Work & incomeSweden
Tax on pay in Sweden
How much of my salary never arrives?
Sweden's tax on pay is 22.64 % — #10 of 37 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.
22.64%
Source: OECD Taxing Wages + OECD Tax Database
Of every $100 of gross pay at the average wage in Sweden, about $23 goes to income tax and employee social contributions.
Among 37 countries
- Rank
- #10 of 37
- lower is better
- Ranked behind
- 73 %
- 27 of 37 countries
In Europe: #3 of 25vs median 24.93 %: −2.29 pp (better)
The neighbourhood
| # | Country | Tax on pay | vs Sweden |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Czech Republic | 21.33 % | −1.31 pp |
| 9 | Israel | 21.43 % | −1.21 pp |
| 10 | Sweden | 22.64 % | — |
| 11 | Japan | 22.65 % | +0.01 pp |
| 12 | United Kingdom | 23.14 % | +0.50 pp |
Income tax plus employee social contributions as a share of gross pay, for a single person at the average wage (OECD). The share of a salary that never arrives.
How to read this figure
The OECD net personal average tax rate: income tax plus the EMPLOYEE’s social contributions as a share of gross wage earnings, for a single person with no children at exactly the average wage. This is the rate you can apply to a salary. It is deliberately smaller than the tax wedge on the same page, which measures a wider bite (it adds the employer’s contributions) over a wider base (total labour cost) — two honest answers to two different questions.