What is the Average Software Engineer Salary Around the World 2021?

Digital disruption has embraced all industries. Day in, day out, the countries are fighting for tech talent and are ready to offer large sums in the race to win all-star engineers. That said, an average software engineer salary in the USA is $110,638, meanwhile in Israel it’s $76,791, in the UK—$68,462, in the Netherlands—$54,025, and in Germany—$60,162.

A software engineer salary can vary depending on seniority level and years of experience. And the margin in different countries can be impolitely high. For example, an entry level software engineer salary in the US is $103,382, in Switzerland it is $87,668 and in Germany it is $62,668.

The highest paying countries for software engineers are:

The USA — $110,638

Switzerland — $95,394

Israel — $76,791 

Norway — $64,202

Denmark — $72,151

The UK — $68,462

Germany — $60,162

The Netherlands — $54,025

New Zealand — $46,229

Average Software Developer Salary in the World

According to Indeed, the USA is the best-paying country for software engineers with the average software engineer salary in 2021 reaching $110,638. This means that the US software engineer salary per month is $9,219. Junior developers in the USA are paid $103,382 a year, while senior engineers with 6-9 years of experience earn $121,488. The highest paid software engineer city in the USA is San Francisco.  

What is the Average Software Developer Salary Around the World 2021?

Country Software Developer Salary

The USA $110,638

Switzerland $95,394

New Zealand $46,229

Norway $64,202

Denmark $72,151

United Kingdom  $42,394

Sweden $51,396

Germany $60,162

Netherlands $54,025

Finland $49,203

Australia $53,669

France $46,508

The average software developer salary in the world 2021

The Average Software Engineer Salary in Europe 2021

According to Payscale salary comparison, the highest paid software engineer country in Europe is Switzerland — $95,394, Norway — $64,202, and Denmark — $72,151 per year. The average software engineer salary per month in these countries is $7,949 for Switzerland, $5,350 — Norway, $6,012 — Denmark.

The average software developer salary by country in Europe is $60,162 for Germany, while in the Netherlands the salary falls to $54,025 per year. The average computer engineer salary in Sweden, Finland, and France ranges from $46K to $54K per year. The average software engineer salary in the UK is $42K and is the lowest among other countries. 

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The Average Software Engineer Salary in Europe 2021

Switzerland —  $95,394

Norway —  $64,202

Denmark —  $72,151

United Kingdom —  $42,394

Sweden —  $51,396

Germany —  $60,162

Netherlands —  $54,025

Finland —  $49,203

France —  $46,508

Switzerland pays the highest entry level software engineer salary — $87,668, while senior software developers earn $126,849 (PayScale). In the USA, the junior software developer salary is $106,214 and reaches $133,331 for senior developers. 

The greatest difference between senior and junior software developer salary happens in Switzerland, Australia, the UK, the Netherlands, and New Zealand — from $35K to $46K. Denmark features the smallest difference between entry-level and senior software engineer salary — only $20K. 

Ukraine, which is a popular outsourcing destination and where we build and retain cross-functional development teams for our clients, the average software developer salary is around $25K a year (Payscale). 

However, note that the actual annual income of Ukrainian software developers can be lower or higher than this national average depending on the city they live in, tech stack, and level of experience.

Software Engineer Salary in the US 2021

According to Indeed, the average salary of a software engineer in the US is $110K per year. An entry level software engineer salary in the US is $106K, while senior developers are paid $133K per year. Software engineer salary per month in the USA is $9,166.

The USA is the highest paid country in North America. To compare, a software engineer salary in Canada is as much as $63,459.

Software engineer salary in the USA

In terms of skills, iOS, Android, Python,  and JavaScript developers in the US are the highest-paid.

The average salary for iOS and Android software engineers in the US is $122K and $121K per year correspondingly.

Python and JavaScript developers in the US make $110K and $112K accordingly.

C++ developer salary in the USA is $104K per year.

The average Java developer salary in the USA stands at $103K.

The average PHP developer salary in the USA is $90,707. C# developers are paid $82,490 per year.

.NET developer salary in the USA is one of the lowest-paid and reaches $96,937 per year

Front-end developers and Full-Stack engineers in the US make around $109K. 

Software Engineer Salary in the USA by Programming Language 2021

Tech stack Salary 2017 Salary 2018 Salary 2019 Salary 2020 Salary 2021

Java $102,059 $102,985 $102,424 $104,838 $103,476

C# $92,378 $94,567 $95,052 $72,921 $82,490

C++ $115,619 $115,430 $117,293 $107,845 $104,681

.NET $92,378 $88,919 $91,785 $96,182 $96,937

JavaScript $110,057 $110,514 $111,373 $115,261 $112,550

PHP $86,353 $86,335 $89,149 $81,582 $90,707

Software Engineer Salary in Germany in 2021

According to Payscale, the software engineer salary in Germany after taxes is $65,689. 

Junior software engineers earn $62,668, while the salary for senior engineers reaches $76,407. 

In Berlin, software engineers are paid more than the national average — $72,710.

C++ ($63,312), iOS ($62,733), Android ($61,242) software engineers in Germany have the highest salaries in comparison to other technologies.

The salary of a PHP software engineer in Germany is the lowest and reaches $56,777.

.NET, Python, Java software engineer salary ranges from $60,949 (for .NET) to $59,544 (for Python).

JavaScript and Front-end software engineer salary in Germany is around $58K.

С# the developer salary in Germany is $57,124.

The average Full-Stack developer salary in Germany is $61,174 per year.

Software Engineer Salary in Germany by Programming Language 2021

Tech stack +

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Java $48,370 $56,475 $53,283 $59,882 $59,544

C# $46,708 $56,733 $51,169 $55,981 $57,124

C++ $53,631 $55,563 $54,298 $60,451 $63,312

.NET $48,290 $58,359 $54,502 $56,978 $60,949

JavaS $46,321 $53,823 $52,314 $57,080 $59,260

PHP $47,421 $54,737 $49,162 $56,714 $56,777

Software Engineer Salary in Switzerland 2021

Switzerland offers the highest software engineering salary in Europe and fully deserves to be called the best country for software engineers in Europe. According to PayScale, the average software engineer salary in Switzerland is CHF 84,934. An entry level software developer salary in Switzerland is CHF 78,056 per year, while senior engineers earn approximately CHF 112,940.​ 

Software Engineer Salary in Switzerland by Experience

Junior Engineer Salary Middle Engineer Salary Senior Engineer Salary

78,056 CHF 80,887 CHF 112,940 CHF

The average salary for Swiss Android developers is $93,436, which is the lowest among other technologies.

The front-end developer salary in Switzerland is $98,426 on average.

Python developer salary in Switzerland is $97,772.

PHP and Full-stack software developers earn $95,468 and $100,499 correspondingly.

The average pay for C# software developers in Switzerland is $112,315 per year, 

Java and C++ make $101,022 and $100,606 respectively. 

The highest software developer salary is for C# and .NET, which reaches $112,315 and $113,790.

iOS engineer salary in Switzerland is $105,262 on average.

Software Engineer Salary in Switzerland by Programming Language 2021

Tech stack Salary 2017 Salary 2018 Salary 2019 Salary 2020 Salary 2021

Java $83,299 $94,051 $83,852 $91,738 $101,022

C# $81,367 $88,176 $87,107 $89,860 $112,315

C++ $93,926 $89,086 $82,738 $94,197 $100,606

.NET $94,320 $78,680 $77,546 $92,146 $113,790

JavaScript $92,988 $92,726 $91,380 $85,059 $99,730

PHP $73,207 $67,267 $78,128 $74,758 $95,468

Software Engineer Salary in Denmark in 2021

The average software engineer salary in Denmark is DKK 443,273 per year Depending on the experience level, the salary ranges from DKK 419,789 for junior developers to DKK 542,488 for senior programmers. The average software engineer salary in Copenhagen is above the national average and reaches DKK 527,184, according to Glassdoor.

Software Engineer Salary in Switzerland by Experience

Junior Engineer Salary Middle Engineer Salary Senior Engineer Salary

419,789 DKK 470,083 DKK 542,488 DKK

The average JavaScript and C# software developer salary in Denmark is the lowest among other technologies — it ranges between $67-69K per year. 

Python software developers in Denmark enjoy the highest salaries — $79,246.

The average .NET salary in Denmark is $71,070.

The average Java and C++ developer salary in Denmark is $74,874 and $78,473 accordingly.

Software Engineer Salary in Denmark by Programming Language 2021

Tech stack Salary 2017 Salary 2018 Salary 2019 Salary 2020 Salary 2021

Java $70,380 $72,800 $73,180 $70,541 $74,874

C# $64,463 $65,176 $65,355 $65,555 $69,326

C++ $70,008 $70,782 $70,500 $62,484 $78,473

.NET $74,860 $75,688 $75,051 $69,829 $71,070

JavaScript $65,852 $69,205 $53,891 $63,996 $67,957

Software Programmer Salary in Norway in 2021

According to PayScale, the average software programmer salary in Norway is NOK 547,248. Junior programmers earn NOK 488,934 on average, middle developers earn NOK 598,947 per year, while senior developer salary in Norway is NOK 723,049. The average programmer salary in Oslo is NOK 602,669 – higher than the national average, according to Glassdoor.

Software Programmer Salary in Norway by Experience

Junior Engineer Salary Middle Engineer Salary Senior Engineer Salary

488,934 NOK 598,947 NOK 723,049 NOK

PHP software developer salary in Norway is the lowest among other technologies — only $53,753.

iOS software programmer salary in Norway is $58,659. C++ developer salary is $64,935.

The average JavaScript developer salary in Norway reaches $66,386 per year. 

Python and Android developer salaries in Norway are around $70K.

C# and .NET software programmer salaries in Norway range from $67,450 to $69,705 accordingly.

Java developer salary in Norway is the highest — $72,283.

Software Programmer Salary in Norway by Programming Language 2021

Tech stack Salary 2017 Salary 2018 Salary 2019 Salary 2020 Salary 2021

Java $67,397 $67,979 $67,337 $58,463 $72,283

C# $67,272 $66,740 $65,145 $62,133 $67,450

C++ $67,330 $65,320 $77,507 $58,463 $64,935

.NET $67,397 $71,486 $72,335 $61,876 $69,705

JavaScript $66,573 $66,471 $72,500 $60,098 $66,386

PHP $66,694 $68,166 $70,838 $51,837 $53,753

Software Developer Salary in Israel in 2021

According to PayScale, the average software engineer salary per month in Israel is $6,399 or $76,791 per year. Junior developers in Israel earn $73,753, while senior software engineers can expect $116,499 on average. Mid-career software engineers with 5-9 years of experience earn $98,409.

C# software engineer salary in Israel is the highest among other technologies — $94,214.

C++ ($67,732), .NET ($68,221) and JavaScript ($69,143) developers have the lowest salaries.

PHP and Android engineer salary is $79,284 and $81,883 accordingly.

The golden mean belongs to Java, Python, and iOS — between $88-93K. 

Software engineer salary for iOS developers is $92,025.

Software Engineer Salary in Israel by Programming Language 2021

Tech stack +

Salary in Israel 2017 *

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Java $56,168 $54,270 $65,666 $86,731 $93,728

C# $64,834 $69,927 $66,897 $81,612 $94,214

C++ $66,191 $69,037 $67,369 $65,181 $67,732

.NET $66,191 $60,588 $65,324 $105,053 $68,221

JavaS $65,592 $67,857 $58,791 $54,986 $69,143

PHP $39,953 $46,873 $48,993 $74,666 $79,284

Software Developer Salary in Sweden in 2021

According to PayScale, the average IT developer salary in Sweden is SEK 430,319. The average junior developer salary in Sweden is SEK 360,000 per year, middle developers earn SEK 474,044, while senior software engineer salary in Sweden is SEK 569,015. 

The average salary in Stockholm is above the national average reaching approximately SEK 501,000.

Software Programmer Salary in Sweden by Experience

Junior Software Engineer Salary 360,000 SEK

Middle Software Engineer Salary 474,044 SEK

Senior Software Engineer Salary 569,015 SEK

Software developer salary in Sweden by programming language:

JavaScript and iOS software developers in Sweden have the highest salary, which is approximately $62K.

Java and Python developer salaries in Sweden are nearly on the same line and reach $57K.

Front-end developers in Sweden have the lowest salary in comparison to other technologies and reach $48,485.

.NET, Android and PHP developer salaries in Sweden range from $56,366 (for .NET) to $53,389 (for PHP).

C++ and C# Software developer salaries are the lowest in the country and are $52,361 and $50,687 accordingly.

Software Developer Salary in Sweden by Programming Language 2021

Tech stack Salary 2017 Salary 2018 Salary 2019 Salary 2020 Salary 2021

Java $54,987 $56,009 $55,296 $44,774 $57,652

C# $51,031 $51,330 $52,011 $44,301 $50,687

C++ $52,128 $52,339 $52,692 $49,132 $52,361

.NET $54,872 $53,469 $55,250 $44,819 $56,366

JavaScript $52,677 $49,726 $52,754 $44,640 $61,782

Software Engineer Salary in the UK in 2021

According to ITJobsWatch, the average software engineer salary in the UK is $68,462. Junior software engineers in the UK earn $41,077, while senior engineers are paid $78,731.

How much do programmers make in the UK?

Java developers in the UK are paid the highest salary — $95,171.

C# ($59,072), .NET ($59,072) and PHP ($55,790) developers get the lowest pay.

Android developer salary in the UK is $78,762.

iOS and Python developer salary in the UK range from $82,044 to $88,607 correspondingly.

C++ and JavaScript software developer salary is within a range of $65,635-$66,948. 

Front-end and Full-stack developers can claim for $68,917 and $67,284 accordingly.

Software Developer Salary in the UK by Programming Language 2021

Tech stack Salary 2017 Salary 2018 Salary 2019 Salary 2020 Salary 2021

Java $58,166 $69,114 $72,000 $95,171 $89,001

C++ $51,714 $62,203 $65,454 $65,635 $82,155

.NET $54,909 $58,747 $57,600 $59,072 $61,616

JavaS $58,133 $66,349 $65,454 $66,948 $78,731

PHP $48,444 $52,197 $52,363 $55,790 $54,770

Software Programmer Salary in the Netherlands in 2021

According to PayScale, the average software engineer salary in the Netherlands is $54,219. Junior programmers earn $37,908, while senior software developer salary in the Netherlands can reach $72,005. Mid career software programmers with 5-9 years of experience earn $64,167.

According to Glassdoor, the average developer salary in Amsterdam is $75,609 per year.

Software programmer salary in the Netherlands

C++ software developer salary in the Netherlands is the highest-paid in comparison to other technologies — $69,492.

Front-end and PHP developers are the lowest-paid, their salaries can reach $50,657-$48,084 accordingly.

.NET software engineers are paid below the national average — $52,829.

Above the national average stay Python and iOS (around $56K), C# and JavaScript (around $57K).

Java and Android developer salaries in the Netherlands stand at $57,692 and $59,576 accordingly.

Software Developer Salary in the Netherlands by Programming Language 2021

Tech stack Salary 2017 Salary 2018 Salary 2019 Salary 2020 Salary 2021

Java $43,937 $50,896 $47,996 $50,709 $57,692

C# $41,528 $47,897 $45,166 $48,043 $56,540

C++ $44,914 $53,217 $51,308 $55,902 $69,492

.NET $40,556 $49,428 $47,598 $50,844 $52,829

JavaScript $43,982 $52,157 $48,251 $48,597 $56,808

PHP $39,447 $44,981 $40,594 $45,602 $48,084

Software Developer Salary in Australia in 2021

According to Payscale, the average software developer salary in Australia is AUD 69,448. Junior engineer salary in Australia is AUD 65,364, while middle software developers earn AUD 81,681. The average salary of a senior software engineer in Australia is AUD 92,186 per year. Software developer salary in Sydney stays at  AUD 100K.

Software Engineer Salary in Australia by Experience

Junior Engineer Salary Middle Engineer Salary Senior Engineer Salary

65,364 AUD 81,681 AUD 92,186 AUD

The average Android and Java developer salaries in Australia are $63,300 and are the highest among other technologies. 

iOS developer salary in Australia is $62,052.

C++ and Full-stack developers in Australia are paid $60,780 and $61,146 correspondingly.

JavaScript, .NET and C# developers earn approximately $58K on average, while Python developers are paid a little higher — $59K.

PHP developer salary in Australia is $53,996 and is the lowest in comparison to other technologies.

Front-end developer salary is $58,074.

Software Developer Salary in Australia by Programming Language 2021

Programming Language +

Software Developer Salary in Australia in 2020 *

Software Developer Salary in Australia in 2021 **

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Android $50,937 $63,319

iOS $49,000 $62,052

C# $47,705 $57,986

Ruby $46,001 $65,534

Python $45,467 $59,300

C++ $44,622 $60,780

Java $44,052 $63,342

.NET $43,906 $58,539

JavaScript $42,578 $58,076

PHP $38,607 $53,996

Software Engineer Salary in Finland in 2021

According to Payscale, the average software engineer salary in Finland is EUR 40,637.

Junior software engineers in Finland are paid EUR 33,147 per year, middle developers – EUR 48,621, while the salary for senior engineers hovers around the EUR 56,213 mark. In Helsinki, the software engineer salary is EUR 61,153, according to Glassdoor. 

Software Engineer Salary in Finland in 2021

Junior Engineer Salary Middle Engineer Salary Senior Engineer Salary

33,147 EUR 48,621 EUR 56,213 EUR

Software engineer salary in Finland by programming language:

C++ developers in Finland are the lowest-paid in comparison to other technologies — $41,409, while Python developer salary is the highest-paid and reaches $57,284.

JavaScript, .NET and C# software developer salary goes above the national average and range between $50K and $54K.

Front-end and Full-Stack developer salaries are around $49K.

Java salary in Finland is $56,752 per year.

Android and iOS developers earn $46,690 and $48,310 accordingly.

The average PHP software developer salary is $47,590, while for C++ engineers it makes $44,091.

Software Engineer Salary in Finland by Programming Language 2021

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Java $44,952 $50,196 $47,329 $51,176 $56,752

C# $39,800 $45,856 $42,215 $37,186 $54,070

C++ $39,009 $44,406 $41,069 $44,091 $41,409

.NET $41,425 $45,956 $43,255 $40,867 $53,504

JavaS $42,819 $48,746 $42,913 $45,032 $50,788

PHP $41,977 $44,886 $39,219 $43,597 $47,590

Software Developer Salary By City, February 2021

How much do software developers make in the highest paid cities? Software developer salary in San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle is the highest and ranges between $107K and $121K. 

Following the leaders, Madison, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv and Boston offer between $86K and $104K.

Munich, Austin, Amsterdam, Chicago and Dallas have lower salaries for software developers — from $72K to $76K. 

Annual software developer salary in Berlin, Sydney, London, Oslo and Houston reach $57—69K. 

The average salary of a software engineer in Dubai, Dublin, Singapore, and Barcelona is the lowest in comparison to other cities from our list — from $34K to $48K.

Software developer salary in the most searched cities

Java Developer Salary in Europe and in the US

The average Java developer salary in the USA is $103K, while in the UK Java developers are paid $89K. In Switzerland, Israel and Denmark Java developer salary reaches $101K, $93K and $74K respectively. Java developer salary in Germany is $60K on average. 

Country Salary 2021 Salary 2017

The USA $103,476 $102,059

The UK $89,001 $58,166

Switzerland $101,022 $83,299

Israel $93,728 $56,168

Denmark $74,874 $70,380

Germany $59,544 $48,370

Norway $72,283 $67,397

Finland $56,752 $44,952

The Netherlands  $57,692 $43,937

Sweden $57,652 $54,987

JavaScript Developer Salary in Europe and in the US

The highest average JavaScript developer salary is paid in the USA — $112K. In the UK, JavaScript developer salary is lower and reaches — $78K. The salary for JavaScript engineers in Germany reaches $59K.

Country Salary 2021 Salary 2017

The USA $112,550 $110,057

Switzerland $99,730 $92,988

The UK $78,731 $58,133

Denmark $67,957 $65,852

Norway $66,386 $66,573

Germany $59,260 $46,321

Israel $69,143 $65,529

The Netherlands $56,808 $43,982

Finland $50,788 $42,819

Sweden $61,782 $52,667

PHP Developer Salary in Europe and in the US

The highest average PHP developer salary in the USA is $90K. In the UK, PHP developers are paid $55K. In Germany, the salary of a PHP engineer reaches $57K.

Country Salary 2021 Salary 2017

The USA $90,707 $86,353

Switzerland $95,468 $73,207

Israel $79,284 $39,953

Germany $56,777 $47,421

The UK $54,770 $48,444

Norway $53,753 $66,694

The Netherlands  $48,084 $39,447

Finland $47,590 $41,977

С# Developer Salary in Europe and in the US

The highest average C# developer salary is paid in Switzerland — $112K. In the USA, the average C# developer salary reaches $82K. C# developers in Germany are paid $57K on average, while the salary of a Dutch C# developers reaches $56K. 

Country Salary 2021 Salary 2017

Switzerland $112,315 $81,367

Israel $94,214 $64,834

The USA $82,490 $93,378

Denmark $69,326 $64,463

Norway $67,450 $67,272

Germany $57,124 $46,708

The Netherlands  $56,540 $41,528

Sweden $50,687 $51,031

Finland $54,070 $39,800

С++ Developer Salary in Europe and in the US

The C++ developer salary in the USA is $105K. In the UK, the C++ developer salary is $82K. C++ developers in Germany are paid $63K on average. The salary of a Dutch C++ developer reaches $69K. 

Country Salary 2021 Salary 2017

The USA $104,681 $115,619

Switzerland $100,606 $93,296

The UK $82,155 $51,714

Israel $67,732 $66,191

Denmark $78,473 $70,008

Germany $63,312 $53,631

Norway $64,935 $67,330

The Netherlands  $69,492 $44,914

Sweden $52,361 $52,128Finland $41,409 $39,009