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How much does a specialist physician earn in Sweden?

Specialist physicians. 27,700 people employed in Sweden.

96,800SEK

per month is the median salary for a specialist physician in Sweden in 2025. That is 153% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €8,550 / $10,000 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 61,687 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The mean monthly salary for a specialist physician in Sweden is 98,000 SEK (2025). The median salary is 96,800 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 78,500 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 118,400 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
98,000 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
78,500 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
118,400 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
27,700
In this job in Sweden

Specialist physicians are licensed doctors who hold a certificate of specialist competence from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), in fields such as general practice, psychiatry or surgery. The route runs through the medical degree and several years of specialist training as a resident (ST-läkare). Most work in the regions' hospitals and health centres, while many are employed by private healthcare providers. Pay varies with specialty, experience, employer and managerial responsibility.

The pay range

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

78,500 SEKLowest 10%96,800 SEKMedian118,400 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 88,400–105,200 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What specialist physicians 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 98,000 SEK 96,800 SEK 97,900 SEK 96,000 SEK
Private sector 95,600 SEK 97,700 SEK 95,000 SEK 98,500 SEK
Public sector 98,500 SEK 96,500 SEK 98,300 SEK 95,000 SEK
Municipalities 99,800 SEK 96,000 SEK 100,300 SEK 93,600 SEK
Regions (health care) 98,500 SEK 96,500 SEK 98,300 SEK 95,000 SEK

Salary after tax

What specialist physicians 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 61,687 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 84,700 SEK before tax — roughly 55,960 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 118,400 SEK, which is roughly 71,910 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a specialist physician

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 specialist physician

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 40,000 120,000 Median pay Number
Men 97,900 SEK 13,500
Women 96,000 SEK 14,300

Women's average salary is 99% 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 specialist physicians normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 40,000 120,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 84,700 SEK 85,900 SEK 83,400 SEK 800
35–44 years 90,300 SEK 89,900 SEK 90,600 SEK 9,200
45–54 years 101,800 SEK 103,600 SEK 100,400 SEK 9,600
55–64 years 102,700 SEK 102,900 SEK 102,500 SEK 6,400

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 40,000 120,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 97,100 SEK 97,700 SEK 96,600 SEK 21,100
Post-graduate education (ISCED97 6) 100,600 SEK 101,400 SEK 99,700 SEK 6,400
No information about level of educational attainment 100,300 SEK 103,900 SEK 95,800 SEK 260

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 40,000 120,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 95,200 SEK 94,800 SEK 95,600 SEK 6,700
East-Central Sweden 101,800 SEK 104,700 SEK 98,700 SEK 4,600
Småland and islands 98,700 SEK 100,600 SEK 96,900 SEK 2,000
South Sweden 94,100 SEK 93,700 SEK 94,600 SEK 4,300
West Sweden 101,400 SEK 102,600 SEK 100,400 SEK 5,600
North-Central Sweden 94,200 SEK 93,000 SEK 95,900 SEK 2,100
Central Norrland 100,300 SEK 103,100 SEK 98,000 SEK 1,100
Upper Norrland 99,200 SEK 102,200 SEK 96,500 SEK 1,400

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 70,700 SEK in 2014 to 96,800 SEK in 2025, +37% 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 2211, “specialistläkare”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Allergolog
  • Allmänläkare
  • Anestesiläkare
  • Anestesiolog
  • Audiolog, medicinsk
  • Avdelningsläkare
  • Bakteriolog, klinisk
  • Barnkirurg
  • Barnläkare
  • Barnpsykiater
  • Cancerspecialist
  • Cytolog
  • Dermatolog
  • Distriktsläkare
  • Endokrinolog
  • Epidemiläkare
  • Epidemiolog
  • Farmakolog, klinisk
  • Foniater
  • Fysiolog, klinisk
  • Fältläkare
  • Företagsläkare
  • Försäkringsläkare
  • Förtroendeläkare
  • Gastroenterolog
  • Geriatriker
  • Gynekolog
  • Handkirurg
  • Hematolog
  • Hudläkare
  • Husläkare
  • Immunolog, klinisk
  • Infektionsläkare
  • Kardiolog
  • Kirurg
  • Klinisk bakteriolog
  • Klinisk cytolog
  • Klinisk farmakolog
  • Klinisk fysiolog
  • Klinisk immunolog
  • Klinisk neurofysiolog
  • Klinisk patolog
  • Klinisk virolog
  • Laboratorieläkare
  • Lungläkare
  • Läkare, allmän
  • Läkare, allmänmedicinare
  • Läkare, allmänspecialist
  • Läkare, specialist
  • Länsläkare
  • Narkosläkare
  • Nefrolog
  • Neurofysiolog
  • Neurokirurg
  • Neurolog
  • Obducent
  • Obstetriker
  • Onkolog
  • Ortoped
  • Ortopedkirurg
  • Patolog
  • Pediatriker
  • Plastikkirurg
  • Psykiater
  • Psykiatriker
  • Radiolog
  • Regementsläkare
  • Rehabiliteringsläkare
  • Reumatolog
  • Rättsläkare
  • Rättsmedicinare
  • Rättspsykiater
  • Röntgenläkare
  • Skolläkare
  • Skolöverläkare
  • Socialläkare
  • Socialmedicinare
  • Specialistläkare
  • Thoraxkirurg
  • Urolog
  • Venereolog
  • Virolog, klinisk
  • Yrkesmedicinare
  • Ögonläkare
  • Öronläkare
  • Överläkare

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a specialist physician in Sweden?

The median salary for a specialist physician in Sweden is 96,800 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 specialist physicians sit 153% higher than the typical job.

How much does a specialist physician earn after tax?

The median salary for a specialist physician is 96,800 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 61,687 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 specialist physicians?

The average (98,000 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (96,800 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what specialist physicians typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a specialist physician in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: specialist physicians aged 25–34 years earn 84,700 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 78,500 SEK.

How high can the salary go for specialist physicians?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 118,400 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 specialist physicians in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 99% of men's in this job. The median salary is 97,900 SEK for men and 96,000 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a specialist physician earn the most?

Pay is highest in East-Central Sweden, where specialist physicians earn 101,800 SEK per month on average.

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