Trade union density in Norway

Norway: Trade union density was 52.1 Percentage of employees in 2024. β–Ό 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

0204060196019922024

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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. 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. 5 Finland 51.4 Percentage of employees compare
  5. 6 Belgium 47.5 Percentage of employees compare
  6. 7 Italy 30.2 Percentage of employees compare

See the full ranking of 40 places β†’

More economy & growth data for Norway

All data for Norway β†’

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

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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