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How much does a software developer earn in Sweden?

Software- and system developers. 113,100 people employed in Sweden.

53,500SEK

per month is the median salary for a software developer in Sweden in 2025. That is 40% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €4,750 / $5,500 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 40,887 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In the 2025 salary statistics, a software developer earned 55,500 SEK a month on average in Sweden. The median salary is 53,500 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 39,600 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 72,600 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
55,500 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
39,600 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
72,600 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
113,100
In this job in Sweden

Software developers design, write and maintain software, apps and systems, often in teams with testers and architects. Routes into the job vary: a university degree in computer science or computer engineering is common, many have trained at a higher vocational school (yrkeshögskola), and the occupation is not regulated. Most work in the private sector, at IT consultancies as well as companies building their own products, with a smaller share in the public sector. Pay varies with experience, industry, location and technical specialism.

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among software- and system developers in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

39,600 SEKLowest 10%53,500 SEKMedian72,600 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 46,200–62,600 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What software- and system developers 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 55,500 SEK 53,500 SEK 53,600 SEK 52,000 SEK
Private sector 55,900 SEK 53,600 SEK 53,800 SEK 52,500 SEK
Public sector 48,700 SEK 48,500 SEK 48,900 SEK 47,800 SEK
Central government 49,300 SEK 49,500 SEK 49,600 SEK 49,200 SEK
Municipalities 46,200 SEK 45,800 SEK 45,900 SEK 45,700 SEK
Regions (health care) 48,300 SEK 47,700 SEK 48,300 SEK 45,500 SEK

Salary after tax

What software- and system developers 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 40,887 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 36,100 SEK before tax — roughly 28,868 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 72,600 SEK, which is roughly 50,233 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a software developer

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 software developer

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 40,000 70,000 Median pay Number
Men 53,600 SEK 88,600
Women 52,000 SEK 24,500

Women's average salary is 95% 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 software- and system developers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 40,000 70,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 36,100 SEK 36,600 SEK 34,300 SEK –
25–34 years 49,300 SEK 49,400 SEK 49,000 SEK 35,500
35–44 years 56,600 SEK 57,100 SEK 54,400 SEK 36,000
45–54 years 61,100 SEK 61,700 SEK 58,700 SEK 25,800
55–64 years 62,300 SEK 63,000 SEK 59,800 SEK 12,600

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 40,000 70,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 52,700 SEK 52,400 SEK – –
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 57,900 SEK 58,400 SEK 55,100 SEK 2,300
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 54,500 SEK 54,900 SEK 52,800 SEK 8,900
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 52,600 SEK 53,100 SEK 50,500 SEK 27,100
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 56,500 SEK 57,300 SEK 54,000 SEK 69,100
Post-graduate education (ISCED97 6) 63,000 SEK 63,500 SEK 60,200 SEK –
No information about level of educational attainment 57,100 SEK 58,100 SEK 55,100 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 70,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 59,400 SEK 60,600 SEK 55,600 SEK 51,000
East-Central Sweden 52,400 SEK 52,600 SEK 51,200 SEK 11,800
Småland and islands 48,400 SEK 49,300 SEK 45,700 SEK –
South Sweden 52,900 SEK 53,300 SEK 50,600 SEK 14,000
West Sweden 54,100 SEK 54,100 SEK 54,100 SEK 20,200
North-Central Sweden 48,600 SEK 49,400 SEK 45,800 SEK –
Central Norrland 52,000 SEK 52,200 SEK 51,200 SEK –
Upper Norrland 50,900 SEK 51,400 SEK 48,100 SEK –

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 40,000 SEK in 2014 to 53,500 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 2512, “mjukvaru- och systemutvecklare m.fl.”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • App utvecklare
  • Applikationsingenjör, programmering
  • Applikationsprogrammerare
  • Applikationsspecialist
  • Applikationsutvecklare
  • Civilingenjör, systemutveckling
  • Data Warehouse specialist
  • Databasanalytiker
  • Databasdesigner
  • Databasprogrammerare
  • Databasutvecklare
  • Datakonsult applikationsprogrammerare
  • Datakonsult, databasutveckling
  • Datakonsult, systemutveckling
  • Datakonsult, webb- och multimedia
  • Dataprogrammerare
  • IT projektledare applikationsprogrammerare
  • IT projektledare, databasutveckling
  • IT projektledare, systemutveckling
  • IT projektledare, webb- och multimedia
  • IT-konsult applikationsprogrammerare
  • IT-konsult, databasutveckling
  • IT-konsult, programvaruutveckling
  • IT-konsult, systemutveckling
  • IT-konsult, webb- och multimedia
  • IT-utvecklare
  • Javautvecklare
  • Konsult, data applikationsprogrammerare
  • Konsult, data, databasutveckling
  • Konsult, data, systemutveckling
  • Konsult, data, webb- och multimedia
  • Konsult, IT applikationsprogrammerare
  • Konsult, IT, databasutveckling
  • Konsult, IT, systemutveckling
  • Konsult, IT, webb- och multimedia
  • Medieingenjör
  • Mjukvarudesigner
  • Mjukvaruingenjör
  • Mjukvarukonstruktör
  • Mjukvaruutvecklare
  • Mobilutvecklare
  • Produktägare, IT
  • Programmerare, data
  • Programutvecklare
  • Programvarukonstruktör
  • Programvaruutvecklare
  • Projektledare, IT applikationsprogrammerare
  • Projektledare, IT, databasutveckling
  • Projektledare, IT, programvaruutveckling
  • Projektledare, IT, systemutveckling
  • Projektledare, IT, webb- och multimedia
  • Projektledare, systemutveckling
  • Softwaredesigner
  • Systemdesigner
  • Systemerare
  • Systemkonstruktör
  • Systemprogrammerare
  • Systemtekniker, systemerare
  • Systemutvecklare
  • Systemvetare
  • Webbprogrammerare
  • Webbutvecklare

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a software developer in Sweden?

The median salary for a software developer in Sweden is 53,500 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 software- and system developers sit 40% higher than the typical job.

How much does a software developer earn after tax?

The median salary for a software developer is 53,500 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 40,887 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 software- and system developers?

The average (55,500 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (53,500 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what software- and system developers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a software developer in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: software- and system developers aged 18–24 years earn 36,100 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 39,600 SEK.

How high can the salary go for software- and system developers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 72,600 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 software- and system developers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 95% of men's in this job. The median salary is 53,600 SEK for men and 52,000 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a software developer earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where software- and system developers earn 59,400 SEK per month on average.

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