Trade union density in Korea

Korea: Trade union density was 12.5 Percentage of employees in 2023. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2023)
12.5 Percentage of employees
Change on year
down 1.6%
Rank
3rd
of 8 groups
All-time high
18.6 Percentage of employees
in 1989
All-time low
9.4 Percentage of employees
in 1963
Years of data
61
1963–2023

Trade union density in Korea, 1963–2023

05101520196319932023

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

Analysis

In 2023, trade union density in Korea stood at 12.5 Percentage of employees.

The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and up 23.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, trade union density in Korea peaked at 18.6 Percentage of employees in 1989 and was at its lowest, 9.4 Percentage of employees, in 1963.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 11.61 Percentage of employees 9.4 Percentage of employees 12.5 Percentage of employees 7
1970s 14.89 Percentage of employees 12.6 Percentage of employees 16.9 Percentage of employees 10
1980s 14.59 Percentage of employees 12.3 Percentage of employees 18.6 Percentage of employees 10
1990s 13.33 Percentage of employees 11.1 Percentage of employees 17.2 Percentage of employees 10
2000s 10.52 Percentage of employees 9.9 Percentage of employees 11.5 Percentage of employees 10
2010s 10.4 Percentage of employees 9.6 Percentage of employees 12.4 Percentage of employees 10
2020s 13.28 Percentage of employees 12.5 Percentage of employees 14.1 Percentage of employees 4

Countries ranked near Korea

  1. 1 Iceland 90.6 Percentage of employees compare
  2. 2 Sweden 65.9 Percentage of employees compare
  3. 3 Denmark 60.4 Percentage of employees compare
  4. 4 Norway 52.1 Percentage of employees compare
  5. 5 Finland 51.4 Percentage of employees compare
  6. 6 Belgium 47.5 Percentage of employees compare

See the full ranking of 40 places β†’

More economy & growth data for Korea

All data for Korea β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is trade union density in Korea?
Trade union density in Korea was 12.5 Percentage of employees in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest trade union density recorded in Korea?
The highest recorded value was 18.6 Percentage of employees in 1989.
What is the lowest trade union density recorded in Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 9.4 Percentage of employees in 1963.
How does Korea rank for trade union density?
Korea ranks 3rd out of 8 groups with data for 2023.
Is trade union density rising or falling in Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Korea 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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Trade union density in Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/trade-union-density/korea/

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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