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How much do prison guards earn in Sweden?

Prison guards. 11,100 people employed in Sweden.

34,900SEK

per month is the median salary for prison guards in Sweden in 2025. That is 9% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,100 / $3,600 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 27,963 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In 2025, prison guards in Sweden earned an average of 35,100 SEK per month. The median salary is 34,900 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 31,800 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 39,300 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
35,100 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
31,800 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
39,300 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
11,100
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

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

31,800 SEKLowest 10%34,900 SEKMedian39,300 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 33,200–37,000 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What prison guards 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 35,100 SEK 34,900 SEK 35,300 SEK 34,500 SEK
Public sector 35,100 SEK 34,900 SEK 35,300 SEK 34,500 SEK
Central government 35,100 SEK 34,900 SEK 35,300 SEK 34,500 SEK

Salary after tax

What prison guards 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 27,963 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 33,300 SEK before tax — roughly 26,756 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 39,300 SEK, which is roughly 31,282 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for prison guards

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 prison guards

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 32,000 40,000 Median pay Number
Men 35,300 SEK 6,300
Women 34,500 SEK 4,800

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 prison guards normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 32,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 33,300 SEK 33,300 SEK 33,300 SEK 1,400
25–34 years 34,400 SEK 34,600 SEK 34,100 SEK 3,300
35–44 years 35,300 SEK 35,600 SEK 34,900 SEK 2,100
45–54 years 36,200 SEK 36,600 SEK 35,600 SEK 2,200
55–64 years 36,400 SEK 36,600 SEK 36,000 SEK 2,000

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 32,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 34,400 SEK 34,900 SEK 33,600 SEK 290
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 35,200 SEK 35,300 SEK 34,800 SEK 990
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 34,200 SEK 34,500 SEK 33,900 SEK 2,800
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 35,700 SEK 36,100 SEK 35,100 SEK 5,400
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 34,900 SEK 35,400 SEK 34,500 SEK 1,600

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 32,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 35,900 SEK 36,200 SEK 35,400 SEK 2,400
East-Central Sweden 34,400 SEK 34,800 SEK 34,000 SEK 2,800
Småland and islands 34,900 SEK 35,200 SEK 34,300 SEK 670
South Sweden 35,600 SEK 36,000 SEK 35,100 SEK 1,700
West Sweden 34,900 SEK 35,300 SEK 34,400 SEK 2,200
North-Central Sweden 35,300 SEK 35,800 SEK 34,600 SEK 380
Central Norrland 34,900 SEK 35,100 SEK 34,600 SEK 580
Upper Norrland 34,900 SEK 35,300 SEK 34,300 SEK 420

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 24,800 SEK in 2014 to 34,900 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 5412, “kriminalvårdare”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Arbetsinstruktör, kriminalvård
  • Arrestvakt
  • Bevakningsföreståndare
  • Fångtransportör
  • Kriminalvårdare
  • Kriminalvårdsassistent
  • Tillsynsman, kriminalvård
  • Transportförare, persontransport
  • Vårdare, kriminalvård

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for prison guards in Sweden?

The median salary for prison guards in Sweden is 34,900 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 prison guards sit 9% lower than the typical job.

How much do prison guards earn after tax?

The median salary for prison guards is 34,900 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 27,963 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 prison guards?

The average (35,100 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (34,900 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what prison guards typically earn.

What is the starting salary for prison guards in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: prison guards aged 18–24 years earn 33,300 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 31,800 SEK.

How high can the salary go for prison guards?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 39,300 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 prison guards in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 98% of men's in this job. The median salary is 35,300 SEK for men and 34,500 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden do prison guards earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where prison guards earn 35,900 SEK per month on average.

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