Average Software Developer Salary in the World 2019. Which Is the Highest-Paying Country?

Throughout 3 years, we've been publishing an overview of software engineer salaries by country around the world, which proved to be rather popular among our readers. To hold up the tradition and keep you updated on the latest software engineer salary trends worldwide, we're presenting the data as of 2019.

This post was updated on May 2, 2019

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In this year's overview, we cover the average annual software developer salaries by country, namely in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Israel, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the US.

We also provide a more detailed description of: 

• Software engineer salary by country depending on experience (entry-level, mid-career, and senior);
• Software engineer salary in different countries of the world depending on tech stack and skills (Front-End, Full-Stack, Java, C++, C #, .NET, JavaScript, PHP, Python);
• Software developer salary comparison in the top google-searched cities around the world.

The Highest-Paying Countries for Software Engineers

According to Indeed, the USA pays the highest salary for software engineers in the world — $108K on average. 

According to PayScale estimation:

• The average software engineer salary in Switzerland is $83K per year, 
• In Norway, the salary is around $72K. 
• Software developers in Denmark are paid $70K a year. 
• In Israel, Sweden, and Germany the salary range from $64K to $54K.

Average software developer salary comparison by country, February 2019

USA	$107,909
Switzerland	$82,878
Norway	$71,933
Denmark	$70,407
Israel	$64,198
Sweden	$54,494
Germany	$53,713
Australia	$48,846
Netherlands	$48,413
Canada	$48,271
Finland	$44,336
New Zealand	$42,391
France	$40,700
United Kingdom	$40,497

Software Engineer Salaries in Europe, February 2019

According to PayScale:

• Software developer salaries in Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland are the highest —from $70K to $82K per year. 
• French, Finnish, and Dutch developers can expect to be paid from $40K to $48K per year. 
• Software engineers in Germany, Sweden, and the UK can earn from $53K to $55K per year.

 

Average Software Developer Salaries in Europe by Country, February 2019

Switzerland	$82,878
Norway	$71,933
Denmark	$70,407
United Kingdom	$55,636
Sweden	$54,494
Germany	$53,713
Netherlands	$48,413
Finland	$44,336
France	$40,700

Entry-level vs Senior Software Engineer Salaries in the World, February 2019

Switzerland pays the highest tech salaries depending on a developer's experience—the average junior developer salary is nearly $78K, when senior software developers can earn $102K (PayScale). 

The average software engineer salary in the USA is close to $71K per year for entry-level software developers and $101K - for senior programmers, which puts the country in second place. Denmark comes next with $68K per year salary for entry-level developers and $84K for senior software developers.

Entry-level vs Senior Software Developer Salaries Around the World, February 2019

Switzerland	$77,845	$102,147
USA	$71,682	$101,327
Denmark	$68,630	$84,059
Norway	$68,588	$87,868
Israel	$55,253	$80,935
Germany	$51,083	$67,771
Sweden	$50,327	$68,224
Canada	$45,276	$65,434
Australia	$43,517	$71,224
France	$43,456	$51,213
Netherlands	$43,450	$63,225
Finland	$41,319	$56,809
New Zealand	$39,492	$64,963
United Kingdom	$37,919	$60,413

The gap between entry-level and senior developer salaries varies by country. The greatest difference between the salaries of junior and senior engineers is in the US, Australia, Israel, Switzerland, and New Zealand— from $25K to $30K. However, France features the smallest difference between entry-level and senior software developer salaries—which is only $8K. 

To put this into perspective, let’s look at the tech market in Ukraine, where we build and retain cross-functional development teams for our clients. The average software developer salary in Ukraine is around $24K a year according to the report Software Development in Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and Romania in 2019. Bear in mind though, that the actual annual income of Ukrainian software engineers can be much lower as well as significantly higher than this national average depending on the city they live in, their tech stack, and the level of experience they possess.

Software Developer Salaries in the US

An entry-level developer salary in the US is about $61K, while senior engineers are paid $122K per year. Based on this data, the average developer salary in the US is $107.909 per year according to Indeed’s salary calculator. 

In terms of skills, mobile development salaries are taking the lead—average pay for Android software engineers in the US is $126.503 annually, while iOS developer salaries make less ($119.631 per year).

Among web programming languages, the pay for Python developers is the highest—around $123K. JavaScript, C++, and Java developers follow with salaries ranging from $102K to $117K. C#, .NET, PHP engineers complete the ranking with salaries from $89K to $95K.

We’ve also found that Front-End developers’ salary in the US is $108,448, while Full-Stack engineers make $113,595. 

If you are a developer and actively looking for a job, visit the website of our partner - Jooble.

Software Engineer Salaries in the US, February 2019

Software developer	$107,909
Entry-level software developer	$61,281
Senior software engineer	$122,153
Android developer	$126,503
Python developer	$122,831
iOS developer	$119,631
C ++ developer	$117,293
JavaScript developer	$111,373
Java developer	$102,424
C# developer	$95,052
.NET developer	$91,785
PHP developer	$89,149

Software Developer Salaries in Switzerland

The entry-level software developer salary in Switzerland is close to $78K per year, while senior engineers make approximately $109K (PayScale). The average Swiss salary for software engineers is $82,878.

The average salary for Swiss Android developers is $70,736, which is the lowest among other technologies. The .NET developer salary in Switzerland is a little higher and can reach $77,546 annually. JavaScript and iOS software engineers command the highest salaries in the country—around $91–93K per year, while C# and Java programmer salaries follow closely ranging between $82-87K.

Annual Software Engineer Salaries in Switzerland, February 2019

Software developer	$82,878
Entry-level software developer	$77,845
Mid-career software developer	$92,153
Senior software engineer	$109,393
iOS developer	$93,017
JavaScript developer	$91,380
C# developer	$87,107
Java developer	$83,852
C++ developer	$82,738
PHP developer	$78,128
.NET developer	$77,546
Android developer	$70,736

Software Developer Salaries in Denmark

According to PayScale, the average developer salary in Denmark is $70,407. Depending on experience, it can range from $68,630 to $81,813.

When it comes to programming languages, the average salary for JavaScript engineers is the smallest among other technologies—$53,891 per year. C# developers enjoy a higher income —$65,355. The average Java, C++, .NET developer salaries cross the borderline of $70K, ranging between $70K and $75K. The highest salaries fall to mobile developers—annual iOS and Android developer salaries in Denmark are around $83K.  

Annual Software Engineer Salaries in Denmark, February 2019

Software developer	$70,407
Entry-level software developer	$68,630
Mid-career software developer	$77,069
Senior software engineer	$81,813
iOS developer	$82,928
Android developer	$82,875
.NET developer	$75,051
Java developer	$73,180
C++ developer	$70,500
PHP developer	$67,922
C# developer	$65,355
JavaScript developer	$53,891

Software Developer Salaries in Norway

According to PayScale, the salary of Norwegian programmers ranges between $68,588K and $89,350K, with the average being $71,993.

Java and C# software developer salaries in Norway vary between $65K and $67K, which is below the national average salary. Norwegian PHP, JavaScript, .NET developers are paid between $70-72K per year, while C++ programmers shoot forward, earning $77,507 a year. Python software engineer salaries take first place at $94K per year.

Software Engineer Salaries in Norway, February 2019

Software developer	$71,993
Entry-level software developer	$68,588
Mid-career software developer	$76,985
Senior software engineer	$89,350
Python developer	$94,248
C++ developer	$77,507
JavaScript developer	$72,500
.NET developer	$72,335
PHP developer	$70,838
Java developer	$67,337
C# developer	$65,145

Software Developer Salaries in Israel

Software developer salaries in Israel range from $55K to $96K, with the average at $64K per year according to PayScale.

When it comes to programming languages, Israeli PHP engineers earn the smallest salaries with an average of $48,993. The average salary of JavaScript and iOS developers pushes forward with $58-59K. Android, .NET, C#, Java software engineer salaries in Israel range from $60K to $66K. C++ engineers top the list with $67,369 of annual income.

Average Software Engineer Salaries in Israel, February 2019

Software developer	$64,198
Entry-level software developer	$55,253
Mid-career software developer	$77,296
Senior software engineer	$96,243
C++ developer	$67,369
C# developer	$66,897
Java developer	$65,666
.NET developer	$65,324
Android developer	$60,380
iOS developer	$59,334
JavaScript developer	$58,791
PHP developer	$48,993

Software Developer Salaries in Sweden

The average entry-level developer salary in Sweden is $50,327 per year, while senior developers can expect $68,608. The average engineer salary is Sweden is $54,494 according to PayScale.

Generally, Front-End developers in Sweden can earn $53,982. The salary of Swedish PHP developers is $46,940K, which is below the national average. Average pay for Java, C#, C++, .NET, JavaScript, Android developers in Sweden ranges between $52K and $55K. iOS and Python developers top the list with an income of $60-62K per year. Yet, Full-Stack engineers can expect even higher salaries—$74,365.

Annual Software Engineer Salaries in Sweden, February 2019

Software developer	$54,494
Entry-level software developer	$50,327
Mid-career software developer	$60,303
Senior software engineer	$68,608
iOS developer	$62,747
Python developer	$60,283
Android developer	$55,312
Java developer	$55,296
.NET developer	$55,250
JavaScript developer	$52,754
C++ developer	$52,692
C# developer	$52,011
PHP developer	$46,940

Software Developer Salaries in the UK

The average developer salary in the UK is $55,636 according to ITJobsWatch. However, salaries can range from $36K to as high as $65K depending on the developer’s experience.

Mobile development in the UK has the lead—iOS and Android developers earn between $75K and $78K annually. Python follows closely—the average salary in the UK is $74,388 per year. The average salary for PHP developers is about $52K—slightly lower than the national average.

Front-End developers in the UK make around $62,181, while Full-Stack engineers can expect slightly higher pay—$65,454 per year. 

Annual Software Engineer Salaries in the UK, February 2019

Software developer	$55,636
Entry-level software developer	$36,000
Senior software engineer	$65,454
iOS developer	$78,545
Android developer	$75,272
Python developer	$74,388
Java developer	$72,000
C++ developer	$65,454
JavaScript developer	$65,454
.NET developer	$57,600
PHP developer	$52,363

Software Developer Salaries in Germany

The average software engineer salary in Germany is $53,713, with entry-level computer engineers making less than the national average—$51,083K.

German PHP developers make $49,162—less than programmers working with other technologies.  The average salary of iOS software engineers tops the list with $56,553 a year. Python, Java, C#, C++, .NET, JavaScript, and Android developers make from $51K to $55K.

Front-End developers in Germany make $50,841, while Full-Stack engineers can expect lower profits—$47,453 (according to Pearson Frank).

Annual Software Engineer Salaries in Germany, February 2019

Software developer	$53,713
Entry-level software developer	$51,083
Mid-career software developer	$58,405
Senior software engineer	$69,013
iOS developer	$56,553
Python developer	$55,209
Android developer	$54,889
.NET developer	$54,502
C++ developer	$54,298
Java developer	$53,283
JavaScript developer	$52,314
C# developer	$51,169
PHP developer	$49,162

Software Developer Salaries in the Netherlands

Software developer salaries in the Netherlands range from about $43K to $65K, with $48,413 being the national average according to PayScale.

Android developer salary in the Netherlands comprises $51,308 a year, the highest among other technologies. Median pay for C++ developers makes a close follow—$51,308. Python, .NET, Java, and JavaScript engineers earn approximately the same salaries—around $47-48K annually. iOS and C# developers in the Netherlands close the rating with $40K to $45K per year.

Annual Software Engineer Salaries in the Netherlands, February 2019

Software developer	$51,914
Entry-level software developer	$46,431
Mid-career software developer	$60,833
Senior software engineer	$67,277
Android developer	$53,320
C++ developer	$51,308
JavaScript developer	$48,251
Java developer	$47,996
.NET developer	$47,598
Python developer	$47,200
iOS developer	$45,541
C# developer	$45,166
PHP developer	$40,594

Software Developer Salaries in Finland

An entry-level programmer salary in Finland is $44,336 per year, while the salaries of senior engineers hover around the $61K mark (PayScale). The average engineer salary in Finland is $44,336.

Java programmer salary in Finland is $47,329 per year, earning the highest position among other languages. .NET and Android developers make around $43K per year. Python, JavaScript, C++, C#, and iOS developer salaries range between $40K and $42K. The average salary for PHP software engineers is around $39K—the lowest salary in our Finnish rating.

Front-End developers in Finland make $40,090, while Full-Stack programmers earn more—$59,491.

Annual Software Engineer Salaries in Finland, February 2019

Software developer	$44,336
Entry-level software developer	$41,319
Mid-career software developer	$51,160
Senior software engineer	$61,076
Java developer	$47,329
Android developer	$43,319
.NET developer	$43,255
JavaScript developer	$42,913
C# developer	$42,215
iOS developer	$41,870
C++ developer	$41,069
Python developer	$40,474
PHP developer	$39,219

Software Developers Salaries in the Top Searched Cities, February 2019

In this year’s overview, we’ve decided to add developer salary statistics in top google-searched cities worldwide. As a result, we found which cities have the highest and lowest software engineer salaries. 

Software developer salaries in San Francisco, San Jose, Madison, and Seattle are between $89K and $99K—the highest on our list. Boston, Copenhagen, Chicago, Dallas, Austin, Oslo, Houston, and Tel Aviv have lower salaries to offer—from $67K to $79K. Annual developer salaries in Munich, Amsterdam, Berlin, Sydney, London follow with $50-57K. The average salary for software developers in Dublin, Singapore, Barcelona, and Dubai is the lowest among other cities—$31-43K. 

Software Developer Salary Trends for 2019

As the need for technical skills continues to grow and the supply of tech talent remains lower than the demand, IT workers will continue to negotiate higher wages. In the US, for one, the fierce fight for tech talent is going to deepen in 2019 and to fill the most hard-to-staff positions, employers will increase the national average pay.

However, such transformations are expected to differ drastically from state to state according to the 2019 Robert Half Technology Salary Guide. Software developer salaries in Los Angeles, San Jose, Washington, Boston, and New York can increase by over 30% in 2019. At the same time, developer salaries can lose value depending on the location—engineers in Birmingham, Jacksonville, Columbia will earn up to 7% less than the national average.

Salary growth will reinforce the issue of finding and hiring tech talent, which will, in turn, increase the demand for remote development. In one of our client interviews, Drew Dorgan, globalHMA Owner, discloses the problems she faced while searching for developers in the US and tells how cooperation with Daxx helped her solve them. 

Drew Dorgan,
globalHMA Owner

It’s very hard to find talent that is affordable for building apps for my level of clients. So, one day I said to an employee, who was one of the first people that worked at Workhorse, “Let’s look at some of these companies that help you hire someone and create a remote team for you.” We hired Tetiana, and everything changed. Tetiana came into a big mess, but she straightened it all out, put it all together so we were able to get other projects done at the same time. It just changed everything in our business. 

About Daxx

Daxx is a reliable tech partner whose services go far beyond building and retaining cross-functional development teams in Ukraine. Over 20 years of commercial experience, we’ve developed a well-targeted service system to foster business growth via:

• Identifying development opportunities and solving potential risks;
• Choosing the right tech stack and team composition for your project;
• Managing the entire recruitment process (takes up to 6 weeks);  
• Handling your team retention and resolving all administrative issues;
• Facilitating well-organized communication between you and your extended team;
• Providing comprehensive support whenever you have questions.

To find out more about augmenting your team with Daxx contact us via the form below and our experts will get back to you promptly.

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