12 Highest Paying Countries for Software Engineers

With computers running everything from our watches to space stations, being a software engineer nowadays seems to be a good idea, and it would be much better if you lived in one of the highest-paying countries for software engineers.

Being in the digital age, software engineering has become an in-demand profession that it has become one of the highest-paying jobs in the world. The same can hold true for petroleum engineers as discussed in our previous article fo the highest-paying countries for petroleum engineers. Companies need skilled and smart people who are very knowledgeable and computer savvy to create programs for new products. Some would say that it is the time when nerds would get their revenge as they would be the top earners in today’s world.

Software engineering traces its roots back to the late 1960’s when the term “software engineering” was first coined by Anthony Oettinger. At first, software engineering was envisioned to address poor software quality and to “make sure that software is built systematically, rigorously, measurably, on time and within specification”. In 1984, the Software Engineering Institute was established on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University. Since then, software engineering has branched into 10 recognized sub-disciplines. Nowadays, it is a very much sought-after profession, with the top companies offering handsome salaries. Most of the top software companies in the world have their headquarters in developed countries, and not coincidentally, these nations are also some of the highest-paying countries for software engineers.

Insider Monkey did research to find out where the highest paying countries are for software engineers. Information for the average salary per country is listed, and these were obtained from Bloomberg and Daxx. Note that we ranked the countries by average annual salary and not by the ratio of salary to average income, which is an option in the Bloomberg website.

12. France

Annual average income: $54,700

Enjoy all the wine, cheese and Champagne you can! Being a software engineer in this country is a bonus as its citizens also have the highest qualities of life in the world.

11. United Kingdom

Annual average income: $56,200

With the country needing an additional 1 million engineers of different disciplines, you might want to seriously consider moving there. Software engineers earn around $13,000 more than the average British Citizen.

10. Canada

Annual average income: $57,500

The website Canadian Business has ranked software engineering 12th in its latest Best Jobs article for 2015. What’s not to love about being a software engineer in Canada, eh? Right now, Canadian software engineering companies are trying to compete with Silicon Valley in their quest for top talent engineers, which must be why their salary in this country is one of the highest.

9. New Zealand

Annual average income: $59,600

Another country with a shortage of software engineers, New Zealand has upped its pay for these workers to try and attract them to Kiwi nation. For the past years, the jobs for software engineers have been plentiful but workers have been scarce. Some companies are even offering a $15,000 signing bonus just to hire engineers.

8. Sweden

Annual average income: $61,400

In-demand but without shortages, software engineers are still paid handsomely in this Scandinavian country, with Ericsson leading the way. However, don’t expect to get rich by just being a software engineer. The country is known for a having a high cost of living and the engineer’s salary compared to the average Swedish worker’s salary is only $2,000 higher.

7. Germany

Annual average income: $63,800

With SAP and Siemens as one of the biggest software engineering companies not only in the country but in the world, the country has been able to pay its engineers a lot of money. And with recent news that Siemens just acquired US-based CD-adapco for almost $1 billion, this may pave the way for a brighter future for software engineers not only in the company but also in the country.

6. Australia

Annual average income: $65,900

Also known for its high cost of living, software engineers still get by in Australia, but their salary is only $4,000 higher than the average annual Australian income. There may be changes ahead, as Citrix has recently announced that it will close its Australia plant.

5. Israel

Annual average income: $70,700

Ranking 6th in Bloomberg’s list of the countries preferred by high-tech companies, it comes as a no surprise that Israel also has one of the highest annual salaries for software engineers. This may be due to the fact that the country has one of the most skilled workforces. You can also expect to feel wealthy in the country if you are a software engineer as their salary is almost double the average annual salary for Israelis.

4. Denmark

Annual average income: $71,500

Software company Polaris has recently announced that it has bought 65% of shares of Configit. With this news, insiders see an expansion as Configit has been a fast-growing company, and the investment will be a win-win not only for investors but also for software engineers in Denmark.

3. United States

Annual average income: $76,000

It should come as no surprise that the United States is included this list, as Silicon Valley is home to a number of software companies’ headquarters. In addition, software engineers also earn as much as $20,000 more than the average American worker. Not bad for those once-bullied techies in grade school huh?

2. Norway

Annual average income: $81,400

Also known for a high cost of living, Norway’s pay for software engineers may seem enticing but if you compare it to the average Norwegian worker’s salary, it is around $15,000 less. However, working in Norway still has its benefits as pay is significantly higher than most countries and you also work fewer hours.

1. Switzerland

Annual average income: $104,200

Watchmaking. Banks. Chocolates. Some of the things Swiss are known for. Among software engineers, the country is also known for paying software engineers the highest among all countries in the world. Annual Salary can reach $100,000. And that’s just the average, which means it can go down, but mostly it goes up. The perfect country to live in too if you like hiking, as the Alps are nearby.

So what are you waiting for, pack your bags and move to one of the 12 highest paying countries for software engineers!