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How much does a preschool teacher earn in Sweden?

Preschool teachers. 58,300 people employed in Sweden.

37,800SEK

per month is the median salary for a preschool teacher 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 30,150 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In 2025, a preschool teacher in Sweden earned an average of 37,600 SEK per month. The median salary is 37,800 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 32,500 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 43,000 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
37,600 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
32,500 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
43,000 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
58,300
In this job in Sweden

Preschool teachers plan and lead the educational work in Swedish preschools, which follow a national curriculum, and carry particular responsibility for the teaching there. The job requires a preschool teacher degree, and a certificate from the National Agency for Education is needed for a permanent post. Most work in municipal preschools, but a sizeable share are employed by independent ones. Pay varies mainly with experience, location and type of employer.

The pay range

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

32,500 SEKLowest 10%37,800 SEKMedian43,000 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 35,200–40,500 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What preschool teachers 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 37,600 SEK 37,800 SEK 37,600 SEK 37,800 SEK
Private sector 37,600 SEK 38,000 SEK 37,600 SEK 38,000 SEK
Public sector 37,600 SEK 37,700 SEK 37,300 SEK 37,700 SEK
Central government 35,800 SEK 35,600 SEK – 35,500 SEK
Municipalities 37,600 SEK 37,700 SEK 37,300 SEK 37,700 SEK
Regions (health care) 38,800 SEK 38,900 SEK – 38,900 SEK

Salary after tax

What preschool teachers 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 30,150 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 26,400 SEK before tax — roughly 21,552 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 43,000 SEK, which is roughly 33,817 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a preschool teacher

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 preschool teacher

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 25,000 40,000 Median pay Number
Men 37,600 SEK 2,300
Women 37,800 SEK 55,900

Women's average salary is 102% 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 preschool teachers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 25,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 26,400 SEK – 26,500 SEK 1,500
25–34 years 35,700 SEK 35,000 SEK 35,700 SEK 10,600
35–44 years 37,200 SEK 37,900 SEK 37,200 SEK 16,300
45–54 years 38,700 SEK 39,100 SEK 38,700 SEK 14,800
55–64 years 39,300 SEK 37,400 SEK 39,400 SEK 13,200

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 25,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 29,000 SEK – 29,100 SEK –
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 31,100 SEK – 31,100 SEK –
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 26,600 SEK 24,900 SEK 26,700 SEK 1,800
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 38,900 SEK 37,200 SEK 39,000 SEK 11,700
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 38,000 SEK 37,700 SEK 38,000 SEK 42,700

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 25,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 40,300 SEK 39,200 SEK 40,400 SEK 11,400
East-Central Sweden 36,600 SEK 35,500 SEK 36,700 SEK 9,500
Småland and islands 37,000 SEK 36,200 SEK 37,100 SEK 5,500
South Sweden 37,600 SEK 37,600 SEK 37,600 SEK 9,100
West Sweden 38,000 SEK 37,600 SEK 38,100 SEK 12,100
North-Central Sweden 35,000 SEK 33,800 SEK 35,000 SEK 5,600
Central Norrland 35,300 SEK – 35,400 SEK 1,900
Upper Norrland 35,400 SEK 33,400 SEK 35,500 SEK 3,200

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 27,100 SEK in 2014 to 37,800 SEK in 2025, +39% 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 2343, “förskollärare”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Förskolepedagog
  • Förskollärare
  • Lekotekarie
  • Lekterapeut
  • Lärare, förskola
  • Modersmålslärare, förskola
  • Montessorilärare, förskola
  • Resurspedagog
  • Resurspedagog, förskola m.m.
  • Waldorflärare, förskola

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a preschool teacher in Sweden?

The median salary for a preschool teacher in Sweden is 37,800 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 preschool teachers sit 1% lower than the typical job.

How much does a preschool teacher earn after tax?

The median salary for a preschool teacher is 37,800 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 30,150 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 preschool teachers?

The average (37,600 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (37,800 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what preschool teachers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a preschool teacher in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: preschool teachers aged 18–24 years earn 26,400 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 32,500 SEK.

How high can the salary go for preschool teachers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 43,000 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 preschool teachers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 102% of men's in this job. The median salary is 37,600 SEK for men and 37,800 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a preschool teacher earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where preschool teachers earn 40,300 SEK per month on average.

Jobs with similar pay

Other jobs in primary- and pre-school teachers

See the whole occupational group Primary- and pre-school teachers or occupations requiring advanced level of higher education