Sweden
Worked in Sweden? Any pension you built up here is yours to keep and can usually be paid to you abroad — but you have to claim it; it won't start automatically. The full state pension age is 67, with early access from 64. On totalization, Sweden has bilateral totalization agreements, so the years you worked here may combine with other countries you've worked in. Below is Sweden's system at a glance and what expats should check.
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Overview
Sweden operates a multi-pillar pension system widely regarded as one of the most transparent and financially sustainable in the world.
The public pension (allmän pension) comprises three main components: the income pension (inkomstpension), a notional defined contribution (NDC) scheme crediting 16% of pensionable income to individual notional accounts indexed to wage growth; the premium pension (premiepension), a funded defined contribution scheme directing 2.5% of pensionable income into individually chosen investment funds (or the default AP7 Såfa); and the guarantee pension (garantipension), a residence-based minimum pension for those with low or no income pension, requiring 40 years of Swedish residence for the full amount and payable only to persons residing in Sweden. In total, 18.5% of pensionable income (up to 7.5 income base amounts, i.e. SEK 625,500/year or SEK 52,125/month in 2026) is set aside annually for the public pension, with 16% going to the income pension and 2.5% to the premium pension. Employers pay a pension contribution of 10.21% of gross payroll (part of the total 31.42% employer social security contribution), while employees pay a general pension contribution of 7% of gross salary up to a ceiling, which is fully offset by a tax credit making the effective net cost nil.
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Sweden's second pillar consists of quasi-mandatory occupational pensions (tjänstepension) established through collective bargaining agreements, covering approximately 90% of employees. The main schemes are ITP (white-collar private sector), SAF-LO/Avtalspension (blue-collar private sector), KAP-KL/AKAP-KL (municipal and regional), and PA 16 (central government). ITP1 (for those born 1979 or later) is a DC scheme with employer contributions of 4.5% of salary up to 7.5 income base amounts (SEK 52,125/month in 2026) and 30% on salary above that ceiling, subject to an overall cap of 30 income base amounts. ITP2 (for those born 1978 or earlier) is a DB scheme managed by Alecta. The third pillar consists of voluntary private savings; tax deductions for private pension contributions were largely abolished for employees in 2016, though self-employed persons retain some deductibility.
From 1 January 2026, a target retirement age (riktålder) of 67 has been introduced, replacing the previous fixed age thresholds. The earliest withdrawal age for income and premium pension is now 64 (three years before the target age of 67), and the guarantee pension minimum age is 67. The target age is linked to life expectancy and is decided six years in advance — the Riksdag has set 67 as the target age for 2026–2030 (applying to those born 1963 or earlier). Forecasts indicate the target age will rise to 68 for those born around 1967–1981. Employees have the right to remain in employment until age 69. Sweden has no fixed statutory retirement age, and the system is actuarially neutral — later retirement results in a higher monthly pension. The income pension is indexed to average wage growth (income index increased 3.56% for 2026), with an automatic balance mechanism (bromsen) that can reduce benefits if the system's financial ratio falls below 1.0; the balance ratio for 2026 is 1.1695, indicating a healthy surplus.
~52% (mandatory public + quasi-mandatory occupational, average earner, OECD Pensions at a Glance 2025); replacement rates for high earners (2× average wage) reach 70%+ in Sweden according to OECD 2025 data; combined public + occupational ~73% for typical full-career worker
Pillar 1: Income pension (NDC, 16%) + Premium pension (funded DC, 2.5%) + Guarantee pension (means- and residence-tested, residents only); Pillar 2: Occupational pensions (quasi-mandatory via collective agreements, ~90% coverage); Pillar 3: Individual voluntary pension savings
NDC (income pension) + funded DC (premium pension) + guarantee pension (residence-based) + quasi-mandatory occupational DC/DB
Employee
7
Employer
10.21
Self-Employed
18.5
Notes
Employee pays 7% general pension contribution (egenavgift) on gross salary up to SEK 625,500/year (7.5 × IBB for 2026; maximum contribution SEK 47,100/year); this is fully offset by a tax credit so the effective net cost is nil. Employer pays 10.21% of total gross payroll with no ceiling (pension portion of the 31.42% total social security contribution). From 1 January 2026, employers pay only the 10.21% pension contribution (not the full 31.42%) on compensation paid to employees aged 67 or over at the start of the year. A temporary youth reduction (20.81%) applies for employees aged 19–23 on salary up to SEK 25,000/month from April 2026 to September 2027. Self-employed pay 10.21% on net business income as employer equivalent, plus the 7% employee contribution (total 18.5% of pensionable income). Total public pension contribution is 18.5% of pensionable income (16% income pension + 2.5% premium pension). Occupational pension contributions are additional and paid entirely by the employer. Special payroll tax (särskild löneskatt, SLP) of 24.26% applies to employer occupational pension contributions.
Common questions
What is the retirement age in Sweden?
The full state pension age in Sweden is 67. Early retirement may be possible from 64. Deferring can raise your pension up to age 69.
Can I claim a Sweden pension if I live abroad?
Yes. A pension you've earned in Sweden stays yours wherever you retire, and can usually be paid into an overseas account once you reach pension age. It won't start automatically, though — you need to claim it, typically a few months in advance, through Sweden's pension authority.
Do totalization agreements affect my Sweden pension?
Sweden has bilateral social-security (totalization) agreements. These can let you combine the years you worked in Sweden with years in partner countries to meet a minimum qualifying period, so short stints aren't wasted. Which partners and rules apply depends on your own work history.
How is the pension system structured in Sweden?
NDC (income pension) + funded DC (premium pension) + guarantee pension (residence-based) + quasi-mandatory occupational DC/DB Pillar 1: Income pension (NDC, 16%) + Premium pension (funded DC, 2.5%) + Guarantee pension (means- and residence-tested, residents only); Pillar 2: Occupational pensions (quasi-mandatory via collective agreements, ~90% coverage); Pillar 3: Individual voluntary pension savings It includes 7 schemes in our directory.
How do I get a copy of my Sweden pension record?
Ask minPension.se for your Pensionsprognos / orange kuvert (the Pension forecast and account statement). It's free and you can request it yourself — our step-by-step guide on this page walks through the portal, what to have ready, and what to do if the login fails.