New Zealand vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Trade union density

New Zealand
20.3 Percentage of employees
in 2024
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
22 Percentage of employees
in 2024
New Zealand rank
14th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
13th

Trade union density over time

  • New Zealand
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
204060196019922024

How they compare

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 22 Percentage of employees against 20.3 Percentage of employees in New Zealand, a difference of 1.7 Percentage of employees.

That makes United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's figure about 1.1 times New Zealand's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 51 shared years of data; in 1970 it was New Zealand ahead.

New Zealand ranks 14th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 13th of 31 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade New Zealand United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1970s 60.65 Percentage of employees 46.51 Percentage of employees 14.14 Percentage of employees New Zealand
1980s 60.07 Percentage of employees 48.4 Percentage of employees 11.67 Percentage of employees New Zealand
1990s 29.03 Percentage of employees 34.07 Percentage of employees 5.03 Percentage of employees United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2000s 21.77 Percentage of employees 28.58 Percentage of employees 6.81 Percentage of employees United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2010s 19.19 Percentage of employees 24.78 Percentage of employees 5.59 Percentage of employees United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2020s 19.58 Percentage of employees 22.76 Percentage of employees 3.18 Percentage of employees United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher trade union density, New Zealand or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 22 Percentage of employees against 20.3 Percentage of employees in New Zealand as of 2024.
What is the difference in trade union density between New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
1.7 Percentage of employees, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
51 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
How do New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for trade union density?
New Zealand ranks 14th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.

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New Zealand vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Trade union density. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/trade-union-density/new-zealand/united-kingdom/

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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