Spain vs United States of America: Trade union density

Spain
12.5 Percentage of employees
in 2023
United States of America
9.9 Percentage of employees
in 2024
Spain rank
24th
United States of America rank
27th

Trade union density over time

  • Spain
  • United States of America
10203040196019922024

How they compare

Spain currently reports 12.5 Percentage of employees against 9.9 Percentage of employees in United States of America, a difference of 2.6 Percentage of employees.

That makes Spain's figure about 1.3 times United States of America's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 44 shared years of data; in 1978 it was Spain ahead.

Spain ranks 24th and United States of America ranks 27th of 31 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Spain averaged higher in 5 and United States of America in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Spain United States of America Difference Ahead
1970s 32.9 Percentage of employees 22.8 Percentage of employees 10.1 Percentage of employees Spain
1980s 11.28 Percentage of employees 18.34 Percentage of employees 7.06 Percentage of employees United States of America
1990s 15.25 Percentage of employees 15.02 Percentage of employees 0.23 Percentage of employees Spain
2000s 15.09 Percentage of employees 12.67 Percentage of employees 2.42 Percentage of employees Spain
2010s 14.59 Percentage of employees 11.07 Percentage of employees 3.52 Percentage of employees Spain
2020s 12.95 Percentage of employees 10.3 Percentage of employees 2.65 Percentage of employees Spain

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher trade union density, Spain or United States of America?
Spain, at 12.5 Percentage of employees against 9.9 Percentage of employees in United States of America as of 2023.
What is the difference in trade union density between Spain and United States of America?
2.6 Percentage of employees, with Spain ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and United States of America?
44 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2023.
How do Spain and United States of America rank globally for trade union density?
Spain ranks 24th and United States of America 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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Spain vs United States of America: 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/spain/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