UN Danger Pay Explained
Danger pay is a special allowance the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) grants to UN staff who must work in locations where very dangerous conditions prevail — active armed conflict, the direct targeting of staff or premises, or non-protected environments during a WHO-declared public health emergency. Unlike hardship allowance, it is paid to both internationally and locally recruited staff.
Who Qualifies
Danger pay is payable as a monthly sum whenever staff are present in a designated location, whether or not they are required to report to a UN office. It is granted for periods of up to three consecutive months and lifted once dangerous conditions are deemed to have abated, so the list of designated duty stations is reviewed regularly.
How Much Danger Pay Pays
| Staff category | How it's set | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Internationally recruited Professional / IICA | A single flat global rate. | US$1,698 / month (≈ US$20,376 / year) |
| Locally recruited General Service / LICA | 30% of the net midpoint of the applicable 2022 local GS salary scale, then published per country and delinked. | Local currency, e.g. US$671/mo (Afghanistan), 63,770 KES/mo (Kenya), 4,366 ILS/mo (Gaza) |
Danger pay is paid monthly. For periods shorter than a month it is prorated on a 365-day basis (the annual amount divided by 365, multiplied by the number of days actually spent at the duty station). It remains payable during R&R travel and short official travel of up to seven consecutive days.
Danger Pay vs Hardship Allowance
The two are often confused but are separate entitlements, and a duty station can attract both:
- Hardship allowance reflects ongoing living conditions (categories H–E), is paid only to internationally recruited Professional staff, and is a fixed annual amount by grade group. See our hardship guide.
- Danger pay reflects acute, often temporary danger, is reviewed roughly every three months, and is paid to both international and locally recruited staff.
See It in Your Salary Estimate
The GloJobs Salary Calculator now includes danger pay. Pick a grade and a designated duty station and your result combines base net salary, post-adjustment, hardship and danger pay — in USD for international roles, or the local scale currency for GS/LICA roles.
Try the UN Salary Calculator →
Where Does the Data Come From?
Danger pay figures come directly from the ICSC: the flat international rate from the ICSC Danger Pay page, and the per-country locally recruited amounts from the official ICSC danger pay amounts for locally recruited staff. GloJobs keeps these in sync.