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How much does a priest earn in Sweden?

Religious professionals. 2,300 people employed in Sweden.

50,900SEK

per month is the median salary for a priest in Sweden in 2025. That is 33% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €4,500 / $5,250 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 39,136 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The mean monthly salary for a priest in Sweden is 51,800 SEK (2025). The median salary is 50,900 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 45,000 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 61,600 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
51,800 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
45,000 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
61,600 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
2,300
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

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

45,000 SEKLowest 10%50,900 SEKMedian61,600 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 47,800–55,200 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What religious professionals 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 51,800 SEK 50,900 SEK 50,700 SEK 51,000 SEK
Private sector 51,800 SEK 50,900 SEK 50,700 SEK 51,000 SEK

Salary after tax

What religious professionals 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 39,136 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 35–44 years, earn 49,200 SEK before tax — roughly 37,992 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 61,600 SEK, which is roughly 45,027 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a priest

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 priest

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 40,000 60,000 Median pay Number
Men 50,700 SEK 960
Women 51,000 SEK 1,300

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 religious professionals normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 40,000 60,000 Average pay Men Women Number
35–44 years 49,200 SEK – – 420
45–54 years 53,000 SEK – 51,900 SEK 610
55–64 years 53,400 SEK – 53,100 SEK 780

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 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 52,000 SEK 52,800 SEK 51,500 SEK 2,100

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
East-Central Sweden 52,100 SEK – – –
South Sweden 49,500 SEK – – –
West Sweden 49,700 SEK – – –

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 36,100 SEK in 2014 to 50,900 SEK in 2025, +41% 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 2671, “präster”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Adjunkt, evangelisk-luthersk
  • Adjunkt, Svenska kyrkan
  • Buddhistpräst
  • Fängelsepräst
  • Imam
  • Kaplan
  • Komminister
  • Kontraktsprost
  • Kyrkoadjunkt
  • Militärpräst
  • Pastorsadjunkt
  • Präst, evangelisk-luthersk
  • Präst, grekisk-ortodox kyrka
  • Präst, romersk-katolsk kyrka
  • Präst, Svenska kyrkan
  • Rabbin
  • Sjukhuspräst
  • Sjömanspräst
  • Skolpräst
  • Stiftsadjunkt
  • Studentpräst

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a priest in Sweden?

The median salary for a priest in Sweden is 50,900 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 religious professionals sit 33% higher than the typical job.

How much does a priest earn after tax?

The median salary for a priest is 50,900 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 39,136 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 religious professionals?

The average (51,800 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (50,900 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what religious professionals typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a priest in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: religious professionals aged 35–44 years earn 49,200 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 45,000 SEK.

How high can the salary go for religious professionals?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 61,600 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 religious professionals in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 98% of men's in this job. The median salary is 50,700 SEK for men and 51,000 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a priest earn the most?

Pay is highest in East-Central Sweden, where religious professionals earn 52,100 SEK per month on average.

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