Korea vs Sweden: Trade union density

Korea
12.5 Percentage of employees
in 2023
Sweden
65.9 Percentage of employees
in 2024
Korea rank
3rd
Sweden rank
2nd

Trade union density over time

  • Korea
  • Sweden
020406080196019922024

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 65.9 Percentage of employees against 12.5 Percentage of employees in Korea, a difference of 53.4 Percentage of employees.

That makes Sweden's figure about 5.3 times Korea's.

Across all 61 years both countries report, Sweden has been ahead every year.

Korea ranks 3rd and Sweden ranks 2nd of 8 groups.

Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Korea Sweden Difference Ahead
1960s 11.61 Percentage of employees 65.44 Percentage of employees 53.83 Percentage of employees Sweden
1970s 14.89 Percentage of employees 72.21 Percentage of employees 57.32 Percentage of employees Sweden
1980s 14.59 Percentage of employees 80.22 Percentage of employees 65.63 Percentage of employees Sweden
1990s 13.33 Percentage of employees 82.05 Percentage of employees 68.72 Percentage of employees Sweden
2000s 10.52 Percentage of employees 74.66 Percentage of employees 64.14 Percentage of employees Sweden
2010s 10.4 Percentage of employees 67.23 Percentage of employees 56.83 Percentage of employees Sweden
2020s 13.28 Percentage of employees 66.17 Percentage of employees 52.9 Percentage of employees Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher trade union density, Korea or Sweden?
Sweden, at 65.9 Percentage of employees against 12.5 Percentage of employees in Korea as of 2024.
What is the difference in trade union density between Korea and Sweden?
53.4 Percentage of employees, with Sweden ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Korea and Sweden?
61 years are reported by both, from 1963 to 2023.
How do Korea and Sweden rank globally for trade union density?
Korea ranks 3rd and Sweden ranks 2nd of 8 groups.
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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Korea vs Sweden: 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/korea/sweden/

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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