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How much does a veterinary nurse earn in Sweden?

Veterinary assistants. 2,800 people employed in Sweden.

33,500SEK

per month is the median salary for a veterinary nurse in Sweden in 2025. That is 13% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

+4.7% since 2024

≈ €2,950 / $3,450 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 26,907 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 193 SEK an hour · 402,000 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.

The average salary for a veterinary nurse in Sweden is 34,800 SEK per month (2025). The median salary is 33,500 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 27,400 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 43,200 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
34,800 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
27,400 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
43,200 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
2,800
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

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

27,400 SEKLowest 10%33,500 SEKMedian43,200 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 30,000–38,300 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Veterinary nurse 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 29,000 SEK a month on average — roughly 23,500 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 18–24 29,000 SEK 23,513 SEK
Average, aged 25–34 32,900 SEK 26,455 SEK
Lowest 10% earn less than 27,400 SEK 22,306 SEK
Lowest 25% earn less than 30,000 SEK 24,267 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.

Veterinary nurse pay in the private and public sector

What veterinary assistants 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 34,800 SEK 33,500 SEK 34,200 SEK 33,300 SEK
Private sector 34,600 SEK 33,000 SEK – 33,000 SEK
Public sector 37,400 SEK 35,500 SEK 35,100 SEK 35,600 SEK
Central government 37,400 SEK 35,500 SEK 35,100 SEK 35,600 SEK

Veterinary nurse salary after tax in Sweden

What veterinary assistants actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 33,500 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 26,907 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

33,500 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 26,907 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 27,346 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 26,862 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 26,899 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 27,602 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 26,247 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 29,000 SEK before tax — roughly 23,513 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 43,200 SEK, which is roughly 33,952 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a veterinary nurse

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 veterinary nurse

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 30,000 40,000 Median pay Number
Men 34,200 SEK 200
Women 33,300 SEK 2,600

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.

Veterinary nurse salary by age

Pay for veterinary assistants normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 29,000 SEK – 29,000 SEK 410
25–34 years 32,900 SEK – 33,000 SEK 1,000
35–44 years 37,300 SEK – 37,300 SEK 650
45–54 years 38,300 SEK – 38,500 SEK 420
55–64 years 38,200 SEK – 38,200 SEK 300

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 36,000 SEK – – 220
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 33,500 SEK – 33,600 SEK 1,300
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 34,900 SEK – 35,100 SEK 540
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 36,700 SEK – 36,600 SEK 670

Veterinary nurse 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 40,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 36,000 SEK – 35,700 SEK 550
East-Central Sweden 34,200 SEK – 34,600 SEK –
South Sweden 33,800 SEK – 33,600 SEK 400
West Sweden 35,000 SEK – 35,000 SEK 550
Central Norrland 36,000 SEK – – –

Veterinary nurse 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 25,100 SEK in 2014 to 33,500 SEK in 2025, +33% 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 3240, “djursjukskötare m.fl.”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Canineopat
  • Djursjukskötare, legitimerad
  • Hundsjukvårdare
  • Veterinärassistent

Frequently asked questions

How much does a veterinary nurse 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 33,500 SEK a month before tax, against 32,000 SEK the year before (2024) — +4.7%. 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 a veterinary nurse in Sweden?

The median salary for a veterinary nurse in Sweden is 33,500 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 veterinary assistants sit 13% lower than the typical job.

How much does a veterinary nurse earn after tax?

The median salary for a veterinary nurse is 33,500 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 26,900 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 veterinary assistants?

The average (34,800 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (33,500 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what veterinary assistants typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a veterinary nurse in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: veterinary assistants aged 18–24 years earn 29,000 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 27,400 SEK. More in the section “Veterinary nurse starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for veterinary assistants?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 43,200 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 veterinary assistants in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 100% of men's in this job. The median salary is 34,200 SEK for men and 33,300 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a veterinary nurse earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where veterinary assistants earn 36,000 SEK per month on average.

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