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How much does a photographer earn in Sweden?

Photographers. 3,000 people employed in Sweden.

37,900SEK

per month is the median salary for a photographer in Sweden in 2025. That is 1% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,350 / $3,900 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 30,226 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 219 SEK an hour · 454,800 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 mean monthly salary for a photographer in Sweden is 38,500 SEK (2025). The median salary is 37,900 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
38,500 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Highest 10%
53,600 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
3,000
Statistics Sweden's occupational register 2024

Photographer 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 25–34, earn 33,500 SEK a month on average — roughly 26,900 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 25–34 33,500 SEK 26,907 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.

Photographer pay in the private and public sector

What photographers 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 38,500 SEK 37,900 SEK 38,900 SEK –
Private sector 38,500 SEK – 38,900 SEK –
Public sector 39,600 SEK 39,300 SEK 40,100 SEK 38,600 SEK
Central government 39,600 SEK 39,300 SEK 40,100 SEK 38,600 SEK

Photographer salary after tax in Sweden

What photographers actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 37,900 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 30,226 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

37,900 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 30,226 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 30,735 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 30,174 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 30,216 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 31,035 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 29,458 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 33,500 SEK before tax — roughly 26,907 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 53,600 SEK, which is roughly 40,954 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a photographer

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 photographer

Pay for men and women

Women's average salary is 81% 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.

Photographer salary by age

Pay for photographers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 33,500 SEK 35,500 SEK – –
35–44 years 41,400 SEK 41,800 SEK – 360
45–54 years 44,500 SEK 45,800 SEK – –
55–64 years 45,400 SEK – – –

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 41,200 SEK 44,400 SEK – –
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 37,800 SEK 40,100 SEK – –
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 36,000 SEK 39,900 SEK – –

Photographer 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 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 48,100 SEK 49,100 SEK 44,600 SEK 800
East-Central Sweden 37,000 SEK – – –
South Sweden 27,500 SEK – – –

Photographer 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 28,000 SEK in 2014 to 37,900 SEK in 2025, +35% 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 3431, “fotografer”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • A-fotograf
  • Arkivfotograf
  • Ateljéfotograf
  • B-fotograf
  • Bildbehandlare
  • Bildjournalist
  • Bildredigerare
  • Chefsfotograf
  • Dokumentärfotograf
  • Filmare
  • Filmfotograf
  • Flygfotograf
  • Fotograf
  • Fotografassistent
  • Frilansfotograf
  • Industrifotograf
  • Institutionsfotograf
  • Kameraassistent, foto
  • Kameraman, TV
  • Modefotograf
  • Museifotograf
  • Naturfotograf
  • Nyhetsfotograf
  • Porträttfotograf
  • Pressfotograf
  • Redigerare
  • Reklamfotograf
  • Reportagefotograf
  • Sjukhusfotograf
  • Skolfotograf
  • Stillbildsfotograf
  • Trickfilmsfotograf
  • TV-fotograf
  • Videofotograf

Frequently asked questions

How much does a photographer 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 37,900 SEK a month before tax. 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 photographer in Sweden?

The median salary for a photographer in Sweden is 37,900 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 photographers sit 1% lower than the typical job.

How much does a photographer earn after tax?

The median salary for a photographer is 37,900 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 30,200 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 photographers?

The average (38,500 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (37,900 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what photographers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a photographer in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: photographers aged 25–34 years earn 33,500 SEK per month on average. More in the section “Photographer starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for photographers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 53,600 SEK per month. Pay is shaped by sector, experience, level of education and where in the country you work.

Where in Sweden does a photographer earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where photographers earn 48,100 SEK per month on average.

Jobs with similar pay

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See the whole occupational group Photographers, interior decorators and entertainers or occupations requiring higher education qualifications or equivalent