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How much does a journalist earn in Sweden?

Journalists and related professionals. 9,800 people employed in Sweden.

43,700SEK

per month is the median salary for a journalist in Sweden in 2025. That is 14% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

+1.6% since 2024

≈ €3,850 / $4,500 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 34,289 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 252 SEK an hour · 524,400 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 journalist in Sweden is 45,500 SEK per month (2025). The median salary is 43,700 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 33,300 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 60,200 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
45,500 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
33,300 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
60,200 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
9,800
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among journalists and related professionals in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

33,300 SEKLowest 10%43,700 SEKMedian60,200 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 37,000–51,400 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Journalist 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 32,800 SEK a month on average — roughly 26,400 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 18–24 32,800 SEK 26,379 SEK
Average, aged 25–34 39,400 SEK 31,357 SEK
Lowest 10% earn less than 33,300 SEK 26,756 SEK
Lowest 25% earn less than 37,000 SEK 29,547 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.

Journalist pay in the private and public sector

What journalists and related professionals 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 45,500 SEK 43,700 SEK 44,200 SEK 43,000 SEK
Private sector 45,500 SEK 43,700 SEK 44,200 SEK 43,000 SEK
Public sector 48,000 SEK 47,700 SEK – 47,700 SEK
Central government 48,000 SEK 47,700 SEK – 47,700 SEK

Journalist salary after tax in Sweden

What journalists and related professionals actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 43,700 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 34,289 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

43,700 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 34,289 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 34,909 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 34,225 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 34,277 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 35,281 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 33,348 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 32,800 SEK before tax — roughly 26,379 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 60,200 SEK, which is roughly 44,365 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a journalist

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 journalist

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 40,000 60,000 Median pay Number
Men 44,200 SEK 4,500
Women 43,000 SEK 5,200

Women's average salary is 97% 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.

Journalist salary by age

Pay for journalists and related professionals normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 40,000 60,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 32,800 SEK – 32,800 SEK 320
25–34 years 39,400 SEK 39,800 SEK 39,100 SEK 2,200
35–44 years 45,500 SEK 44,800 SEK 46,200 SEK 2,800
45–54 years 49,000 SEK 50,500 SEK 47,900 SEK 2,200
55–64 years 49,900 SEK 51,000 SEK 48,700 SEK 2,000

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 40,000 60,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 42,500 SEK 46,300 SEK – –
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 44,500 SEK 44,100 SEK 45,200 SEK 1,300
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 45,200 SEK 46,100 SEK 44,400 SEK 2,400
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 45,000 SEK 45,400 SEK 44,700 SEK 5,300

Journalist 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 40,000 60,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 51,500 SEK 52,500 SEK 50,700 SEK 4,600
East-Central Sweden 39,300 SEK 40,600 SEK 38,100 SEK –
Småland and islands 37,600 SEK 38,600 SEK 36,600 SEK –
South Sweden 45,300 SEK 45,900 SEK 44,900 SEK 640
West Sweden 39,900 SEK 40,900 SEK 38,900 SEK –
North-Central Sweden 38,400 SEK 40,200 SEK 37,000 SEK –
Central Norrland 39,500 SEK 39,800 SEK 39,100 SEK –
Upper Norrland 43,800 SEK 44,700 SEK 43,200 SEK 290

Journalist 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 34,300 SEK in 2014 to 43,700 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 2642, “journalister m.fl.”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Allmänreporter
  • Bildredaktör
  • Chefredaktör, utan chefshierarki
  • Editerare, tidning
  • Efterbearbetningsredaktör
  • Ekonomijournalist
  • Featureredaktör
  • Frilansjournalist
  • Intervjuare, reporter
  • Journalist
  • Korrekturchef, tidning
  • Korrekturläsare, tidning
  • Korrekturredaktör, tidning
  • Korrektör, tidning
  • Korrespondent, nyhetsbevakning
  • Kritiker
  • Krönikör
  • Kåsör
  • Nattchef, redaktion
  • Notischef
  • Nyhetsjournalist
  • Nyhetsredaktör
  • Nyhetsreporter
  • Presslektör
  • Pressombudsman
  • Radiojournalist
  • Radioreporter
  • Recensent
  • Redaktionssekreterare
  • Redaktör
  • Redigerare, tidning m.m.
  • Referent
  • Reporter
  • Researcher, journalist
  • Skribent
  • Sportjournalist
  • Sportreporter
  • Studioreporter
  • Taltidningsredaktör
  • Texteditor, tidning
  • Tidningsredigerare
  • TV-journalist
  • TV-reporter
  • Utrikeskorrespondent
  • Webbredaktör
  • Webeditor

Frequently asked questions

How much does a journalist 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 43,700 SEK a month before tax, against 43,000 SEK the year before (2024) — +1.6%. 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 journalist in Sweden?

The median salary for a journalist in Sweden is 43,700 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 journalists and related professionals sit 14% higher than the typical job.

How much does a journalist earn after tax?

The median salary for a journalist is 43,700 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 34,300 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 journalists and related professionals?

The average (45,500 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (43,700 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what journalists and related professionals typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a journalist in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: journalists and related professionals aged 18–24 years earn 32,800 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 33,300 SEK. More in the section “Journalist starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for journalists and related professionals?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 60,200 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 journalists and related professionals in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 97% of men's in this job. The median salary is 44,200 SEK for men and 43,000 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a journalist earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where journalists and related professionals earn 51,500 SEK per month on average.

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