Trade union density in Netherlands

Netherlands: Trade union density was 13.8 Percentage of employees in 2023. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2023)
13.8 Percentage of employees
Change on year
down 11.0%
Rank
2nd
of 8 groups
All-time high
35.7 Percentage of employees
in 1960
All-time low
13.8 Percentage of employees
in 2023
Years of data
61
1960–2023

Trade union density in Netherlands, 1960–2023

010203040196019912023

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

Analysis

In 2023, trade union density in Netherlands stood at 13.8 Percentage of employees. That is the lowest value across all 61 years on record.

The figure is down 11.0% on the previous year and down 20.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, trade union density in Netherlands peaked at 35.7 Percentage of employees in 1960 and was at its lowest, 13.8 Percentage of employees, in 2023.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 33.61 Percentage of employees 31.1 Percentage of employees 35.7 Percentage of employees 10
1970s 32.13 Percentage of employees 30.3 Percentage of employees 33.2 Percentage of employees 10
1980s 27.78 Percentage of employees 24.7 Percentage of employees 31.7 Percentage of employees 10
1990s 24.78 Percentage of employees 24.2 Percentage of employees 25.5 Percentage of employees 10
2000s 20.66 Percentage of employees 19.1 Percentage of employees 22.3 Percentage of employees 10
2010s 16.98 Percentage of employees 14.4 Percentage of employees 18.5 Percentage of employees 9
2020s 14.65 Percentage of employees 13.8 Percentage of employees 15.5 Percentage of employees 2

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  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

See the full ranking of 40 places β†’

More economy & growth data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is trade union density in Netherlands?
Trade union density in Netherlands was 13.8 Percentage of employees in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest trade union density recorded in Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 35.7 Percentage of employees in 1960.
What is the lowest trade union density recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 13.8 Percentage of employees in 2023.
How does Netherlands rank for trade union density?
Netherlands ranks 2nd out of 8 groups with data for 2023.
Is trade union density rising or falling in Netherlands?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Netherlands 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€” 61 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).

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Trade union density in Netherlands. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/trade-union-density/netherlands-2/

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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