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How much does a security guard earn in Sweden?

Security guards. 20,400 people employed in Sweden.

35,000SEK

per month is the median salary for a security guard 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 28,038 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

A security guard earns 35,400 SEK per month on average in Sweden (2025). The median salary is 35,000 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 31,600 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
35,400 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
31,600 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
39,300 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
20,400
In this job in Sweden

The group covers security guards (väktare), who protect property and people on behalf of a security company, and door supervisors and other public order officers (ordningsvakter), who keep order at places such as bars, arenas and shopping centres. Security guards complete the industry's guard training and must be approved by the county administrative board, while public order officers are appointed by the Police Authority after specific training. Most work for private security companies, and pay varies with experience and type of assignment.

The pay range

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

31,600 SEKLowest 10%35,000 SEKMedian39,300 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 33,200–37,300 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What security 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 35,400 SEK 35,000 SEK 35,300 SEK 34,400 SEK
Private sector 35,400 SEK 35,000 SEK 35,300 SEK 34,400 SEK
Public sector 35,200 SEK 34,400 SEK 34,700 SEK 33,900 SEK
Central government 35,200 SEK 34,400 SEK 34,700 SEK 33,900 SEK

Salary after tax

What security 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 28,038 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 34,300 SEK before tax — roughly 27,510 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 a security guard

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 security guard

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 32,000 40,000 Median pay Number
Men 35,300 SEK 15,300
Women 34,400 SEK 5,200

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 security 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 34,300 SEK 34,400 SEK 34,100 SEK 4,900
25–34 years 35,500 SEK 35,800 SEK 34,700 SEK 6,200
35–44 years 35,900 SEK 36,000 SEK 35,300 SEK 3,900
45–54 years 36,100 SEK 36,200 SEK 35,600 SEK 2,800
55–64 years 35,700 SEK 36,000 SEK 34,800 SEK 2,400

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 less than 9 years (ISCED97 1) 36,000 SEK 36,100 SEK – 160
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 35,600 SEK 35,700 SEK 34,900 SEK 1,800
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 35,600 SEK 35,800 SEK 35,100 SEK 3,100
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 35,200 SEK 35,400 SEK 34,500 SEK 10,200
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 35,500 SEK 35,700 SEK 35,000 SEK 3,700
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 35,700 SEK 36,000 SEK 35,100 SEK 1,400

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 35,500 SEK 35,700 SEK 34,800 SEK 8,000
East-Central Sweden 35,200 SEK 35,300 SEK 34,900 SEK 3,100
Småland and islands 35,100 SEK 35,200 SEK 34,800 SEK 800
South Sweden 35,900 SEK 36,100 SEK 35,100 SEK 2,100
West Sweden 35,200 SEK 35,400 SEK 34,900 SEK 4,000
North-Central Sweden 35,100 SEK 35,600 SEK 33,800 SEK 1,500
Central Norrland 34,600 SEK 34,900 SEK – 240
Upper Norrland 35,600 SEK 35,700 SEK 35,200 SEK 660

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 26,800 SEK in 2014 to 35,000 SEK in 2025, +31% 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 5413, “väktare och ordningsvakter”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Ambassadväktare
  • Bevakningsman, väktare
  • Butikskontrollant
  • Båtväktare
  • Cykelvakt
  • Dörrvakt
  • Entrévakt
  • Entrévärd
  • Expeditionsvakt
  • Flygplatskontrollant
  • Flygplatsvakt
  • Garagevakt
  • Gränskontrollant
  • Hamnskyddskontrollant
  • Hundförare, väktare
  • Industrivakt
  • Livvakt, övrig
  • Nattvakt
  • Ordningsvakt
  • Passkontrollant
  • Personskyddsväktare
  • Portvakt, industri etc.
  • Receptionsväktare
  • Sjöfartskontrollant
  • Skyddsvakt
  • Slottsvakt
  • Slottsväbel
  • Spelhallsvakt
  • Stationär väktare
  • Säkerhetskontrollant, flygplats
  • Säkerhetsvakt, flygplats
  • Trafiknykterhetskontrollant
  • Tunnelbanevakt
  • Vaktman
  • Varuhuskontrollant
  • Varuhusvakt
  • Väktare
  • Värd, entré
  • Värdetransportör

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a security guard in Sweden?

The median salary for a security guard in Sweden is 35,000 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 security guards sit 9% lower than the typical job.

How much does a security guard earn after tax?

The median salary for a security guard is 35,000 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 28,038 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 security guards?

The average (35,400 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (35,000 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what security guards typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a security guard in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: security guards aged 18–24 years earn 34,300 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 31,600 SEK.

How high can the salary go for security 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 security 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 34,400 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a security guard earn the most?

Pay is highest in South Sweden, where security guards earn 35,900 SEK per month on average.

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