Trade union density in Italy
Italy: Trade union density was 30.2 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▼ Falling
Trade union density in Italy, 1960–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.
Analysis
Italy recorded 30.2 Percentage of employees for trade union density in 2024.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade union density in Italy peaked at 48.1 Percentage of employees in 1978 and was at its lowest, 26.2 Percentage of employees, in 1960.
That places Italy 7th out of 31 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Trade union density in Italy, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 26.2 Percentage of employees | — |
| 1961 | 26.4 Percentage of employees | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 27 Percentage of employees | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 27.9 Percentage of employees | +3.3% |
| 1964 | 28.5 Percentage of employees | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 27.2 Percentage of employees | -4.6% |
| 1966 | 27.1 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 27 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 27.9 Percentage of employees | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 29.1 Percentage of employees | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 33.8 Percentage of employees | +16.2% |
| 1971 | 36.4 Percentage of employees | +7.7% |
| 1972 | 37.7 Percentage of employees | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 39.2 Percentage of employees | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 42.8 Percentage of employees | +9.2% |
| 1975 | 44.6 Percentage of employees | +4.2% |
| 1976 | 46.9 Percentage of employees | +5.2% |
| 1977 | 47.2 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 48.1 Percentage of employees | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 47.7 Percentage of employees | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 47.7 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 46.4 Percentage of employees | -2.7% |
| 1982 | 45 Percentage of employees | -3.0% |
| 1983 | 43.8 Percentage of employees | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 43.4 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 40.5 Percentage of employees | -6.7% |
| 1986 | 38.7 Percentage of employees | -4.4% |
| 1987 | 38.2 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 38.1 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 37.5 Percentage of employees | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 37.2 Percentage of employees | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 36.8 Percentage of employees | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 36.9 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 36.2 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 35.6 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 34.8 Percentage of employees | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 34.1 Percentage of employees | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 33.3 Percentage of employees | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 32.9 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 32.7 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 32.3 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 31.9 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 31.3 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 31.2 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 31.6 Percentage of employees | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 31.5 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 31.3 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 31.5 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 31.7 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 32.5 Percentage of employees | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 33 Percentage of employees | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 33 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 33.3 Percentage of employees | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 33.6 Percentage of employees | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 33.5 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 32.5 Percentage of employees | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 31.8 Percentage of employees | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 31.4 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 30.8 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 30.6 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 31.2 Percentage of employees | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 30.6 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 30.1 Percentage of employees | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 30 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 30.2 Percentage of employees | +0.7% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 30.2 Percentage of employees is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.3 Percentage of employees, 1.5× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Italy's 30.2 Percentage of employees is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 22 Percentage of employees, 1.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 27.43 Percentage of employees | 26.2 Percentage of employees | 29.1 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1970s | 42.44 Percentage of employees | 33.8 Percentage of employees | 48.1 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1980s | 41.93 Percentage of employees | 37.5 Percentage of employees | 47.7 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.05 Percentage of employees | 32.7 Percentage of employees | 37.2 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.68 Percentage of employees | 31.2 Percentage of employees | 32.5 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.35 Percentage of employees | 30.6 Percentage of employees | 33.6 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.42 Percentage of employees | 30 Percentage of employees | 31.2 Percentage of employees | 5 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 4 Latvia 10.3 Percentage of employees compare
- 4 Norway 52.1 Percentage of employees compare
- 5 Finland 51.4 Percentage of employees compare
- 5 Poland 9.4 Percentage of employees compare
- 6 Belgium 47.5 Percentage of employees compare
- 6 Lithuania 8.3 Percentage of employees compare
- 7 Estonia 5.6 Percentage of employees compare
- 8 Luxembourg 29.7 Percentage of employees compare
- 9 Canada 28.3 Percentage of employees compare
- 10 Israel 27.2 Percentage of employees compare
More economy & growth data for Italy
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -31.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.18 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.8337 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0116 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 502.25 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.3992 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0085 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 366.74 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 2.39 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade union density in Italy?
- Trade union density in Italy was 30.2 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest trade union density recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 48.1 Percentage of employees in 1978.
- What is the lowest trade union density recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.2 Percentage of employees in 1960.
- How does Italy rank for trade union density?
- Italy ranks 7th out of 31 countries with data for 2024.
- Is trade union density rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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