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How much does a soldier earn in Sweden?

Armed forces occupation, other ranks. 6,500 people employed in Sweden.

31,800SEK

per month is the median salary for a soldier in Sweden in 2025. That is 17% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

+12.4% since 2024

≈ €2,800 / $3,300 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 25,625 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 183 SEK an hour · 381,600 SEK a year

The hourly figure is the monthly salary divided by 173.3 hours (40 hours a week × 52 weeks / 12 months); the yearly figure is twelve times the monthly salary.

The average salary for a soldier in Sweden is 35,800 SEK per month (2025). The median salary is 31,800 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 26,000 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 48,900 SEK.

Figures are gross monthly salary before tax, converted to full time. Income tax in Sweden is roughly 30–34% for most earners, plus a national surtax on income above about 51,000 SEK a month.

Average pay
35,800 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
26,000 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
48,900 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
6,500
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among armed forces occupation, other ranks in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

26,000 SEKLowest 10%31,800 SEKMedian48,900 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 28,000–39,600 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Soldier starting salary

Statistics Sweden publishes no starting-salary figures. The closest proxies are what the youngest people in the job earn and where the lower end of the pay distribution sits.

The youngest in the job, aged 18–24, earn 34,500 SEK a month on average — roughly 27,700 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 18–24 34,500 SEK 27,661 SEK
Average, aged 25–34 38,400 SEK 30,603 SEK
Lowest 10% earn less than 26,000 SEK 21,250 SEK
Lowest 25% earn less than 28,000 SEK 22,758 SEK

These are proxies, not starting salaries. An age band holds both people who have just started and people ten years into the job, and the lowest paid are not always newcomers. The collective-agreement minimum and an individual offer can sit above or below.

Soldier pay in the private and public sector

What armed forces occupation, other ranks earn depends a great deal on who the employer is.

Monthly salary by sector and gender
Sector Average pay Median pay Men Women
All sectors 35,800 SEK 31,800 SEK 32,000 SEK 30,300 SEK
Public sector 35,800 SEK 31,800 SEK 32,000 SEK 30,300 SEK
Central government 35,800 SEK 31,800 SEK 32,000 SEK 30,300 SEK

Soldier salary after tax in Sweden

What armed forces occupation, other ranks actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 31,800 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 25,625 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

31,800 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 25,625 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 26,036 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 25,583 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 25,617 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 26,276 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 25,007 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 34,500 SEK before tax — roughly 27,661 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 48,900 SEK, which is roughly 37,790 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a soldier

The figures assume an average municipality, no church fee and an age under 66. The calculator takes your own municipality into account.

And if the job goes? Work out unemployment benefit for a soldier

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 25,000 50,000 Median pay Number
Men 32,000 SEK 5,400
Women 30,300 SEK 1,100

Women's average salary is 94% of men's average salary in this job.

Statistics Sweden calculates the ratio on average monthly salary, while the table above shows median salaries, so the two do not line up exactly. The figure is also unadjusted: it does not account for differences in age, sector or position.

Soldier salary by age

Pay for armed forces occupation, other ranks normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 25,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 34,500 SEK 34,800 SEK 33,300 SEK 4,700
25–34 years 38,400 SEK 38,700 SEK 36,000 SEK 1,400
35–44 years 40,900 SEK 40,800 SEK – 240

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 25,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 35,200 SEK 35,500 SEK 33,900 SEK 5,500
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 37,900 SEK 38,900 SEK – 540
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 39,700 SEK 40,800 SEK – 280

Soldier salary by region

Statistics Sweden reports pay by job at the level of national areas (NUTS 2), not by county.

Monthly salary by region
Region 25,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 35,800 SEK 36,200 SEK 33,800 SEK 6,500

Soldier pay growth 2014–2025

Median salary per year. Years with no reported median are skipped. The dashed line marks the break between the older and the newer series at Statistics Sweden; comparisons across it should be made with care.

From 20,200 SEK in 2014 to 31,800 SEK in 2025, +57% in total. Nominal figures, not adjusted for inflation. The lighter part of the line, the years before 2023, comes from an older set of statistics at Statistics Sweden and is not fully comparable with the later years.

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Swedish job titles in this occupation

Statistics Sweden files the following Swedish job titles under SSYK 0310, “soldater m.fl.”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Ammunitionsröjare
  • FN-soldat
  • Gruppbefäl
  • Militär
  • Soldat
  • Soldat, armen
  • Soldat, flygvapnet
  • Soldat, sjömän, marinen
  • Yrkesmilitär

Frequently asked questions

How much does a soldier earn in 2026?

The latest figures are Statistics Sweden's salary structure statistics for 2025, published on 16 June 2026. The median salary was then 31,800 SEK a month before tax, against 28,300 SEK the year before (2024) — +12.4%. Figures for 2026 are normally published in June 2027; until then the 2025 figures are the latest there are, and we do not project our own.

What is the median salary for a soldier in Sweden?

The median salary for a soldier in Sweden is 31,800 SEK per month before tax (2025). That means half earn less and half earn more. The median across all jobs in Sweden is 38,300 SEK, so armed forces occupation, other ranks sit 17% lower than the typical job.

How much does a soldier earn after tax?

The median salary for a soldier is 31,800 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 25,600 SEK after tax. The exact figure depends on which municipality you live in — our salary-after-tax calculator works it out.

What is the difference between average and median pay for armed forces occupation, other ranks?

The average (35,800 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (31,800 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what armed forces occupation, other ranks typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a soldier in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: armed forces occupation, other ranks aged 18–24 years earn 34,500 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 26,000 SEK. More in the section “Soldier starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for armed forces occupation, other ranks?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 48,900 SEK per month. Pay is shaped by sector, experience, level of education and where in the country you work.

Is there a gender pay gap among armed forces occupation, other ranks in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 94% of men's in this job. The median salary is 32,000 SEK for men and 30,300 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a soldier earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where armed forces occupation, other ranks earn 35,800 SEK per month on average.

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