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How much do nurses - intensive care earn in Sweden?

Nurses - Intensive care. 3,600 people employed in Sweden.

51,700SEK

per month is the median salary for nurses - intensive care in Sweden in 2025. That is 35% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €4,600 / $5,350 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 39,675 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The average salary for nurses - intensive care in Sweden is 52,600 SEK per month (2025). The median salary is 51,700 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 43,100 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 63,000 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
52,600 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
43,100 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
63,000 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
3,600
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

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

43,100 SEKLowest 10%51,700 SEKMedian63,000 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 46,900–57,700 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What nurses - intensive care 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 52,600 SEK 51,700 SEK 52,000 SEK 51,700 SEK
Private sector 52,800 SEK 51,400 SEK – –
Public sector 52,600 SEK 51,800 SEK 52,000 SEK 51,700 SEK
Municipalities 55,700 SEK 56,100 SEK – 55,900 SEK
Regions (health care) 52,600 SEK 51,700 SEK 52,000 SEK 51,700 SEK

Salary after tax

What nurses - intensive care 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 39,675 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 45,700 SEK before tax — roughly 35,635 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 63,000 SEK, which is roughly 45,690 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for nurses - intensive care

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 nurses - intensive care

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 40,000 60,000 Median pay Number
Men 52,000 SEK 530
Women 51,700 SEK 3,000

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 nurses - intensive care normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 40,000 60,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 45,700 SEK – 45,600 SEK 590
35–44 years 49,500 SEK 50,500 SEK 49,300 SEK 960
45–54 years 54,400 SEK 56,400 SEK 54,100 SEK 860
55–64 years 56,900 SEK 56,600 SEK 57,000 SEK 960

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 40,000 60,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 57,900 SEK – – 110
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 52,400 SEK 52,500 SEK 52,300 SEK 3,400

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 40,000 60,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 55,500 SEK 57,700 SEK 55,100 SEK 730
East-Central Sweden 51,600 SEK – 51,500 SEK 620
Småland and islands 51,400 SEK – 51,400 SEK 270
South Sweden 51,100 SEK – 51,200 SEK 510
West Sweden 53,200 SEK – 53,400 SEK 760
North-Central Sweden 50,800 SEK – 50,700 SEK 250
Central Norrland 50,300 SEK – – 110
Upper Norrland 52,300 SEK – 52,300 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 34,600 SEK in 2014 to 51,700 SEK in 2025, +49% 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 2228, “intensivvårdssjuksköterskor”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Intensivvårdssjuksköterska
  • IVA-sköterska
  • Sjuksköterska, IVA

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for nurses - intensive care in Sweden?

The median salary for nurses - intensive care in Sweden is 51,700 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 nurses - intensive care sit 35% higher than the typical job.

How much do nurses - intensive care earn after tax?

The median salary for nurses - intensive care is 51,700 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 39,675 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 nurses - intensive care?

The average (52,600 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (51,700 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what nurses - intensive care typically earn.

What is the starting salary for nurses - intensive care in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: nurses - intensive care aged 25–34 years earn 45,700 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 43,100 SEK.

How high can the salary go for nurses - intensive care?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 63,000 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 nurses - intensive care in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 99% of men's in this job. The median salary is 52,000 SEK for men and 51,700 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden do nurses - intensive care earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where nurses - intensive care earn 55,500 SEK per month on average.

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