Trade union density in Canada
Canada: Trade union density was 28.3 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▼ Falling
Trade union density in Canada, 1960–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.
Analysis
Canada recorded 28.3 Percentage of employees for trade union density in 2024.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade union density in Canada peaked at 35.7 Percentage of employees in 1983 and was at its lowest, 27.3 Percentage of employees, in 1964.
That places Canada 9th out of 31 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Trade union density in Canada, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 30.1 Percentage of employees | — |
| 1961 | 29.5 Percentage of employees | -2.0% |
| 1962 | 28 Percentage of employees | -5.1% |
| 1963 | 27.7 Percentage of employees | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 27.3 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 27.6 Percentage of employees | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 28.5 Percentage of employees | +3.3% |
| 1967 | 30.5 Percentage of employees | +7.0% |
| 1968 | 31 Percentage of employees | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 30.9 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 31 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 30.8 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 31.8 Percentage of employees | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 33.1 Percentage of employees | +4.1% |
| 1974 | 33.2 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 34.4 Percentage of employees | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 32.4 Percentage of employees | -5.8% |
| 1977 | 32.4 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 32.4 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 32.4 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 32.1 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 31.9 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 32.2 Percentage of employees | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 35.7 Percentage of employees | +10.9% |
| 1984 | 35.3 Percentage of employees | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 34.9 Percentage of employees | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 34.7 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 34.4 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 34.5 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 34.6 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 35.4 Percentage of employees | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 34.9 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 34.3 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 33.7 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 33.1 Percentage of employees | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 32.5 Percentage of employees | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 31.9 Percentage of employees | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 30.9 Percentage of employees | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 30.5 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 29.9 Percentage of employees | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 30.1 Percentage of employees | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 30.2 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 30.1 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 30.1 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 29.8 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 29.8 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 29.2 Percentage of employees | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 29.1 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 28.8 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 29.4 Percentage of employees | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 29.3 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 28.8 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 28.9 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 28.8 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 28.1 Percentage of employees | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 28.2 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 28 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 28 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 27.6 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 27.8 Percentage of employees | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 29.1 Percentage of employees | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 28.9 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 28.2 Percentage of employees | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 28.4 Percentage of employees | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 28.3 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 28.3 Percentage of employees is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.3 Percentage of employees, 1.4× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 29.11 Percentage of employees | 27.3 Percentage of employees | 31 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1970s | 32.39 Percentage of employees | 30.8 Percentage of employees | 34.4 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.03 Percentage of employees | 31.9 Percentage of employees | 35.7 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.71 Percentage of employees | 29.9 Percentage of employees | 35.4 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.66 Percentage of employees | 28.8 Percentage of employees | 30.2 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.35 Percentage of employees | 27.6 Percentage of employees | 29.3 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.58 Percentage of employees | 28.2 Percentage of employees | 29.1 Percentage of employees | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 6 Belgium 47.5 Percentage of employees compare
- 6 Lithuania 8.3 Percentage of employees compare
- 7 Estonia 5.6 Percentage of employees compare
- 7 Italy 30.2 Percentage of employees compare
- 8 Luxembourg 29.7 Percentage of employees compare
- 10 Israel 27.2 Percentage of employees compare
- 11 Costa Rica 22.4 Percentage of employees compare
- 12 Ireland 22.2 Percentage of employees compare
More economy & growth data for Canada
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -14.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.8812 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0101 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 560.16 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.0258 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0073 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 409.02 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.65 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade union density in Canada?
- Trade union density in Canada was 28.3 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest trade union density recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 35.7 Percentage of employees in 1983.
- What is the lowest trade union density recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.3 Percentage of employees in 1964.
- How does Canada rank for trade union density?
- Canada ranks 9th out of 31 countries with data for 2024.
- Is trade union density rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Trade union density. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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