2026 comparison
Business Analyst vs Data Scientist salary in South Africa
Higher paying career: Data Scientist. Approximate monthly difference: R15 000.
Entry, mid, senior pay, demand, difficulty and long-term career upside.
Business Analyst
High demand · Business, information systems or analytics background
EntryR22 000
MidR60 000
SeniorR95 000
Top 20%R140 000
Data Scientist
High demand · Degree in Stats, Maths, CS or related
EntryR30 000
MidR70 000
SeniorR110 000
Top 20%R180 000
Salary breakdown
Entry
R22 000
R30 000
Mid
R60 000
R70 000
Senior
R95 000
R110 000
Top 20%
R140 000
R180 000
Demand
Business Analyst8/10
Data Scientist9/10
Difficulty
Business Analyst6/10
Data Scientist8/10
Salary difference
+R15 000
Compare the Data Scientist salary in South Africa with how much Business Analysts earn at senior level.
Recommended
Compare better-paying careers →Comparison
Higher paying career: Data Scientist. The senior-level gap is about R15 000 per month, based on R110 000 for Data Scientist compared with R95 000 for Business Analyst.
Career alternatives
Higher earning
Data Scientist
Easier entry
Business Analyst
Better long-term
Data Scientist
Skills / requirements
Requirements analysis
Business Analyst needs this
Less central
Process mapping
Business Analyst needs this
Less central
SQL / data analysis
Business Analyst needs this
Less central
Stakeholder management
Business Analyst needs this
Less central
Agile delivery
Business Analyst needs this
Less central
Python / Pandas
Less central
Data Scientist needs this
Career progression
Business Analyst
Junior Business AnalystR30 000
Business AnalystR60 000
Senior Business AnalystR95 000
Product OwnerR120 000
Data Scientist
Junior Data ScientistR38 000
Data ScientistR70 000
Senior Data ScientistR110 000
Lead / ML EngineerR140 000
Recommended
Compare better-paying careers →Explore related salary guides
People also compare
Similar careers
Popular career comparisons
Explore more salary guides