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How much does a social worker earn in Sweden?

Social work professionals. 25,900 people employed in Sweden.

41,200SEK

per month is the median salary for a social worker in Sweden in 2025. That is 8% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,650 / $4,250 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 32,606 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In the 2025 salary statistics, a social worker earned 41,600 SEK a month on average in Sweden. The median salary is 41,200 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 35,500 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 48,100 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%
35,500 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
48,100 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
25,900
In this job in Sweden

Social workers in this group work mainly in municipal social services, assessing needs and deciding on support in areas such as children and families, financial assistance and substance abuse. The usual training is the social work degree (socionomprogrammet), and a social work degree is, as a rule, required to handle cases concerning children and young people. Most are employed by municipalities. Pay varies with experience, area of work and location.

The pay range

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

35,500 SEKLowest 10%41,200 SEKMedian48,100 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 38,100–44,700 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What social work 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 41,600 SEK 41,200 SEK 40,600 SEK 41,400 SEK
Public sector 41,500 SEK 41,100 SEK 40,500 SEK 41,200 SEK
Central government 41,000 SEK 40,600 SEK 40,500 SEK 40,600 SEK
Municipalities 41,600 SEK 41,200 SEK 40,500 SEK 41,300 SEK
Regions (health care) 43,500 SEK – – –

Salary after tax

What social work 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 32,606 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 34,900 SEK before tax — roughly 27,963 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 48,100 SEK, which is roughly 37,251 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a social worker

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 social worker

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 35,000 45,000 Median pay Number
Men 40,600 SEK 3,700
Women 41,400 SEK 22,200

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 social work professionals normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 35,000 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 34,900 SEK – 35,000 SEK 1,100
25–34 years 38,900 SEK 38,500 SEK 38,900 SEK 8,100
35–44 years 42,300 SEK 41,500 SEK 42,400 SEK 7,500
45–54 years 44,100 SEK 42,500 SEK 44,400 SEK 5,100
55–64 years 44,400 SEK 43,900 SEK 44,500 SEK 3,600

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 35,000 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 40,600 SEK – 40,800 SEK 240
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 39,000 SEK 39,000 SEK 39,100 SEK 330
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 39,100 SEK 39,900 SEK 38,900 SEK 1,400
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 41,800 SEK 41,300 SEK 41,900 SEK 23,800

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 35,000 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 43,300 SEK 42,900 SEK 43,400 SEK 5,800
East-Central Sweden 40,300 SEK 39,600 SEK 40,400 SEK 4,300
Småland and islands 41,300 SEK 40,500 SEK 41,400 SEK 2,000
South Sweden 41,300 SEK 40,400 SEK 41,500 SEK 4,100
West Sweden 42,400 SEK 41,600 SEK 42,600 SEK 5,500
North-Central Sweden 39,300 SEK 39,000 SEK 39,300 SEK 2,200
Central Norrland 40,400 SEK – 40,600 SEK 920
Upper Norrland 41,400 SEK 40,800 SEK 41,500 SEK 1,000

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 29,300 SEK in 2014 to 41,200 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 2661, “socialsekreterare”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Arbetscoach, IPS modellen
  • Familjehemskonsulent
  • Familjehemsrekryterare
  • Familjehemssekreterare
  • Familjepedagog
  • Familjerådgivare
  • Familjerättssekreterare
  • Familjeterapeut
  • Familjevårdsinspektör
  • Flyktinghandläggare
  • Flyktingkonsulent
  • Flyktingsamordnare
  • Flyktingsekreterare
  • Fosterbarnsinspektör
  • Fältassistent
  • Fältsekreterare
  • Gruppledare inom socialtjänst
  • Handläggare, flyktingar
  • Invandrarkonsulent
  • Invandrarsekreterare
  • Metodhandledare (vård och stödsamordning)
  • Rehabiliteringskonsulent
  • Rehabiliteringskonsult, övrig
  • Skyddsassistent
  • Skyddskonsulent
  • Socialinspektör
  • Socialkonsulent, Länsstyrelsen
  • Socialpedagog, socialsekreterare
  • Socialrådgivare
  • Socialsekreterare
  • Socionom, ospec
  • Ungdomssekreterare, socialtjänst
  • Vårdnadsutredare

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a social worker in Sweden?

The median salary for a social worker in Sweden is 41,200 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 social work professionals sit 8% higher than the typical job.

How much does a social worker earn after tax?

The median salary for a social worker is 41,200 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 32,606 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 social work professionals?

The average (41,600 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (41,200 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what social work professionals typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a social worker in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: social work professionals aged 18–24 years earn 34,900 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 35,500 SEK.

How high can the salary go for social work professionals?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 48,100 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 social work professionals in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 102% of men's in this job. The median salary is 40,600 SEK for men and 41,400 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a social worker earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where social work professionals earn 43,300 SEK per month on average.

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