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How much does a primary school teacher earn in Sweden?

Primary school teachers. 113,000 people employed in Sweden.

42,100SEK

per month is the median salary for a primary school teacher in Sweden in 2025. That is 10% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,750 / $4,350 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 33,211 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In the 2025 salary statistics, a primary school teacher earned 41,600 SEK a month on average in Sweden. The median salary is 42,100 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 32,500 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 50,000 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
41,600 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
32,500 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
50,000 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
113,000
In this job in Sweden

Primary school teachers teach in the Swedish compulsory school (grundskola), which covers years 1 to 9, and are responsible for planning, assessment and grading. As a rule, a permanent post and the right to set grades independently require a teaching degree and a teacher's certificate from the National Agency for Education, which states the years and subjects the teacher is qualified for. Most are employed by municipalities, while many work at independent schools. Pay varies with experience, subjects, location and whether the teacher holds a lead teacher (förstelärare) post.

The pay range

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

32,500 SEKLowest 10%42,100 SEKMedian50,000 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 38,000–46,000 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What primary school 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 41,600 SEK 42,100 SEK 41,900 SEK 42,100 SEK
Private sector 41,100 SEK 42,000 SEK 42,100 SEK 42,000 SEK
Public sector 41,700 SEK 42,100 SEK 41,800 SEK 42,300 SEK
Municipalities 41,700 SEK 42,100 SEK 41,800 SEK 42,300 SEK

Salary after tax

What primary school 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 33,211 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 27,400 SEK before tax — roughly 22,306 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 50,000 SEK, which is roughly 38,530 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a primary school 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 primary school teacher

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 30,000 50,000 Median pay Number
Men 41,900 SEK 29,500
Women 42,100 SEK 83,500

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 primary school teachers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 27,400 SEK 26,600 SEK 27,800 SEK 4,800
25–34 years 38,600 SEK 38,300 SEK 38,600 SEK 20,800
35–44 years 41,600 SEK 41,800 SEK 41,500 SEK 29,600
45–54 years 43,900 SEK 43,800 SEK 43,900 SEK 32,100
55–64 years 44,100 SEK 43,700 SEK 44,300 SEK 22,400

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 30,500 SEK 30,600 SEK 30,400 SEK 430
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 33,100 SEK 34,400 SEK 32,300 SEK 1,400
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 28,500 SEK 29,200 SEK 28,000 SEK 5,200
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 36,000 SEK 36,200 SEK 35,800 SEK 7,500
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 42,900 SEK 42,900 SEK 42,900 SEK 97,500
Post-graduate education (ISCED97 6) 43,900 SEK 44,400 SEK 43,600 SEK 660
No information about level of educational attainment 36,600 SEK – 36,300 SEK 220

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 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 44,900 SEK 44,400 SEK 45,100 SEK 25,100
East-Central Sweden 40,600 SEK 40,000 SEK 40,900 SEK 19,100
Småland and islands 40,300 SEK 39,900 SEK 40,400 SEK 9,100
South Sweden 41,700 SEK 41,300 SEK 41,900 SEK 17,600
West Sweden 41,400 SEK 40,700 SEK 41,600 SEK 22,700
North-Central Sweden 38,700 SEK 37,500 SEK 39,100 SEK 9,700
Central Norrland 39,200 SEK 38,500 SEK 39,400 SEK 4,200
Upper Norrland 39,600 SEK 39,600 SEK 39,600 SEK 5,400

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 29,000 SEK in 2014 to 42,100 SEK in 2025, +45% 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 2341, “grundskollärare”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Adjunkt, grundskola
  • Bildlärare, grundskola
  • Datalärare, grundskola
  • Freinetlärare
  • Förstelärare, grundskola
  • Grundskollärare
  • Gymnastiklärare, grundskola
  • Hemkunskapslärare, grundskola
  • Hemspråkslärare, grundskola
  • Hushållslärare, grundskola
  • Högstadielärare
  • Idrottslärare, grundskola
  • Klasslärare, grundskola
  • Komvuxlärare, grundskollärare
  • Lågstadielärare
  • Lärare, 1-3
  • Lärare, 1-6
  • Lärare, 4-6
  • Lärare, 7-9
  • Lärare, bildämnen, grundskola
  • Lärare, dans, teater, drama, grundskola
  • Lärare, datakunskap (grundskola)
  • Lärare, estetiska och praktiska ämnen, grundskola
  • Lärare, grundskola
  • Lärare, grundskola, allmänna ämnen
  • Lärare, grundskola, estetiska/praktiska ämnen
  • Lärare, hemkunskap, grundskola
  • Lärare, idrott, gymnastik, hälsa, grundskola
  • Lärare, musik, grundskola
  • Lärare, språk (grundskola)
  • Lärare, textilkunskap, grundskola
  • Lärare, trä- och metallslöjd, grundskola
  • Mellanstadielärare
  • Modersmålslärare, grundskola
  • Montessorilärare, grundskola
  • Musiklärare, grundskola
  • Musikpedagog, grundskola
  • Resurslärare, grundskola
  • Slöjdlärare, grundskola
  • Textillärare, grundskola
  • Textilslöjdslärare, grundskola
  • Waldorflärare, grundskola
  • Ämneslärare, grundskola

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a primary school teacher in Sweden?

The median salary for a primary school teacher in Sweden is 42,100 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 primary school teachers sit 10% higher than the typical job.

How much does a primary school teacher earn after tax?

The median salary for a primary school teacher is 42,100 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 33,211 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 primary school teachers?

The average (41,600 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (42,100 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what primary school teachers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a primary school teacher in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: primary school teachers aged 18–24 years earn 27,400 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 primary school teachers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 50,000 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 primary school teachers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 102% of men's in this job. The median salary is 41,900 SEK for men and 42,100 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a primary school teacher earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where primary school teachers earn 44,900 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