Trade union density in Sweden
Sweden: Trade union density was 65.9 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
65.9 Percentage of employees
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
2nd
of 31 countries
All-time high
83.9 Percentage of employees
in 1993
All-time low
63.5 Percentage of employees
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Trade union density in Sweden, 1960–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.
Analysis
The most recent figure for trade union density in Sweden is 65.9 Percentage of employees, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade union density in Sweden peaked at 83.9 Percentage of employees in 1993 and was at its lowest, 63.5 Percentage of employees, in 1960.
That places Sweden 2nd out of 31 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
Trade union density in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 63.5 Percentage of employees | — |
| 1961 | 63.8 Percentage of employees | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 64.8 Percentage of employees | +1.6% |
| 1963 | 64.6 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 65.4 Percentage of employees | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 65.2 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 64.6 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 65.6 Percentage of employees | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 65.9 Percentage of employees | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 66.8 Percentage of employees | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 66.4 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 67.9 Percentage of employees | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 69 Percentage of employees | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 70.4 Percentage of employees | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 72.1 Percentage of employees | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 72.9 Percentage of employees | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 73.7 Percentage of employees | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 75.8 Percentage of employees | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 76.8 Percentage of employees | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 77.1 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 77.8 Percentage of employees | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 78.1 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 78.2 Percentage of employees | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 79 Percentage of employees | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 80.4 Percentage of employees | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 80.9 Percentage of employees | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 82.9 Percentage of employees | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 82.5 Percentage of employees | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 81.6 Percentage of employees | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 80.8 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 80.1 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 80.1 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 83 Percentage of employees | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 83.9 Percentage of employees | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 83.7 Percentage of employees | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 83.1 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 82.7 Percentage of employees | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 82.1 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 81.2 Percentage of employees | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 80.6 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 79 Percentage of employees | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 77.5 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 77.4 Percentage of employees | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 77.5 Percentage of employees | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 76.4 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 75.9 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 74.5 Percentage of employees | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 71.1 Percentage of employees | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 68.6 Percentage of employees | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 68.7 Percentage of employees | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 68.5 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 67.8 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 67.8 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 68.1 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 67.6 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 67.4 Percentage of employees | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 67.1 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 66.5 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 65.9 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 65.6 Percentage of employees | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 67 Percentage of employees | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 67 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 65.5 Percentage of employees | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 65.2 Percentage of employees | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 65.9 Percentage of employees | +1.1% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 65.9 Percentage of employees is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.3 Percentage of employees, 3.2× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 65.9 Percentage of employees is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 22 Percentage of employees, 3.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 65.02 Percentage of employees | 63.5 Percentage of employees | 66.8 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.21 Percentage of employees | 66.4 Percentage of employees | 77.1 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1980s | 80.22 Percentage of employees | 77.8 Percentage of employees | 82.9 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1990s | 82.05 Percentage of employees | 80.1 Percentage of employees | 83.9 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.66 Percentage of employees | 68.6 Percentage of employees | 79 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.23 Percentage of employees | 65.6 Percentage of employees | 68.5 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.12 Percentage of employees | 65.2 Percentage of employees | 67 Percentage of employees | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 1 Iceland 90.6 Percentage of employees compare
- 1 Slovenia 15.3 Percentage of employees compare
- 2 Netherlands 13.8 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
- 4 Norway 52.1 Percentage of employees compare
- 5 Finland 51.4 Percentage of employees compare
- 5 Poland 9.4 Percentage of employees compare
More economy & growth data for Sweden
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 599.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.62 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 7.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0143 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 903.41 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0104 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 659.66 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.7 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade union density in Sweden?
- Trade union density in Sweden was 65.9 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest trade union density recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 83.9 Percentage of employees in 1993.
- What is the lowest trade union density recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.5 Percentage of employees in 1960.
- How does Sweden rank for trade union density?
- Sweden ranks 2nd out of 31 countries with data for 2024.
- Is trade union density rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sweden 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
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