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How much does a software tester earn in Sweden?

Games and digital media developers. 4,200 people employed in Sweden.

52,300SEK

per month is the median salary for a software tester in Sweden in 2025. That is 37% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €4,650 / $5,400 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 40,079 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The mean monthly salary for a software tester in Sweden is 55,300 SEK (2025). The median salary is 52,300 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 36,500 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 78,000 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
55,300 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
36,500 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
78,000 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
4,200
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among games and digital media developers in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

36,500 SEKLowest 10%52,300 SEKMedian78,000 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 43,800–64,400 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What games and digital media 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 55,300 SEK 52,300 SEK 54,400 SEK 47,000 SEK
Private sector 56,100 SEK 53,600 SEK 55,200 SEK 47,000 SEK
Public sector 49,100 SEK 49,200 SEK 49,300 SEK 49,000 SEK
Central government 49,100 SEK 49,200 SEK 49,300 SEK 49,000 SEK

Salary after tax

What games and digital media 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 40,079 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 49,200 SEK before tax — roughly 37,992 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 78,000 SEK, which is roughly 52,789 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a software tester

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 tester

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 40,000 80,000 Median pay Number
Men 54,400 SEK 3,300
Women 47,000 SEK –

Women's average salary is 91% 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 games and digital media developers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 40,000 80,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 49,200 SEK 49,600 SEK 48,200 SEK 1,800
35–44 years 60,400 SEK 62,200 SEK 54,100 SEK 1,500
45–54 years 66,800 SEK 67,800 SEK – 590
55–64 years 59,300 SEK – – 150

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 40,000 80,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 49,600 SEK – – –
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 49,200 SEK 49,800 SEK – 1,200
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 59,000 SEK 60,700 SEK 53,900 SEK 2,300
No information about level of educational attainment 54,800 SEK 56,800 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 80,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 58,800 SEK 60,000 SEK 54,500 SEK 2,800
South Sweden 51,000 SEK 52,700 SEK – –
West Sweden 45,100 SEK – – –
North-Central Sweden 47,800 SEK 48,300 SEK – 140

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 39,100 SEK in 2014 to 52,300 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 2513, “utvecklare inom spel och digitala media”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Designer, level, IT
  • Engine programmer
  • Game programmer
  • Gameplay programmer
  • Programmerare, handheld games
  • Programmerare, konsolspel
  • Programmerare, mobilspel
  • Programmerare, onlinespel
  • Programmerare, PC-spel
  • Programmerare, web games
  • Spelutvecklare, IT

Frequently asked questions

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

The median salary for a software tester in Sweden is 52,300 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 games and digital media developers sit 37% higher than the typical job.

How much does a software tester earn after tax?

The median salary for a software tester is 52,300 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 40,079 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 games and digital media developers?

The average (55,300 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (52,300 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what games and digital media developers typically earn.

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

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: games and digital media developers aged 25–34 years earn 49,200 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 36,500 SEK.

How high can the salary go for games and digital media developers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 78,000 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 games and digital media developers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 91% of men's in this job. The median salary is 54,400 SEK for men and 47,000 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a software tester earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where games and digital media developers earn 58,800 SEK per month on average.

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