France vs United States: Trade union density

France
10.1 Percentage of employees
in 2019
United States
9.9 Percentage of employees
in 2024
France rank
26th
United States rank
27th

Trade union density over time

  • France
  • United States
10203040196019922024

How they compare

France currently reports 10.1 Percentage of employees against 9.9 Percentage of employees in United States, a difference of 0.2 Percentage of employees.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 38 shared years of data; in 1971 it was France ahead.

France ranks 26th and United States ranks 27th of 31 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, France averaged higher in 1 and United States in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade France United States Difference Ahead
1970s 37.77 Percentage of employees 24.84 Percentage of employees 12.92 Percentage of employees France
1980s 15.86 Percentage of employees 18.34 Percentage of employees 2.47 Percentage of employees United States
1990s 10.75 Percentage of employees 15.02 Percentage of employees 4.27 Percentage of employees United States
2000s 10.7 Percentage of employees 12.9 Percentage of employees 2.2 Percentage of employees United States
2010s 10.68 Percentage of employees 11.05 Percentage of employees 0.375 Percentage of employees United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher trade union density, France or United States?
France, at 10.1 Percentage of employees against 9.9 Percentage of employees in United States as of 2019.
What is the difference in trade union density between France and United States?
0.2 Percentage of employees, with France ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and United States?
38 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2019.
How do France and United States rank globally for trade union density?
France ranks 26th and United States ranks 27th of 31 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Trade union density. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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France vs United States: Trade union density. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/trade-union-density/france/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Trade union density
Unit
Percentage of employees
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
40 places, 1,820 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

The database on Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts (ICTWSS) was developed by Prof. Jelle Visser at the University of Amsterdam. It was first released in May 2007. In its initial form, the ICTWSS database combined data from various sources and projects with a main focus on trade union in EU and OECD countries, collective bargaining and employment relations in Europe, and social pacts. In 2021, the ICTWSS database was rebranded as the OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database to reflect the joint effort by the OECD and AIAS-HSI to ensure the continuation of the database following Prof. Visser’s retirement. The OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database is publicly available at: http://www.oecd.org/employment/ictwss-database.htm