Ireland vs United Kingdom: Trade union density
Trade union density over time
- Ireland
- United Kingdom
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 22.2 Percentage of employees against 22 Percentage of employees in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.2 Percentage of employees.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Ireland ranks 12th and United Kingdom ranks 13th of 31 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 5 and United Kingdom in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 39.54 Percentage of employees | 39.41 Percentage of employees | 0.13 Percentage of employees | Ireland |
| 1970s | 45.12 Percentage of employees | 46.51 Percentage of employees | 1.39 Percentage of employees | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 44.43 Percentage of employees | 46.89 Percentage of employees | 2.46 Percentage of employees | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 40.03 Percentage of employees | 34.55 Percentage of employees | 5.48 Percentage of employees | Ireland |
| 2000s | 32.7 Percentage of employees | 28.58 Percentage of employees | 4.12 Percentage of employees | Ireland |
| 2010s | 26.99 Percentage of employees | 24.78 Percentage of employees | 2.21 Percentage of employees | Ireland |
| 2020s | 24.06 Percentage of employees | 22.76 Percentage of employees | 1.3 Percentage of employees | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher trade union density, Ireland or United Kingdom?
- Ireland, at 22.2 Percentage of employees against 22 Percentage of employees in United Kingdom as of 2024.
- What is the difference in trade union density between Ireland and United Kingdom?
- 0.2 Percentage of employees, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and United Kingdom?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do Ireland and United Kingdom rank globally for trade union density?
- Ireland ranks 12th and United Kingdom ranks 13th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
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