Trade union density in Germany
Germany: Trade union density was 14.1 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▼ Falling
Trade union density in Germany, 1960–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.
Analysis
Germany recorded 14.1 Percentage of employees for trade union density in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade union density in Germany peaked at 34.3 Percentage of employees in 1978 and was at its lowest, 14.1 Percentage of employees, in 2024.
Germany ranks 19th of 31 countries on this measure, 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 33.9 Percentage of employees | — |
| 1961 | 33.4 Percentage of employees | -1.5% |
| 1962 | 33.1 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 32.6 Percentage of employees | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 32.3 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 32.1 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 31.7 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 1967 | 32.1 Percentage of employees | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 31.5 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 31 Percentage of employees | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 31.3 Percentage of employees | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 31.4 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 31.5 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 31.6 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 32.8 Percentage of employees | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 33.5 Percentage of employees | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 34 Percentage of employees | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 34.1 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 34.3 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 34 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 33.6 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 33.8 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 33.5 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 33.3 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 32.5 Percentage of employees | -2.4% |
| 1985 | 32.2 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 31.5 Percentage of employees | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 30.9 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 30.5 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 30 Percentage of employees | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 29.4 Percentage of employees | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 33.9 Percentage of employees | +15.3% |
| 1992 | 31.9 Percentage of employees | -5.9% |
| 1993 | 30 Percentage of employees | -6.0% |
| 1994 | 28.4 Percentage of employees | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 27.3 Percentage of employees | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 25.8 Percentage of employees | -5.5% |
| 1997 | 25 Percentage of employees | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 24.1 Percentage of employees | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 23.2 Percentage of employees | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 22 Percentage of employees | -5.2% |
| 2001 | 21.4 Percentage of employees | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 21.1 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 20.7 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 19.8 Percentage of employees | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 19.6 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 19.1 Percentage of employees | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 18.4 Percentage of employees | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 17.8 Percentage of employees | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 17.6 Percentage of employees | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 17.3 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 17 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 16.8 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 16.6 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 16.4 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 16.2 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 15.9 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 15.6 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 15.4 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 15.1 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 15.1 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 14.8 Percentage of employees | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 14.4 Percentage of employees | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 14.3 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 14.1 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 14.1 Percentage of employees is below the median for high income countries, which is 20.3 Percentage of employees, 69% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Germany's 14.1 Percentage of employees is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 22 Percentage of employees, 64% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.37 Percentage of employees | 31 Percentage of employees | 33.9 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1970s | 32.85 Percentage of employees | 31.3 Percentage of employees | 34.3 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1980s | 32.18 Percentage of employees | 30 Percentage of employees | 33.8 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.9 Percentage of employees | 23.2 Percentage of employees | 33.9 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.75 Percentage of employees | 17.6 Percentage of employees | 22 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.23 Percentage of employees | 15.1 Percentage of employees | 17.3 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.54 Percentage of employees | 14.1 Percentage of employees | 15.1 Percentage of employees | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More economy & growth data for Germany
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 148.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.7761 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.6565 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0108 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 654.77 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -1.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0079 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 478.11 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 2.68 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade union density in Germany?
- Trade union density in Germany was 14.1 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest trade union density recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 34.3 Percentage of employees in 1978.
- What is the lowest trade union density recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.1 Percentage of employees in 2024.
- How does Germany rank for trade union density?
- Germany ranks 19th out of 31 countries with data for 2024.
- Is trade union density rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
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