry-level specialists has also increased.

Key growth factors

• Popularization of Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP). Companies are increasingly choosing KMP to create cross-platform applications, which increases the need for qualified specialists.
• Backend expansion. Kotlin is actively replacing Java in server-side development due to its conciseness and code safety — especially in fintech and EdTech.
• Personnel shortage. The number of vacancies is growing faster than the number of trained developers, which drives up salaries.
• Departure of Western vendors. Import substitution and the development of proprietary platforms are stimulating salary growth in Russian IT companies.

Regional differences

The largest salary growth was recorded in Moscow and St. Petersburg — up to 25%. In the regions, the increase was 15–18%, but the gap in absolute figures is narrowing: if previously capital specialists earned on average 40% more, now the difference has decreased to 30%. This is due to the active development of remote work and the opening of regional offices by large companies.

What's next?

Analysts predict that the trend will continue at least until the end of 2025. Kotlin is increasingly penetrating Data Science (via the KotlinDL library) and cloud solutions (Ktor, Spring Boot on Kotlin). If you are studying this language, now is the time to deepen your knowledge in KMP or microservice architecture — such skills provide a salary increase of 30–40%.

In addition, employers are increasingly listing Kotlin as a mandatory requirement, rather than a "plus." This means that the entry threshold for Android developers is rising, but incomes are also becoming significantly higher.

For those who want to stay on trend, we recommend keeping up with new versions of the language, participating in open-source projects, and regularly updating your portfolio. The Kotlin community is growing, and along with it, your career opportunities.