Statizoid

Trade union density in France

France: Trade union density was 10.1 Percentage of employees in 2019. β—† Volatile

Latest (2019)
10.1 Percentage of employees
Change on year
down 6.5%
World rank
26th
of 31 countries
All-time high
39.3 Percentage of employees
in 1976
All-time low
10.1 Percentage of employees
in 2019
Years of data
40
1971–2019

Trade union density in France, 1971–2019

102030401971199520191971: 36.7 Percentage of employees1972: 37.9 Percentage of employees1973: 37.9 Percentage of employees1974: 38.4 Percentage of employees1975: 38.7 Percentage of employees1976: 39.3 Percentage of employees1977: 38.1 Percentage of employees1978: 37.1 Percentage of employees1979: 35.8 Percentage of employees1980: 31.1 Percentage of employees1981: 26.4 Percentage of employees1982: 19 Percentage of employees1983: 16.3 Percentage of employees1984: 15 Percentage of employees1985: 16.3 Percentage of employees1986: 15.1 Percentage of employees1987: 12.5 Percentage of employees1988: 10.3 Percentage of employees1989: 10.3 Percentage of employees1990: 10.4 Percentage of employees1991: 10.6 Percentage of employees1992: 10.9 Percentage of employees1993: 11 Percentage of employees1994: 10.9 Percentage of employees1995: 11.1 Percentage of employees1996: 10.8 Percentage of employees1997: 10.5 Percentage of employees1998: 10.5 Percentage of employees1999: 10.8 Percentage of employees2000: 10.8 Percentage of employees2001: 10.8 Percentage of employees2002: 10.8 Percentage of employees2003: 10.8 Percentage of employees2004: 10.5 Percentage of employees2005: 10.5 Percentage of employees2008: 10.7 Percentage of employees2010: 10.8 Percentage of employees2013: 11 Percentage of employees2016: 10.8 Percentage of employees2019: 10.1 Percentage of employees

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.

Analysis

France recorded 10.1 Percentage of employees for trade union density in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.

That represents a change of down 6.5% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, trade union density in France peaked at 39.3 Percentage of employees in 1976 and was at its lowest, 10.1 Percentage of employees, in 2019.

That places France 26th out of 31 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 37.77 Percentage of employees 35.8 Percentage of employees 39.3 Percentage of employees 9
1980s 17.23 Percentage of employees 10.3 Percentage of employees 31.1 Percentage of employees 10
1990s 10.75 Percentage of employees 10.4 Percentage of employees 11.1 Percentage of employees 10
2000s 10.7 Percentage of employees 10.5 Percentage of employees 10.8 Percentage of employees 7
2010s 10.68 Percentage of employees 10.1 Percentage of employees 11 Percentage of employees 4

Countries ranked near France

  1. 23 Switzerland 12.7 Percentage of employees compare
  2. 24 Spain 12.5 Percentage of employees compare
  3. 25 Australia 12.2 Percentage of employees compare
  4. 27 United States 9.9 Percentage of employees compare
  5. 28 Czechia 9.4 Percentage of employees compare
  6. 29 Hungary 7.4 Percentage of employees compare

See the full ranking of 40 places β†’

More economy & growth data for France

All data for France β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is trade union density in France?
Trade union density in France was 10.1 Percentage of employees in 2019, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest trade union density recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 39.3 Percentage of employees in 1976.
What is the lowest trade union density recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 10.1 Percentage of employees in 2019.
How does France rank for trade union density?
France ranks 26th out of 31 countries with data for 2019.
Is trade union density rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this France 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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CSV Β· JSON β€” 40 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).

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Trade union density in France. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/trade-union-density/france/

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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