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How much does a forklift driver earn in Sweden?

Fork-lift drivers. 10,300 people employed in Sweden.

36,400SEK

per month is the median salary for a forklift driver in Sweden in 2025. That is 5% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,200 / $3,750 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 29,094 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The average salary for a forklift driver in Sweden is 37,200 SEK per month (2025). The median salary is 36,400 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 30,500 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 45,500 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
37,200 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
30,500 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
45,500 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
10,300
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among fork-lift drivers in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

30,500 SEKLowest 10%36,400 SEKMedian45,500 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 33,100–40,600 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What fork-lift drivers 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 37,200 SEK 36,400 SEK 36,500 SEK 36,200 SEK
Private sector 37,200 SEK 36,400 SEK 36,500 SEK 36,200 SEK
Public sector 33,700 SEK – – –
Central government 33,700 SEK – – –

Salary after tax

What fork-lift drivers 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 29,094 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 36,700 SEK before tax — roughly 29,321 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 45,500 SEK, which is roughly 35,501 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a forklift driver

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 forklift driver

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 30,000 45,000 Median pay Number
Men 36,500 SEK 8,500
Women 36,200 SEK 1,800

Women's average salary is 100% 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 fork-lift drivers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 36,700 SEK 36,600 SEK 36,800 SEK 1,500
25–34 years 37,000 SEK 37,100 SEK 36,700 SEK 2,400
35–44 years 37,100 SEK 37,300 SEK 36,300 SEK 1,900
45–54 years 37,200 SEK 37,300 SEK 36,900 SEK 2,000
55–64 years 37,900 SEK 37,800 SEK 39,000 SEK 2,400

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education less than 9 years (ISCED97 1) 35,300 SEK 35,300 SEK – 260
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 36,500 SEK 36,400 SEK 37,300 SEK 1,500
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 37,400 SEK 37,400 SEK 37,200 SEK 2,700
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 37,600 SEK 37,600 SEK 37,200 SEK 4,400
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 37,200 SEK 37,400 SEK 36,500 SEK 1,000
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 37,600 SEK 37,900 SEK – 390

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 30,000 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 35,800 SEK 36,100 SEK 34,600 SEK –
East-Central Sweden 36,000 SEK 36,100 SEK 35,400 SEK 950
Småland and islands 35,300 SEK 35,600 SEK 34,100 SEK 1,500
South Sweden 35,600 SEK 35,500 SEK – 920
West Sweden 40,600 SEK 40,400 SEK 41,300 SEK 2,600
North-Central Sweden 37,500 SEK 37,600 SEK 36,400 SEK 880
Upper Norrland 38,000 SEK 38,100 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 27,000 SEK in 2014 to 36,400 SEK in 2025, +35% 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 8344, “truckförare”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Gaffeltruckförare
  • Hamnarbetare, truckförare
  • Stuveriarbetare, truckförare
  • Terminalarbetare, truckförare
  • Traktorförare, industri
  • Truckförare, lyfttruck
  • Truckoperatör
  • Utlastare

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a forklift driver in Sweden?

The median salary for a forklift driver in Sweden is 36,400 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 fork-lift drivers sit 5% lower than the typical job.

How much does a forklift driver earn after tax?

The median salary for a forklift driver is 36,400 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 29,094 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 fork-lift drivers?

The average (37,200 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (36,400 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what fork-lift drivers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a forklift driver in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: fork-lift drivers aged 18–24 years earn 36,700 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 30,500 SEK.

How high can the salary go for fork-lift drivers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 45,500 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 fork-lift drivers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 100% of men's in this job. The median salary is 36,500 SEK for men and 36,200 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a forklift driver earn the most?

Pay is highest in West Sweden, where fork-lift drivers earn 40,600 SEK per month on average.

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