Trade union density in Norway
Norway: Trade union density was 52.1 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
52.1 Percentage of employees
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
4th
of 31 countries
All-time high
57.3 Percentage of employees
in 1990
All-time low
49.7 Percentage of employees
in 2018
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Trade union density in Norway, 1960–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.
Analysis
Norway recorded 52.1 Percentage of employees for trade union density in 2024.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade union density in Norway peaked at 57.3 Percentage of employees in 1990 and was at its lowest, 49.7 Percentage of employees, in 2018.
Norway ranks 4th of 31 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Trade union density in Norway, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 54 Percentage of employees | — |
| 1961 | 54.7 Percentage of employees | +1.3% |
| 1962 | 53.8 Percentage of employees | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 53.9 Percentage of employees | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 53.5 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 53.2 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 52.6 Percentage of employees | -1.1% |
| 1967 | 52.5 Percentage of employees | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 52.3 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 52.3 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 52.1 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 52.4 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 51.6 Percentage of employees | -1.5% |
| 1973 | 52.9 Percentage of employees | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 53.8 Percentage of employees | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 53.2 Percentage of employees | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 52 Percentage of employees | -2.3% |
| 1977 | 53.3 Percentage of employees | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 53.7 Percentage of employees | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 55.1 Percentage of employees | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 56.7 Percentage of employees | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 57.2 Percentage of employees | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 56.9 Percentage of employees | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 56.5 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 56.9 Percentage of employees | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 56.5 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 56 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 54.6 Percentage of employees | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 55.1 Percentage of employees | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 56.8 Percentage of employees | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 57.3 Percentage of employees | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 56.9 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 57 Percentage of employees | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 56.9 Percentage of employees | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 56.8 Percentage of employees | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 56.4 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 55.6 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 54.6 Percentage of employees | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 54.8 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 53.9 Percentage of employees | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 52.4 Percentage of employees | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 51.7 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 52 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 51.5 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 51.3 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 51 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 51.1 Percentage of employees | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 50 Percentage of employees | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 49.9 Percentage of employees | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 50.2 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 50.5 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 49.8 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 50.1 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 49.9 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 50.2 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 49.9 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 50 Percentage of employees | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 50 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 49.7 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 50.2 Percentage of employees | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 51.1 Percentage of employees | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 50.1 Percentage of employees | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 49.9 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 50.5 Percentage of employees | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 52.1 Percentage of employees | +3.2% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 52.1 Percentage of employees is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.3 Percentage of employees, 2.6× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Norway's 52.1 Percentage of employees is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 22 Percentage of employees, 2.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 53.28 Percentage of employees | 52.3 Percentage of employees | 54.7 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1970s | 53.01 Percentage of employees | 51.6 Percentage of employees | 55.1 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1980s | 56.32 Percentage of employees | 54.6 Percentage of employees | 57.2 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.02 Percentage of employees | 53.9 Percentage of employees | 57.3 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.11 Percentage of employees | 49.9 Percentage of employees | 52.4 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.03 Percentage of employees | 49.7 Percentage of employees | 50.5 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.74 Percentage of employees | 49.9 Percentage of employees | 52.1 Percentage of employees | 5 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 1 Iceland 90.6 Percentage of employees compare
- 1 Slovenia 15.3 Percentage of employees compare
- 2 Netherlands 13.8 Percentage of employees compare
- 2 Sweden 65.9 Percentage of employees compare
- 3 Denmark 60.4 Percentage of employees compare
- 3 Türkiye 10.9 Percentage of employees compare
- 4 Latvia 10.3 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
- 7 Italy 30.2 Percentage of employees compare
More economy & growth data for Norway
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -23.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.7416 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0142 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 1,340 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 0.4463 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0103 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 978.78 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 3.99 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade union density in Norway?
- Trade union density in Norway was 52.1 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest trade union density recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 57.3 Percentage of employees in 1990.
- What is the lowest trade union density recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.7 Percentage of employees in 2018.
- How does Norway rank for trade union density?
- Norway ranks 4th out of 31 countries with data for 2024.
- Is trade union density rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway 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