Average Security Guard Salary in Mozambique for 2026
A security guard in Mozambique earns about 148,300 MZN a year. That's 69% below the national average of 483,400 MZN.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Mozambique sit around 75,100 MZN a year, while the very top stretches to 225,300 MZN. Everything on this page is in Mozambican metical (MZN, symbol MT), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Mozambique, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a security guard make in Mozambique?
A typical security guard working in Mozambique brings home around 12,358 MZN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 75,100 MZN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 225,300 MZN for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior security guard working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How security guard pay ranges in Mozambique
A good way to think about salary in Mozambique is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all security guards in Mozambique earn less than 142,300 MZN a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 97,300 MZN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 176,800 MZN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of security guards sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 75,100 MZN. The highest stretch to 225,300 MZN, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Security guard pay by experience in Mozambique
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a security guard in Mozambique, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical security guard salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years88,240 MZN
- 2-5 Years+31% from previous115,220 MZN
- 5-10 Years+32% from previous152,000 MZN
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous185,100 MZN
- 15-20 Years+9% from previous201,100 MZN
- 20+ Years+5% from previous210,500 MZN
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 32%. That is the point at which a security guard typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Security guard pay by education in Mozambique
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving security guard pay in Mozambique. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average security guard salary in Mozambique broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School107,880 MZN
- Certificate or Diploma+72% from previous185,100 MZN
Security guard gender pay gap in Mozambique
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Mozambique is no exception. Male security guards in Mozambique earn an average of 157,600 MZN a year, while female security guards earn around 142,300 MZN. That works out to a 11% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Security Guard gender pay gap
10%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Mozambique.
Pay raises for a security guard in Mozambique
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Mozambique sees a raise of about 4% every 30 months, which works out to roughly 2% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Mozambique, the national average raise is around 4% every 29 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Mozambique:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Security guard bonus rates in Mozambique
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
9% of security guards in Mozambique reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a security guard a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 91% of security guards reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Mozambique
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Security guard: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Mozambique is about 14% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
12%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Mozambique on average.
Security guard salary by city in Mozambique
Security guard pay is not even across Mozambique. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Maputo
- Beira
- Matola
- Nampula
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maputo | City | 152,100 MZN | 152,300 MZN | 72,540-233,900 MZN |
| Beira | City | 150,000 MZN | 146,200 MZN | 73,820-228,000 MZN |
| Matola | City | 148,300 MZN | 148,300 MZN | 74,620-228,500 MZN |
| Nampula | City | 129,000 MZN | 138,200 MZN | 57,860-205,700 MZN |
Security Guard in Mozambique: FAQs
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How much does a security guard make per month in Mozambique?
A security guard in Mozambique earns about 12,358 MZN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 148,300 MZN.
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What's the salary range for a security guard in Mozambique?
Entry-level security guards in Mozambique start near 75,100 MZN. Top-end pay reaches around 225,300 MZN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 97,300 and 176,800 MZN.
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Is the median security guard salary in Mozambique higher or lower than the average?
The median is 142,300 MZN, lower than the average of 148,300 MZN. Half of security guards in Mozambique earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for security guards in Mozambique?
Men working as a security guard in Mozambique earn around 11% more than women on average (157,600 vs 142,300 MZN a year).
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Do security guards in Mozambique get bonuses?
About 9% of security guards in Mozambique reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.
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Do security guards earn more in the public or private sector in Mozambique?
In Mozambique, the public sector pays a security guard about 14% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do security guards in Mozambique get a pay raise?
A security guard in Mozambique sees a raise of around 4% every 30 months, equivalent to roughly 2% a year.