Average Salary in Sweden: Wages By City and Industry

With a highly skilled talent pool and innovation-focused industries, Sweden can be an attractive region for employers looking to hire globally. If you’re considering expanding into the country, understanding local salary levels can help you plan for employment costs.

While the national average salary in Sweden provides a useful benchmark, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Salary levels can vary based on factors such as experience level, industry, and region.

To understand the bigger picture, explore the average and median salaries in Sweden for different cities and types of roles, with details on statutory rules that can impact employment costs for international organizations.

What is the average salary in Sweden?

While average salary is a helpful benchmark to consider, Sweden’s median income is typically more representative of most employee’s earnings. This is because very high earners can skew averages upward, making salaries look much higher than they actually are for the majority of Swedes.

Here’s a breakdown of the median and average income in Sweden according to the Swedish National Mediation Office. Values in USD are based on an exchange rate of 1 kr = US$0.10.

Is there a minimum wage in Sweden?

Unlike most other European Union (EU) countries, Sweden doesn’t have a national minimum wage. However, many labor groups have collective agreements that specify minimum pay. This is designed to ensure fair negotiations between trade unions and employers and account for industry norms and location, instead of using a broad figure for every field of work.

For international employers, this makes compensation a bit more nuanced. Rather than relying on a national figure, you need to track collective agreements and industry standards to apply the correct one.

How do salaries vary across Swedish cities?

Average wages vary based on where a job is located within Sweden. Employees in small or rural jurisdictions tend to earn less than their counterparts in major metropolitan cities, such as Stockholm.

Different regions have different costs of living and leading industries, which has an impact on compensation standards and income requirements.

These were the average salaries in Sweden by municipality in 2025.

Average salary in Sweden by industry

Industry has a major impact on wages and earning potential. While this is true for Sweden, industry-specific differences tend to be less extreme than in other nations. This is largely because collective bargaining agreements create a more coordinated economic structure, whereas other countries’ salaries are more influenced by minimum wages and traditional supply and demand activity.

On average, jobs in the finance, IT, and engineering fields command higher pay in Sweden, while roles in the hospitality industry tend to pay less.

Here’s a breakdown of the average salary in Sweden by industry, according to 2025 data.

Swedish employer social contributions: Costs and employee benefits

Sweden is known for having some of the most robust social programs in the world, along with some of the highest taxes for residents. This comes with high statutory employer contributions, which, when combined with collective agreements, makes hiring in Sweden relatively expensive compared to other European countries.

Sweden’s social security system (arbetsgivaravgifter) helps fund much of the country’s social protections, including old-age pensions, parental insurance, health insurance, and payroll tax. Employers are responsible for covering almost all of their employees’ social security burden at approximately 31.42% of each workers’ gross salary.

These are the employer contribution rates in Sweden for 2026.

How Pebl simplifies hiring, payroll, and compliance in Sweden

Researching salary benchmarks is an important step when preparing to hire internationally. In Sweden, average salaries tend to be more similar across industries, jobs, and cities than other European nations. But salaries are only one part of an employer’s hiring and workforce management costs. Employers in Sweden must also navigate collective bargaining agreements and significant statutory contribution requirements. Compliance doesn’t end when you onboard a new team member—it continues throughout the employee lifecycle.

To hire Swedish employees, you need to understand benchmarks, calculate social contributions, and apply the correct collective agreement based on sector. Mistakes in any of these areas can cause you to underestimate employment costs and strain your administrative and financial processes down the line.

For global employers, tracking and following employment laws and staying competitive in multiple countries can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. With Pebl’s Employer of Record (EOR) services, global organizations can hire employees in Sweden without needing to set up a local entity. Pebl manages compliance at every level of the process, from creating legal contracts and onboarding new talent to running global payroll.

Pebl also helps companies hire foreign talent in Sweden with comprehensive visa and legal authorization assistance. Organizations working with Pebl also get access to Alfie, an AI HR and compliance assistant that can answer questions about country-specific employment law, salaries and benefits, and statutory obligations.

Ready to hire internationally with Pebl’s EOR in Sweden?

Contact Pebl today to request a demo.

FAQ

What’s the average household income in Sweden?

The median household disposable income in Sweden was 472,600 SEK in 2024. However, average income varies significantly depending on the type of household. Single adults with no children had the lowest average disposable income, while cohabiting couples with one or more adult children (aged 20-29) had the highest disposable income.

What’s a good salary in Sweden?

A good salary in Sweden depends on a few different factors, including region, industry, and job title. However, anything above the national average monthly salary of 42,900 SEK could be considered a competitive salary in the Swedish market.

What’s Sweden’s minimum wage?

Sweden doesn’t have a national minimum wage. Wage standards are set based on sector-specific collective bargaining agreements.

Are there statutory employee benefits in Sweden?

Yes, employers must provide several statutory benefits, including 25 days of annual paid vacation and extensive parental leave rights, including at least seven weeks of leave before and after childbirth.