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How much do chemists earn in Sweden?

Chemists. 3,800 people employed in Sweden.

51,700SEK

per month is the median salary for chemists in Sweden in 2025. That is 35% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €4,600 / $5,350 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 39,675 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In 2025, chemists in Sweden earned an average of 55,000 SEK per month. The median salary is 51,700 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 39,800 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 73,500 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
55,000 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
39,800 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
73,500 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
3,800
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among chemists in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

39,800 SEKLowest 10%51,700 SEKMedian73,500 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 44,800–60,900 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What chemists 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 55,000 SEK 51,700 SEK 52,900 SEK 50,000 SEK
Private sector 57,100 SEK 53,700 SEK 55,100 SEK 51,500 SEK
Public sector 47,700 SEK 46,400 SEK 46,400 SEK 46,400 SEK
Central government 46,300 SEK 44,500 SEK 44,900 SEK 44,300 SEK
Regions (health care) 49,600 SEK 49,500 SEK 49,600 SEK 48,900 SEK

Salary after tax

What chemists actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. Between the cheapest and the most expensive one the difference is several hundred kronor a month.

That is roughly 39,675 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 44,300 SEK before tax — roughly 34,693 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 73,500 SEK, which is roughly 50,659 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for chemists

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 chemists

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 40,000 70,000 Median pay Number
Men 52,900 SEK 1,900
Women 50,000 SEK 1,900

Women's average salary is 95% 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.

Pay by age

Pay for chemists normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 40,000 70,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 44,300 SEK 44,600 SEK 44,000 SEK 730
35–44 years 53,200 SEK 53,300 SEK 53,100 SEK 1,200
45–54 years 59,100 SEK 60,700 SEK 57,500 SEK 1,100
55–64 years 63,000 SEK 63,800 SEK 61,800 SEK 620

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 40,000 70,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 51,000 SEK – – 150
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 52,100 SEK 53,000 SEK 51,400 SEK 1,500
Post-graduate education (ISCED97 6) 58,600 SEK 59,700 SEK 57,000 SEK 1,800
No information about level of educational attainment 52,700 SEK – – 160

Pay by region

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

Monthly salary by region
Region 40,000 70,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 55,000 SEK 56,400 SEK 53,500 SEK 950
East-Central Sweden 49,100 SEK 51,400 SEK 46,700 SEK –
South Sweden 49,400 SEK 51,800 SEK 47,000 SEK 400
West Sweden 61,600 SEK 61,400 SEK 61,700 SEK 1,200
Upper Norrland 55,400 SEK – – 100

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 38,500 SEK in 2014 to 51,700 SEK in 2025, +34% 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 2113, “kemister”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Analytisk kemist
  • Biokemist
  • Forensiker, kemi
  • Kemist, allmän
  • Kemist, klinisk
  • Klinisk kemist
  • Laborator, kemi
  • Materialkemist
  • Miljökemist
  • Oorganisk kemist
  • Organisk kemist
  • Processkemist
  • Sjukhuskemist
  • Strukturkemist
  • Ytkemist

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for chemists in Sweden?

The median salary for chemists in Sweden is 51,700 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 chemists sit 35% higher than the typical job.

How much do chemists earn after tax?

The median salary for chemists is 51,700 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 39,675 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 chemists?

The average (55,000 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (51,700 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what chemists typically earn.

What is the starting salary for chemists in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: chemists aged 25–34 years earn 44,300 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 39,800 SEK.

How high can the salary go for chemists?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 73,500 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 chemists in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 95% of men's in this job. The median salary is 52,900 SEK for men and 50,000 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden do chemists earn the most?

Pay is highest in West Sweden, where chemists earn 61,600 SEK per month on average.

Jobs with similar pay

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