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How much do machine operators, pharmaceutical products earn in Sweden?

Machine operators, pharmaceutical products. 3,700 people employed in Sweden.

39,700SEK

per month is the median salary for machine operators, pharmaceutical products in Sweden in 2025. That is 4% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,500 / $4,100 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 31,584 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

Machine operators, pharmaceutical products earn 39,900 SEK per month on average in Sweden (2025). The median salary is 39,700 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 31,600 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 48,500 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
39,900 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
31,600 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
48,500 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
3,700
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among machine operators, pharmaceutical products in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

31,600 SEKLowest 10%39,700 SEKMedian48,500 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 34,800–44,300 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What machine operators, pharmaceutical products 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 39,900 SEK 39,700 SEK 40,100 SEK 39,200 SEK
Private sector 39,900 SEK 39,700 SEK 40,100 SEK 39,200 SEK

Salary after tax

What machine operators, pharmaceutical products 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 31,584 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 37,300 SEK before tax — roughly 29,773 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 48,500 SEK, which is roughly 37,520 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for machine operators, pharmaceutical products

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 machine operators, pharmaceutical products

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 30,000 50,000 Median pay Number
Men 40,100 SEK 2,200
Women 39,200 SEK 1,500

Women's average salary is 99% 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 machine operators, pharmaceutical products normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 37,300 SEK 36,500 SEK 38,600 SEK 400
25–34 years 39,600 SEK 39,700 SEK 39,300 SEK 990
35–44 years 40,000 SEK 40,400 SEK 39,200 SEK 740
45–54 years 40,400 SEK 41,100 SEK 39,600 SEK 790
55–64 years 41,000 SEK 41,700 SEK 40,300 SEK 710

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 40,400 SEK 40,600 SEK 40,300 SEK 350
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 40,500 SEK 40,900 SEK 40,100 SEK 790
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 39,600 SEK 39,700 SEK 39,400 SEK 1,800
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 39,500 SEK 39,900 SEK 38,700 SEK 520
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 40,100 SEK 40,500 SEK – 200

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 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 43,600 SEK 43,700 SEK 43,400 SEK 1,700
East-Central Sweden 36,800 SEK 37,600 SEK 35,700 SEK 780
South Sweden 35,900 SEK 35,900 SEK 35,900 SEK –
West Sweden 36,100 SEK 37,000 SEK 35,100 SEK 330

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 28,500 SEK in 2014 to 39,700 SEK in 2025, +39% 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 8131, “maskinoperatörer, farmaceutiska produkter”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Asepttekniker
  • Blandarskötare, läkemedel
  • Dragerare
  • Dragist, läkemedelsindustri
  • Farmaceutisk operatör
  • Granulerare
  • Hygienteknisk operatör
  • Läkemedelsarbetare
  • Maskinoperatör, läkemedelsindustri
  • Tablettekniker, läkemedelsindustri
  • Tablettoperatör, läkemedelsindustri
  • Tvålkokare
  • Tvålmaskinskötare
  • Tvålpilerare
  • Tvättmedelsarbetare

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for machine operators, pharmaceutical products in Sweden?

The median salary for machine operators, pharmaceutical products in Sweden is 39,700 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 machine operators, pharmaceutical products sit 4% higher than the typical job.

How much do machine operators, pharmaceutical products earn after tax?

The median salary for machine operators, pharmaceutical products is 39,700 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 31,584 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 machine operators, pharmaceutical products?

The average (39,900 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (39,700 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what machine operators, pharmaceutical products typically earn.

What is the starting salary for machine operators, pharmaceutical products in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: machine operators, pharmaceutical products aged 18–24 years earn 37,300 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 31,600 SEK.

How high can the salary go for machine operators, pharmaceutical products?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 48,500 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 machine operators, pharmaceutical products in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 99% of men's in this job. The median salary is 40,100 SEK for men and 39,200 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden do machine operators, pharmaceutical products earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where machine operators, pharmaceutical products earn 43,600 SEK per month on average.

Jobs with similar pay

Other jobs in machine operators, chemical and pharmaceutical products

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