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How much does a firefighter earn in Sweden?

Firefighters. 5,700 people employed in Sweden.

37,600SEK

per month is the median salary for a firefighter in Sweden in 2025. That is 2% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,350 / $3,900 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 30,000 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The mean monthly salary for a firefighter in Sweden is 38,500 SEK (2025). The median salary is 37,600 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 33,700 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 44,600 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
38,500 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
33,700 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
44,600 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
5,700
In this job in Sweden

Firefighters respond to fires, road traffic collisions and other emergencies, and often take part in prevention work as well. Full-time firefighters have, as a rule, completed the national training programme in accident prevention and emergency response, Skydd mot olyckor (SMO), or equivalent. Employers are municipal fire and rescue services, often shared by several municipalities, and in smaller towns many firefighters are part-time and on call alongside another job. Pay varies with experience and rank, for example as crew commander.

The pay range

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

33,700 SEKLowest 10%37,600 SEKMedian44,600 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 35,600–40,500 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What firefighters 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 38,500 SEK 37,600 SEK 37,800 SEK 36,000 SEK
Private sector 41,500 SEK 40,400 SEK 40,500 SEK –
Public sector 38,400 SEK 37,500 SEK 37,700 SEK 35,900 SEK
Central government 32,800 SEK 32,700 SEK 33,000 SEK 31,000 SEK
Municipalities 38,500 SEK 37,600 SEK 37,800 SEK 36,000 SEK

Salary after tax

What firefighters 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 30,000 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 33,500 SEK before tax — roughly 26,907 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 44,600 SEK, which is roughly 34,895 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a firefighter

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 firefighter

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 32,500 45,000 Median pay Number
Men 37,800 SEK 5,300
Women 36,000 SEK 410

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.

Pay by age

Pay for firefighters normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 32,500 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 33,500 SEK 33,600 SEK – 180
25–34 years 36,000 SEK 36,000 SEK 35,900 SEK 1,300
35–44 years 38,100 SEK 38,200 SEK 36,700 SEK 1,900
45–54 years 40,100 SEK 40,200 SEK – 1,500
55–64 years 41,900 SEK 41,900 SEK – 730

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 32,500 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 39,400 SEK 39,200 SEK – 130
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 40,600 SEK 40,700 SEK – 630
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 38,700 SEK 38,800 SEK – 2,000
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 37,800 SEK 37,900 SEK 36,200 SEK 2,600
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 39,000 SEK 39,400 SEK – 320

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 32,500 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 38,900 SEK 39,100 SEK – 1,300
East-Central Sweden 37,500 SEK 37,700 SEK – 820
Småland and islands 38,600 SEK 38,700 SEK – 510
South Sweden 38,600 SEK 38,900 SEK – 750
West Sweden 39,200 SEK 39,400 SEK – 1,200
North-Central Sweden 38,100 SEK 38,300 SEK – 610
Central Norrland 37,700 SEK 37,800 SEK – 230
Upper Norrland 37,600 SEK 37,700 SEK – 290

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 29,000 SEK in 2014 to 37,600 SEK in 2025, +30% 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 5411, “brandmän”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Ambulansförare, brandman
  • Besiktningsbrandmästare
  • Brandbefäl
  • Brandförman
  • Brandman
  • Brandman, ambulansförare
  • Brandmästare
  • Flygplatsbrandman
  • Insatsledare
  • Planeringsbrandmästare
  • Räddningsdykare
  • Räddningsledare, kommunal räddningstjänst
  • Rökdykare
  • Vattendykare

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a firefighter in Sweden?

The median salary for a firefighter in Sweden is 37,600 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 firefighters sit 2% lower than the typical job.

How much does a firefighter earn after tax?

The median salary for a firefighter is 37,600 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 30,000 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 firefighters?

The average (38,500 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (37,600 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what firefighters typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a firefighter in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: firefighters aged 18–24 years earn 33,500 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 33,700 SEK.

How high can the salary go for firefighters?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 44,600 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 firefighters in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 94% of men's in this job. The median salary is 37,800 SEK for men and 36,000 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a firefighter earn the most?

Pay is highest in West Sweden, where firefighters earn 39,200 SEK per month on average.

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