Trade union density in Ireland
Ireland: Trade union density was 22.2 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▼ Falling
Trade union density in Ireland, 1960–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.
Analysis
The most recent figure for trade union density in Ireland is 22.2 Percentage of employees, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade union density in Ireland peaked at 47.2 Percentage of employees in 1978 and was at its lowest, 22.2 Percentage of employees, in 2024.
That places Ireland 12th 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 37.1 Percentage of employees | — |
| 1961 | 38.6 Percentage of employees | +4.0% |
| 1962 | 39.3 Percentage of employees | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 39.1 Percentage of employees | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 39.7 Percentage of employees | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 39.5 Percentage of employees | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 39.6 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 39.9 Percentage of employees | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 40.6 Percentage of employees | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 42 Percentage of employees | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 43.6 Percentage of employees | +3.8% |
| 1971 | 43.6 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 43.9 Percentage of employees | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 43.6 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 44.1 Percentage of employees | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 45.3 Percentage of employees | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 46.1 Percentage of employees | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 46.7 Percentage of employees | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 47.2 Percentage of employees | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 47.1 Percentage of employees | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 46.8 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 46.4 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 46 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 46.8 Percentage of employees | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 46.7 Percentage of employees | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 44.4 Percentage of employees | -4.9% |
| 1986 | 42.3 Percentage of employees | -4.7% |
| 1987 | 41.1 Percentage of employees | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 41.4 Percentage of employees | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 42.4 Percentage of employees | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 41.8 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 42.8 Percentage of employees | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 42.6 Percentage of employees | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 41.7 Percentage of employees | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 40.9 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 39.9 Percentage of employees | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 38.5 Percentage of employees | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 39 Percentage of employees | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 37.6 Percentage of employees | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 35.5 Percentage of employees | -5.6% |
| 2000 | 33.9 Percentage of employees | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 33.2 Percentage of employees | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 33.4 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 34.9 Percentage of employees | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 33.6 Percentage of employees | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 33.2 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 31.8 Percentage of employees | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 30.4 Percentage of employees | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 30.8 Percentage of employees | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 31.8 Percentage of employees | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 31.6 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 31.5 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 30 Percentage of employees | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 28.5 Percentage of employees | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 26.2 Percentage of employees | -8.1% |
| 2015 | 25.3 Percentage of employees | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 23.4 Percentage of employees | -7.5% |
| 2017 | 24.2 Percentage of employees | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 24.1 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 25.1 Percentage of employees | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 26.7 Percentage of employees | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 25.6 Percentage of employees | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 23.4 Percentage of employees | -8.6% |
| 2023 | 22.4 Percentage of employees | -4.3% |
| 2024 | 22.2 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 22.2 Percentage of employees is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.3 Percentage of employees, 1.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 22.2 Percentage of employees is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 22 Percentage of employees, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 39.54 Percentage of employees | 37.1 Percentage of employees | 42 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1970s | 45.12 Percentage of employees | 43.6 Percentage of employees | 47.2 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.43 Percentage of employees | 41.1 Percentage of employees | 46.8 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.03 Percentage of employees | 35.5 Percentage of employees | 42.8 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.7 Percentage of employees | 30.4 Percentage of employees | 34.9 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.99 Percentage of employees | 23.4 Percentage of employees | 31.6 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.06 Percentage of employees | 22.2 Percentage of employees | 26.7 Percentage of employees | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 9 Canada 28.3 Percentage of employees compare
- 10 Israel 27.2 Percentage of employees compare
- 11 Costa Rica 22.4 Percentage of employees compare
- 13 United Kingdom 22 Percentage of employees compare
- 14 New Zealand 20.3 Percentage of employees compare
- 15 Austria 20.2 Percentage of employees compare
More economy & growth data for Ireland
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 374.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.96 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.52 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 7.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0082 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 1,078 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 2.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 787.03 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade union density in Ireland?
- Trade union density in Ireland was 22.2 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest trade union density recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 47.2 Percentage of employees in 1978.
- What is the lowest trade union density recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.2 Percentage of employees in 2024.
- How does Ireland rank for trade union density?
- Ireland ranks 12th out of 31 countries with data for 2024.
- Is trade union density rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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