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How much do phd students earn in Sweden?

PhD Students. 9,200 people employed in Sweden.

34,000SEK

per month is the median salary for phd students in Sweden in 2025. That is 11% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,000 / $3,500 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 27,284 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In the 2025 salary statistics, phd students earned 34,500 SEK a month on average in Sweden. The median salary is 34,000 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 31,400 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 37,700 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
34,500 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
31,400 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
37,700 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
9,200
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

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

31,400 SEKLowest 10%34,000 SEKMedian37,700 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 32,500–35,700 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What phd students 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 34,500 SEK 34,000 SEK 34,500 SEK 33,700 SEK
Private sector 36,100 SEK 34,600 SEK 34,600 SEK 34,600 SEK
Public sector 34,300 SEK 33,700 SEK 33,900 SEK 33,600 SEK
Central government 34,300 SEK 33,700 SEK 33,900 SEK 33,600 SEK

Salary after tax

What phd students 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 27,284 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 33,000 SEK before tax — roughly 26,530 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 37,700 SEK, which is roughly 30,075 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for phd students

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 phd students

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 32,000 38,000 Median pay Number
Men 34,500 SEK 4,600
Women 33,700 SEK 4,600

Women's average salary is 98% 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 phd students normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 32,000 38,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 33,000 SEK 33,100 SEK 32,800 SEK 260
25–34 years 34,400 SEK 34,700 SEK 34,100 SEK 6,500
35–44 years 34,500 SEK 34,900 SEK 34,300 SEK 1,800
45–54 years 35,000 SEK 35,900 SEK 34,600 SEK 490

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 32,000 38,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 34,000 SEK 34,200 SEK 33,800 SEK 210
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 34,200 SEK 34,500 SEK 33,900 SEK 6,800
Post-graduate education (ISCED97 6) 39,000 SEK 39,300 SEK 38,600 SEK 630
No information about level of educational attainment 34,100 SEK 34,300 SEK 33,800 SEK 1,500

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 32,000 38,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 33,800 SEK 34,200 SEK 33,300 SEK 2,400
East-Central Sweden 34,400 SEK 34,600 SEK 34,200 SEK 2,200
Småland and islands 33,800 SEK – 33,700 SEK –
South Sweden 34,700 SEK 35,000 SEK 34,400 SEK 1,400
West Sweden 35,100 SEK 35,400 SEK 34,700 SEK 1,700
North-Central Sweden 33,800 SEK – 33,600 SEK 220
Central Norrland 34,100 SEK – – 130
Upper Norrland 35,700 SEK 35,900 SEK 35,600 SEK 890

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 26,600 SEK in 2014 to 34,000 SEK in 2025, +28% 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 2314, “doktorander”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Doktorand, högskola/universitet
  • Industridoktorand

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for phd students in Sweden?

The median salary for phd students in Sweden is 34,000 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 phd students sit 11% lower than the typical job.

How much do phd students earn after tax?

The median salary for phd students is 34,000 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 27,284 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 phd students?

The average (34,500 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (34,000 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what phd students typically earn.

What is the starting salary for phd students in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: phd students aged 18–24 years earn 33,000 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 31,400 SEK.

How high can the salary go for phd students?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 37,700 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 phd students in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 98% of men's in this job. The median salary is 34,500 SEK for men and 33,700 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden do phd students earn the most?

Pay is highest in Upper Norrland, where phd students earn 35,700 SEK per month on average.

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