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How much does a nurse earn in Sweden?

Professional nurses. 52,100 people employed in Sweden.

42,900SEK

per month is the median salary for a nurse in Sweden in 2025. That is 12% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,800 / $4,400 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 33,750 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In 2025, a nurse in Sweden earned an average of 44,000 SEK per month. The median salary is 42,900 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 35,200 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 54,400 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
44,000 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
35,200 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
54,400 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
52,100
In this job in Sweden

Nurses without a specialist qualification are responsible for patient care: assessments, medication and coordinating the care around each patient. The job requires a nursing degree and a licence from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen). Most are employed by the regions in hospitals and health centres, or by municipalities in elderly care and home healthcare. Pay varies with experience, employer and location, and specialist nurses, such as those in anaesthesia or intensive care, are counted as separate occupations.

The pay range

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

35,200 SEKLowest 10%42,900 SEKMedian54,400 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 38,400–48,100 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What professional nurses 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 44,000 SEK 42,900 SEK 43,800 SEK 42,800 SEK
Private sector 47,500 SEK 46,000 SEK 48,200 SEK 45,800 SEK
Public sector 43,100 SEK 42,000 SEK 43,000 SEK 41,900 SEK
Central government 74,000 SEK 66,500 SEK 87,900 SEK 54,100 SEK
Municipalities 45,100 SEK 44,300 SEK 45,600 SEK 44,100 SEK
Regions (health care) 42,800 SEK 41,600 SEK 42,600 SEK 41,500 SEK

Salary after tax

What professional nurses 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 33,750 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 36,100 SEK before tax — roughly 28,868 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 54,400 SEK, which is roughly 41,493 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a nurse

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 nurse

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 35,000 55,000 Median pay Number
Men 43,800 SEK 6,500
Women 42,800 SEK 45,600

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.

Pay by age

Pay for professional nurses normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 35,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 36,100 SEK 36,500 SEK 36,100 SEK 2,100
25–34 years 40,000 SEK 41,600 SEK 39,800 SEK 15,000
35–44 years 43,400 SEK 44,700 SEK 43,200 SEK 13,200
45–54 years 46,700 SEK 48,800 SEK 46,400 SEK 10,300
55–64 years 48,700 SEK 49,100 SEK 48,600 SEK 9,500

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 35,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 48,800 SEK 50,300 SEK 48,700 SEK 3,800
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 43,600 SEK 44,900 SEK 43,500 SEK 48,100
Post-graduate education (ISCED97 6) 53,400 SEK – 52,300 SEK 130

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 35,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 46,900 SEK 48,300 SEK 46,600 SEK 13,400
East-Central Sweden 43,200 SEK 44,700 SEK 42,900 SEK 8,800
Småland and islands 42,100 SEK 42,300 SEK 42,000 SEK 4,100
South Sweden 43,400 SEK 43,900 SEK 43,300 SEK 7,500
West Sweden 43,800 SEK 44,500 SEK 43,700 SEK 9,300
North-Central Sweden 41,500 SEK 42,200 SEK 41,400 SEK 4,300
Central Norrland 41,200 SEK 42,200 SEK 41,100 SEK 1,900
Upper Norrland 44,500 SEK 45,100 SEK 44,400 SEK 2,800

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 30,400 SEK in 2014 to 42,900 SEK in 2025, +41% 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 2221, “grundutbildade sjuksköterskor”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Allergisjuksköterska
  • Astmasjuksköterska
  • Astmasköterska
  • Blodtryckssköterska
  • Diabetessjuksköterska
  • Diabetessköterska
  • Dialyssjuksköterska
  • Estetisk injicerare
  • Hygiensjuksköterska
  • Hygiensköterska
  • Hypertonisjuksköterska
  • Infektionssjuksköterska
  • Infektionssköterska
  • Injektionsbehandlare
  • Injektionssköterska
  • Kirurgsjuksköterska
  • Kommunsjuksköterska
  • Kontaktsjuksköterska
  • Mottagningssjuksköterska
  • Mottagningssköterska
  • Operationskoordinator
  • Ortopedsjuksköterska
  • Sjuksköterska, allergi
  • Sjuksköterska, astma
  • Sjuksköterska, diabetes
  • Sjuksköterska, dialys
  • Sjuksköterska, hemsjukvård
  • Sjuksköterska, hypertoni
  • Sjuksköterska, infektion
  • Sjuksköterska, kirurgi
  • Sjuksköterska, kontakt
  • Sjuksköterska, medicin
  • Sjuksköterska, ortopedi
  • Sjuksköterska, ospec
  • Sjuksköterska, ospec, primärvård
  • Sjuksköterska, ospec, vårdcentral
  • Smärtsjuksköterska
  • Stomisjuksköterska
  • Stomiterapeut
  • Uroterapeut
  • Vårdkoordinator
  • Vårdplatskoordinator

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a nurse in Sweden?

The median salary for a nurse in Sweden is 42,900 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 professional nurses sit 12% higher than the typical job.

How much does a nurse earn after tax?

The median salary for a nurse is 42,900 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 33,750 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 professional nurses?

The average (44,000 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (42,900 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what professional nurses typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a nurse in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: professional nurses aged 18–24 years earn 36,100 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 35,200 SEK.

How high can the salary go for professional nurses?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 54,400 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 professional nurses in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 97% of men's in this job. The median salary is 43,800 SEK for men and 42,800 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a nurse earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where professional nurses earn 46,900 SEK per month on average.

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