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How much does a police officer earn in Sweden?

Police Officers. 19,400 people employed in Sweden.

43,300SEK

per month is the median salary for a police officer in Sweden in 2025. That is 13% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,850 / $4,450 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 34,019 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In 2025, a police officer in Sweden earned an average of 43,900 SEK per month. The median salary is 43,300 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 34,600 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 54,000 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
43,900 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
34,600 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
54,000 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
19,400
In this job in Sweden

Police officers prevent and investigate crime and maintain public order, whether on patrol or as investigators. Training is the police degree programme (polisprogrammet), offered at a number of Swedish universities on behalf of the Swedish Police Authority and completed with a period of service as a police trainee. Nearly all officers work for the Police Authority, with a smaller number at the Swedish Security Service. Differences in pay mainly reflect experience, role and responsibility, for instance between patrol officers, investigators and supervisors.

The pay range

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

34,600 SEKLowest 10%43,300 SEKMedian54,000 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 38,300–49,300 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What police officers 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 43,900 SEK 43,300 SEK 43,700 SEK 42,600 SEK
Public sector 43,900 SEK 43,300 SEK 43,700 SEK 42,600 SEK
Central government 43,900 SEK 43,300 SEK 43,700 SEK 42,600 SEK

Salary after tax

What police officers 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 34,019 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 33,700 SEK before tax — roughly 27,058 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 54,000 SEK, which is roughly 41,224 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a police officer

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 police officer

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 35,000 55,000 Median pay Number
Men 43,700 SEK 12,500
Women 42,600 SEK 6,900

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 police officers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 35,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 33,700 SEK 33,500 SEK 34,000 SEK 860
25–34 years 38,700 SEK 38,900 SEK 38,400 SEK 6,100
35–44 years 43,600 SEK 43,600 SEK 43,500 SEK 5,500
45–54 years 48,400 SEK 48,900 SEK 47,400 SEK 4,100
55–64 years 52,100 SEK 52,500 SEK 51,200 SEK 2,600

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 35,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 44,000 SEK 45,500 SEK 41,600 SEK 400
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 43,900 SEK 44,300 SEK 43,200 SEK 16,500
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 43,600 SEK 44,600 SEK 42,600 SEK 2,400

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 35,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 46,300 SEK 46,800 SEK 45,400 SEK 4,900
East-Central Sweden 43,100 SEK 43,600 SEK 42,100 SEK 3,000
Småland and islands 42,700 SEK 42,800 SEK 42,700 SEK 1,500
South Sweden 43,200 SEK 43,500 SEK 42,500 SEK 3,100
West Sweden 43,600 SEK 44,100 SEK 42,600 SEK 3,800
North-Central Sweden 42,900 SEK 43,700 SEK 41,600 SEK 1,300
Central Norrland 42,000 SEK 42,300 SEK 41,400 SEK 740
Upper Norrland 42,400 SEK 42,700 SEK 41,900 SEK 1,000

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 31,600 SEK in 2014 to 43,300 SEK in 2025, +37% 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 3360, “poliser”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Gränspolis
  • Inspektör, kriminalavdelning
  • Jaktpolis
  • Kommissarie
  • Kriminalassistent
  • Kriminalinspektör
  • Kriminalkommissarie
  • Kriminaltekniker
  • Livvakt, polis
  • Militärpolis
  • Närpolis
  • Ordningspolis
  • Personskyddsväktare, polis
  • Polis
  • Polis, inspektör
  • Polis, kommissarie
  • Polis, ospec
  • Polisaspirant
  • Polisassistent
  • Polisinspektör
  • Poliskommissarie
  • Poliskonstapel
  • Polisman
  • Trafikpolis

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a police officer in Sweden?

The median salary for a police officer in Sweden is 43,300 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 police officers sit 13% higher than the typical job.

How much does a police officer earn after tax?

The median salary for a police officer is 43,300 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 34,019 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 police officers?

The average (43,900 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (43,300 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what police officers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a police officer in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: police officers aged 18–24 years earn 33,700 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 34,600 SEK.

How high can the salary go for police officers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 54,000 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 police officers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 97% of men's in this job. The median salary is 43,700 SEK for men and 42,600 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a police officer earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where police officers earn 46,300 SEK per month on average.

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