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How much does an upper secondary school teacher earn in Sweden?

Secondary education teachers. 27,000 people employed in Sweden.

44,200SEK

per month is the median salary for an upper secondary school teacher in Sweden in 2025. That is 15% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

+3.8% since 2024

≈ €3,900 / $4,550 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 34,625 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 255 SEK an hour · 530,400 SEK a year

The hourly figure is the monthly salary divided by 173.3 hours (40 hours a week × 52 weeks / 12 months); the yearly figure is twelve times the monthly salary.

An upper secondary school teacher earns 44,200 SEK per month on average in Sweden (2025). The median salary is 44,200 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 37,400 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 51,200 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
44,200 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
37,400 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
51,200 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
27,000
In this job in Sweden

Upper secondary school teachers teach one or more subjects at the gymnasieskola, either on programmes that prepare students for higher education or in the common core subjects on vocational programmes. As a rule, a permanent post requires a subject teacher degree and a teacher's certificate from the National Agency for Education (Skolverket) covering the subjects taught. Employers include municipalities, regions and independent schools. Pay varies with experience, subjects, location and type of school; teachers of vocational subjects are counted as a separate occupation.

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among secondary education teachers in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

37,400 SEKLowest 10%44,200 SEKMedian51,200 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 40,900–47,600 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Upper secondary school teacher starting salary

Statistics Sweden publishes no starting-salary figures. The closest proxies are what the youngest people in the job earn and where the lower end of the pay distribution sits.

The youngest in the job, aged 18–24, earn 31,000 SEK a month on average — roughly 25,000 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 18–24 31,000 SEK 25,021 SEK
Average, aged 25–34 39,900 SEK 31,730 SEK
Lowest 10% earn less than 37,400 SEK 29,849 SEK
Lowest 25% earn less than 40,900 SEK 32,404 SEK

These are proxies, not starting salaries. An age band holds both people who have just started and people ten years into the job, and the lowest paid are not always newcomers. The collective-agreement minimum and an individual offer can sit above or below.

Upper secondary school teacher pay in the private and public sector

What secondary education teachers 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 44,200 SEK 44,200 SEK 44,200 SEK 44,200 SEK
Private sector 42,100 SEK 41,400 SEK 41,700 SEK 41,300 SEK
Public sector 44,800 SEK 44,800 SEK 44,700 SEK 44,900 SEK
Municipalities 45,000 SEK 45,000 SEK 44,900 SEK 45,100 SEK
Regions (health care) 42,100 SEK 41,700 SEK 41,400 SEK 41,800 SEK

Upper secondary school teacher salary after tax in Sweden

What secondary education teachers actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 44,200 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 34,625 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

44,200 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 34,625 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 35,255 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 34,561 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 34,613 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 35,635 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 33,668 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 31,000 SEK before tax — roughly 25,021 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 51,200 SEK, which is roughly 39,338 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for an upper secondary school teacher

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 an upper secondary school teacher

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 30,000 50,000 Median pay Number
Men 44,200 SEK 11,200
Women 44,200 SEK 15,800

Women's average salary is 100% 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.

Upper secondary school teacher salary by age

Pay for secondary education teachers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 31,000 SEK 30,400 SEK 31,500 SEK 290
25–34 years 39,900 SEK 40,000 SEK 39,900 SEK 3,800
35–44 years 43,400 SEK 43,500 SEK 43,300 SEK 6,400
45–54 years 45,500 SEK 45,800 SEK 45,300 SEK 8,600
55–64 years 45,800 SEK 45,900 SEK 45,800 SEK 6,600

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 38,900 SEK 38,900 SEK – 220
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 35,900 SEK 36,500 SEK 35,100 SEK 700
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 40,000 SEK 39,800 SEK 40,200 SEK 1,700
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 44,700 SEK 44,800 SEK 44,700 SEK 23,700
Post-graduate education (ISCED97 6) 48,800 SEK 48,300 SEK 49,400 SEK 600

Upper secondary school teacher salary by region

Statistics Sweden reports pay by job at the level of national areas (NUTS 2), not by county.

Monthly salary by region
Region 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 47,100 SEK 46,900 SEK 47,200 SEK 4,400
East-Central Sweden 43,500 SEK 43,000 SEK 43,800 SEK 4,500
Småland and islands 43,000 SEK 42,900 SEK 43,000 SEK 2,700
South Sweden 44,400 SEK 44,400 SEK 44,300 SEK 4,100
West Sweden 44,500 SEK 44,700 SEK 44,300 SEK 5,600
North-Central Sweden 43,100 SEK 43,300 SEK 43,000 SEK –
Central Norrland 42,700 SEK 42,000 SEK 43,100 SEK 1,100
Upper Norrland 42,700 SEK 42,100 SEK 43,100 SEK 1,700

Upper secondary school teacher 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 31,400 SEK in 2014 to 44,200 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 2330, “gymnasielärare”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Adjunkt, gymnasieskola
  • Barnavårdslärare, ej yrkesundervisning
  • Bildlärare, gymnasieskola
  • Datalärare, gymnasieskola
  • Folkhögskolelärare
  • Folkhögskollärare
  • Fotolärare
  • Fotolärare, gymnasieskola
  • Förstelärare, gymnasieskola
  • Gymnasielärare, allmänna ämnen
  • Gymnasielärare, estetiska o. praktiska ämnen
  • Gymnastikdirektör
  • Gymnastiklärare, gymnasieskola
  • Handarbetslärare
  • Hemspråkslärare, gymnasieskola
  • Hushållslärare, gymnasieskola
  • Idrottslärare, gymnasieskola
  • Komvuxlärare, gymnasielärare, allmänna ämnen
  • Lektor, gymnasieskola
  • Lärare, barn- o. ungdomskunskap
  • Lärare, bildämnen, gymnasieskola
  • Lärare, dans, teater, drama, gymnasieskola
  • Lärare, datakunskap (gymnasieskola)
  • Lärare, ekonomiska ämnen
  • Lärare, estetiska och praktiska ämnen, gymnasieskola
  • Lärare, folkhögskola
  • Lärare, gymnasieskola, allm. ämne
  • Lärare, gymnasieskola, allmänna ämnen
  • Lärare, gymnasieskola, estetiska/praktiska ämnen
  • Lärare, hemkunskap, gymnasieskola
  • Lärare, historia, filosofi
  • Lärare, idrott, gymnastik, hälsa, gymnasieskola
  • Lärare, ljud och musik
  • Lärare, matematik-naturvetenskapliga ämnen, gymnasieskola
  • Lärare, musik, gymnasieskola
  • Lärare, religionskunskap
  • Lärare, samhälls- och beteendevetenskap
  • Lärare, språk (gymnasieskola)
  • Lärare, textilkunskap, gymnasieskola
  • Lärare, trä- och metallslöjd, gymnasieskola
  • Modersmålslärare, gymnasieskola
  • Musikdirektör, undervisning
  • Musikledare
  • Musiklärare, gymnasieskola
  • Musikpedagog, gymnasieskola
  • Rytmiklärare
  • Slöjdlärare, gymnasieskola
  • Teckningslärare
  • Textillärare, gymnasieskola
  • Textilslöjdslärare, gymnasieskola
  • Vävlärare
  • Ämneslärare, ekonomiska ämnen
  • Ämneslärare, gymnasieskola

Frequently asked questions

How much does an upper secondary school teacher earn in 2026?

The latest figures are Statistics Sweden's salary structure statistics for 2025, published on 16 June 2026. The median salary was then 44,200 SEK a month before tax, against 42,600 SEK the year before (2024) — +3.8%. Figures for 2026 are normally published in June 2027; until then the 2025 figures are the latest there are, and we do not project our own.

What is the median salary for an upper secondary school teacher in Sweden?

The median salary for an upper secondary school teacher in Sweden is 44,200 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 secondary education teachers sit 15% higher than the typical job.

How much does an upper secondary school teacher earn after tax?

The median salary for an upper secondary school teacher is 44,200 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 34,600 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 secondary education teachers?

The average (44,200 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (44,200 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what secondary education teachers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for an upper secondary school teacher in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: secondary education teachers aged 18–24 years earn 31,000 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 37,400 SEK. More in the section “Upper secondary school teacher starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for secondary education teachers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 51,200 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 secondary education teachers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 100% of men's in this job. The median salary is 44,200 SEK for men and 44,200 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does an upper secondary school teacher earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where secondary education teachers earn 47,100 SEK per month on average.

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