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How much does a chief executive earn in Sweden?

Directors and chief executives. 31,200 people employed in Sweden.

68,400SEK

per month is the median salary for a chief executive in Sweden in 2025. That is 79% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €6,050 / $7,050 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 48,246 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The average salary for a chief executive in Sweden is 91,800 SEK per month (2025). The median salary is 68,400 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 42,000 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 155,400 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
91,800 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
42,000 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
155,400 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
31,200
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among directors and chief executives in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

42,000 SEKLowest 10%68,400 SEKMedian155,400 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 53,600–108,200 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What directors and chief executives 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 91,800 SEK 68,400 SEK 66,200 SEK 77,000 SEK
Private sector 91,800 SEK 68,400 SEK 66,200 SEK 77,000 SEK

Salary after tax

What directors and chief executives 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 48,246 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 64,700 SEK before tax — roughly 46,494 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 155,400 SEK, which is roughly 89,422 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a chief executive

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 chief executive

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 50,000 150,000 Median pay Number
Men 66,200 SEK 26,100
Women 77,000 SEK 5,200

Women's average salary is 104% 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 directors and chief executives normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 50,000 150,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 64,700 SEK – – –
35–44 years 79,300 SEK 76,900 SEK – 7,400
45–54 years 100,300 SEK 100,300 SEK 100,400 SEK 11,700
55–64 years 98,900 SEK 98,500 SEK 101,100 SEK 9,300

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 50,000 150,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 62,900 SEK 63,100 SEK – –
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 80,500 SEK 80,800 SEK – 6,400
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 88,300 SEK 88,200 SEK – 6,400
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 113,000 SEK 116,700 SEK 102,800 SEK 11,200
Post-graduate education (ISCED97 6) 100,800 SEK – – –

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 50,000 150,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 102,400 SEK 102,000 SEK 103,700 SEK 13,200
East-Central Sweden 69,600 SEK 67,900 SEK – –
West Sweden 93,500 SEK 95,400 SEK – 4,900
North-Central Sweden 71,700 SEK 67,700 SEK – –
Upper Norrland 78,400 SEK – – –

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 53,700 SEK in 2014 to 68,400 SEK in 2025, +27% 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 1120, “verkställande direktörer m.fl.”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Affärsområdeschef, lednings- och utvecklingsansvar
  • Bankdirektör
  • Biträdande högskolerektor
  • Biträdande rektor, högskola/universitet
  • Biträdande universitetsrektor
  • Bokförläggare, med chefshierarki
  • CEO, med chefshierarki
  • Chefredaktör, med chefshierarki
  • Chief executive (officer), med chefshierarki
  • Disponent
  • Filmchef
  • Flygplatschef
  • Företagsledare, med chefshierarki
  • Förläggare, med chefshierarki
  • Generaldirektör, affärsverk
  • Hamnchef
  • Hamndirektör
  • Högskolerektor
  • Koncernchef
  • Landschef
  • Museichef, med chefshierarki
  • Musikförläggare, med chefshierarki
  • Operachef
  • Orkesterchef
  • Postdirektör
  • Redare, med chefshierarki
  • Rektor, folkhögskola
  • Rektor, högskola och universitet
  • Rektor, högskola/universitet
  • Sjukhuschef
  • Sjukhusdirektör
  • Skeppsredare, med chefshierarki
  • Skeppsredare, med chefshierarki
  • Styrelseordförande, företag, med chefshierarki
  • Styrelseordförande, med chefshierarki
  • Teaterchef, med chefshierarki
  • TV-chef, VD
  • Universitetsrektor
  • Varuhuschef, VD
  • VD, med chefshierarki
  • Verkställande direktör, med chefshierarki

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a chief executive in Sweden?

The median salary for a chief executive in Sweden is 68,400 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 directors and chief executives sit 79% higher than the typical job.

How much does a chief executive earn after tax?

The median salary for a chief executive is 68,400 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 48,246 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 directors and chief executives?

The average (91,800 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (68,400 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what directors and chief executives typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a chief executive in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: directors and chief executives aged 25–34 years earn 64,700 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 42,000 SEK.

How high can the salary go for directors and chief executives?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 155,400 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 directors and chief executives in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 104% of men's in this job. The median salary is 66,200 SEK for men and 77,000 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a chief executive earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where directors and chief executives earn 102,400 SEK per month on average.

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