{"id":35490,"date":"2026-05-14T19:30:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.drjobpro.com\/?p=35490"},"modified":"2026-05-15T21:16:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:16:23","slug":"average-salary-in-sweden-2026-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.drjobpro.com\/ar\/average-salary-in-sweden-2026-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Average Salary in Sweden 2026 \u2014 Complete SEK Data by Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The average salary in Sweden in 2026 is approximately SEK 38,500 per month gross (about \u20ac3,400), according to Statistics Sweden (SCB). However, averages mask enormous variation \u2014 a software engineer in Stockholm earns more than three times what a shop assistant earns in rural Norrland. Understanding salary benchmarks by sector, role, and city is essential whether you are negotiating a new offer, considering a career move, or planning a relocation.<\/p>\n

This guide breaks down real Swedish salary data across 12 sectors, with SEK figures drawn from SCB, L\u00f6, and 2026 employer surveys.<\/p>\n

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Key Takeaways<\/strong>
\n– Sweden’s national average monthly salary is SEK 38,500 gross in 2026
\n– Stockholm salaries are 15\u201320% higher than the national average
\n– Tech and medicine are the two highest-paying sectors; retail and hospitality are the lowest
\n– Sweden has no statutory minimum wage \u2014 rates are set by sector-wide collective agreements
\n– Compare salaries and find better-paying roles on DrJobPro<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Sweden’s Average Salary \u2014 National Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Metric<\/th>\nAmount (SEK\/month)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
National average (all workers)<\/td>\nSEK 38,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Median salary (50th percentile)<\/td>\nSEK 34,200<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
75th percentile<\/td>\nSEK 47,800<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
90th percentile<\/td>\nSEK 63,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Entry level (1\u20133 years experience)<\/td>\nSEK 28,000\u201335,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Senior professional (8+ years)<\/td>\nSEK 50,000\u201375,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB), February 2026<\/p>\n

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Average Salary by Sector in Sweden<\/h2>\n

Technology and Software<\/h3>\n

Average monthly salary<\/strong>: SEK 52,000\u201368,000<\/p>\n

Sweden’s tech sector is the highest-paying industry outside of medicine. Stockholm hosts Spotify, Klarna, King, and over 1,000 active startups, pushing up demand for engineers, product managers, and data professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Role<\/th>\nAverage Monthly Salary (SEK)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Junior Software Developer<\/td>\nSEK 38,000\u201345,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Senior Software Engineer<\/td>\nSEK 60,000\u201378,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Data Scientist<\/td>\nSEK 55,000\u201372,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cloud \/ DevOps Engineer<\/td>\nSEK 52,000\u201370,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Engineering Manager<\/td>\nSEK 72,000\u201395,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Healthcare and Medicine<\/h3>\n

Average monthly salary<\/strong>: SEK 38,000\u2013120,000 (enormous range by role)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Role<\/th>\nAverage Monthly Salary (SEK)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Registered Nurse<\/td>\nSEK 34,000\u201342,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
General Practitioner<\/td>\nSEK 65,000\u201385,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Specialist Doctor<\/td>\nSEK 85,000\u2013120,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pharmacist<\/td>\nSEK 42,000\u201358,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Physiotherapist<\/td>\nSEK 32,000\u201342,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Finance and Banking<\/h3>\n

Average monthly salary<\/strong>: SEK 42,000\u201385,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Role<\/th>\nAverage Monthly Salary (SEK)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Financial Analyst<\/td>\nSEK 42,000\u201358,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accountant<\/td>\nSEK 36,000\u201350,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Controller<\/td>\nSEK 48,000\u201365,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Investment Manager<\/td>\nSEK 65,000\u201390,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CFO (large company)<\/td>\nSEK 90,000\u2013130,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

See current finance roles on DrJobPro<\/a><\/p>\n

Engineering and Manufacturing<\/h3>\n

Average monthly salary<\/strong>: SEK 40,000\u201375,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Role<\/th>\nAverage Monthly Salary (SEK)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Graduate Engineer<\/td>\nSEK 34,000\u201340,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mechanical Engineer (5 yrs)<\/td>\nSEK 48,000\u201360,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Electrical Engineer (5 yrs)<\/td>\nSEK 48,000\u201362,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Project Manager (Engineering)<\/td>\nSEK 55,000\u201372,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Principal \/ Lead Engineer<\/td>\nSEK 65,000\u201385,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Education<\/h3>\n

Average monthly salary<\/strong>: SEK 32,000\u201346,000<\/p>\n

Teachers and lecturers in Sweden earn below the national average for professionals. However, working hours are shorter and school holidays are generous. University professors and school principals earn at the higher end of this range.<\/p>\n

Law<\/h3>\n

Average monthly salary<\/strong>: SEK 45,000\u2013100,000+<\/p>\n

Associate lawyers at large Stockholm firms start at SEK 45,000\u201355,000\/month. Partners at elite firms (Mannheimer Swartling, Cederquist) earn SEK 120,000\u2013200,000\/month including profit share.<\/p>\n

Construction and Real Estate<\/h3>\n

Average monthly salary<\/strong>: SEK 36,000\u201358,000<\/p>\n

Project managers and site supervisors at Skanska, NCC, and Peab earn SEK 50,000\u201365,000\/month. The sector is growing due to Sweden’s housing deficit.<\/p>\n

Retail and Hospitality<\/h3>\n

Average monthly salary<\/strong>: SEK 24,000\u201332,000<\/p>\n

These are Sweden’s lowest-paying sectors, though collective agreements ensure all workers receive at least SEK 23,000\u201324,000\/month (the agreement floor, not a legal minimum).<\/p>\n

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Average Salary by City in Sweden<\/h2>\n

Location significantly affects pay in Sweden. Here is how cities compare:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
City<\/th>\nAverage Monthly Salary (SEK)<\/th>\nPremium Over National Average<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Stockholm<\/td>\nSEK 44,500<\/td>\n+16%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gothenburg<\/td>\nSEK 40,200<\/td>\n+5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Malm\u00f6<\/td>\nSEK 37,800<\/td>\n-2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Uppsala<\/td>\nSEK 38,100<\/td>\n-1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Link\u00f6ping<\/td>\nSEK 37,400<\/td>\n-3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ume\u00e5<\/td>\nSEK 36,200<\/td>\n-6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Stockholm’s premium is driven by the concentration of high-paying industries (tech, finance, consulting). Outside the top three cities, salaries are broadly similar.<\/p>\n

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How Sweden’s Salary System Works<\/h2>\n

Collective Bargaining (Kollektivavtal)<\/h3>\n

Sweden has no statutory minimum wage. Instead, minimum pay rates are set through collective agreements negotiated between unions and employer organizations. Over 90% of Swedish employees are covered by some form of collective agreement.<\/p>\n

The main union federations:
\n– LO<\/strong> (blue-collar workers): Sets floors for construction, manufacturing, transport
\n– Unionen<\/strong> (white-collar): Covers IT, office, and professional roles
\n– SACO<\/strong> (graduate professionals): Covers engineers, academics, doctors<\/p>\n

Individual Salary Negotiation<\/h3>\n

Within the collective agreement framework, individual salaries are negotiated directly between employer and employee at annual salary reviews (typically January or April). Most Swedish employers:
\n– Hold formal salary reviews annually
\n– Expect employees to make a specific salary request backed by data
\n– Publish salary statistics internally (some companies share full pay data)<\/p>\n

Pension and Benefits<\/h3>\n

On top of gross salary, Swedish employers contribute 31.42% in employer social contributions. Occupational pension contributions (4.5\u201330% depending on agreement) are additional. This means the total employer cost of an employee earning SEK 40,000\/month is approximately SEK 52,500\/month.<\/p>\n

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How to Negotiate a Higher Salary in Sweden<\/h2>\n
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  1. Research the market<\/strong>: Use SCB data, L\u00f6, and DrJobPro’s salary benchmarks<\/a> before any negotiation<\/li>\n
  2. Be specific<\/strong>: Say “I’m targeting SEK 52,000\/month based on the market median for this role and my 6 years of experience” rather than “I want more money”<\/li>\n
  3. Time it right<\/strong>: Annual reviews are in January\/April. Asking outside of this cycle is possible but harder<\/li>\n
  4. Document your contributions<\/strong>: Build a case with concrete examples of what you delivered in the past 12 months<\/li>\n
  5. Consider total compensation<\/strong>: Sweden’s wellness allowance (friskv\u00e5rdsbidrag, up to SEK 5,000\/year), flexible hours, and pension contributions all add real value<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n

    What is the average salary in Sweden per month in 2026?<\/strong>
    \nThe average monthly gross salary in Sweden in 2026 is SEK 38,500, equivalent to approximately \u20ac3,400. The median (meaning 50% of workers earn less) is lower at SEK 34,200\/month.<\/p>\n

    Is SEK 40,000 per month a good salary in Sweden?<\/strong>
    \nSEK 40,000\/month gross puts you above the national median. After tax, take-home pay is approximately SEK 27,500\u201329,000\/month. This is comfortable in smaller cities but tight in central Stockholm, where rent for a one-bedroom apartment is SEK 12,000\u201316,000\/month.<\/p>\n

    What is Sweden’s minimum wage?<\/strong>
    \nSweden has no statutory minimum wage. Minimum pay rates are set by collective bargaining agreements, which vary by industry. The floor for most sectors ranges from SEK 23,000 to SEK 26,000\/month.<\/p>\n

    Which sector pays the most in Sweden?<\/strong>
    \nMedicine and specialist healthcare pay the most overall. Within the private sector, technology (software engineering) and finance (investment banking) are the highest-paying sectors for most professionals.<\/p>\n

    How much tax do you pay on an average Swedish salary?<\/strong>
    \nAt SEK 38,500\/month, the effective income tax rate (kommunal skatt + statlig skatt) is approximately 29\u201332%, depending on your municipality. At SEK 55,000\/month, the effective rate rises to around 38\u201342%.<\/p>\n


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