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How much does a psychologist earn in Sweden?

Psychologists. 11,300 people employed in Sweden.

48,400SEK

per month is the median salary for a psychologist in Sweden in 2025. That is 26% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €4,300 / $5,000 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 37,453 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The average salary for a psychologist in Sweden is 48,600 SEK per month (2025). The median salary is 48,400 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 41,100 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 57,000 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
48,600 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
41,100 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
57,000 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
11,300
In this job in Sweden

Psychologists assess and treat mental health problems and also work on organisational and workplace issues. The title is protected in Sweden: it requires a degree from the psychology programme and a period of supervised practice (PTP) before the National Board of Health and Welfare issues a licence. Many work in the regions' psychiatric and primary care services or for municipalities, for instance in school health services, and some in private practice. Pay varies with experience, employer and any specialist qualification.

The pay range

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

41,100 SEKLowest 10%48,400 SEKMedian57,000 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 43,800–52,700 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What psychologists 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 48,600 SEK 48,400 SEK 48,200 SEK 48,500 SEK
Private sector 49,700 SEK 48,700 SEK 47,700 SEK 48,900 SEK
Public sector 47,900 SEK 48,300 SEK 48,400 SEK 48,300 SEK
Central government 50,700 SEK 50,300 SEK 50,300 SEK 50,300 SEK
Municipalities 51,900 SEK 51,600 SEK 51,400 SEK 51,700 SEK
Regions (health care) 46,700 SEK 46,500 SEK 46,200 SEK 46,600 SEK

Salary after tax

What psychologists 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 37,453 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 43,100 SEK before tax — roughly 33,885 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 57,000 SEK, which is roughly 42,850 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a psychologist

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 psychologist

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 40,000 55,000 Median pay Number
Men 48,200 SEK 3,000
Women 48,500 SEK 8,200

Women's average salary is 100% 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 psychologists normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 40,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 43,100 SEK 42,400 SEK 43,300 SEK 3,000
35–44 years 48,600 SEK 48,600 SEK 48,600 SEK 4,000
45–54 years 51,700 SEK 50,600 SEK 52,100 SEK 2,600
55–64 years 54,500 SEK 54,700 SEK 54,400 SEK 1,300

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 40,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 48,400 SEK 48,300 SEK 48,400 SEK 10,500
Post-graduate education (ISCED97 6) 52,000 SEK 49,500 SEK 53,700 SEK –

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 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 48,500 SEK 49,100 SEK 48,200 SEK 3,300
East-Central Sweden 48,400 SEK 47,300 SEK 48,800 SEK –
Småland and islands 48,800 SEK 48,600 SEK 48,900 SEK 630
South Sweden 48,400 SEK 48,600 SEK 48,300 SEK 1,300
West Sweden 49,300 SEK 48,800 SEK 49,500 SEK 2,200
North-Central Sweden 48,700 SEK 49,100 SEK 48,600 SEK 540
Central Norrland 47,000 SEK – 47,100 SEK 340
Upper Norrland 48,000 SEK 47,400 SEK 48,300 SEK 430

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 36,000 SEK in 2014 to 48,400 SEK in 2025, +34% 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 2241, “psykologer”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Arbetspsykolog
  • Barnpsykolog
  • Chefspsykolog
  • Coach, psykolog
  • Företagspsykolog
  • Förskolepsykolog
  • Industripsykolog
  • Inskrivningspsykolog
  • Klinisk psykolog
  • Konsult, arbetslivs-
  • Neuropsykolog
  • Organisationspsykolog
  • Psykoanalytiker
  • Psykolog
  • Psykolog med psykologiskt ledningsansvar (PLA)
  • PTP-psykolog
  • Skolpsykolog
  • Specialistpsykolog

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a psychologist in Sweden?

The median salary for a psychologist in Sweden is 48,400 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 psychologists sit 26% higher than the typical job.

How much does a psychologist earn after tax?

The median salary for a psychologist is 48,400 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 37,453 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 psychologists?

The average (48,600 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (48,400 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what psychologists typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a psychologist in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: psychologists aged 25–34 years earn 43,100 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 41,100 SEK.

How high can the salary go for psychologists?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 57,000 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 psychologists in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 100% of men's in this job. The median salary is 48,200 SEK for men and 48,500 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a psychologist earn the most?

Pay is highest in West Sweden, where psychologists earn 49,300 SEK per month on average.

Jobs with similar pay

Other jobs in psychologists and psychotherapists

See the whole occupational group Psychologists and psychotherapists or occupations requiring advanced level of higher education