Trade union density in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Trade union density was 22 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▼ Falling
Trade union density in United Kingdom, 1960–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 22 Percentage of employees for trade union density in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 12.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade union density in United Kingdom peaked at 52.2 Percentage of employees in 1980 and was at its lowest, 22 Percentage of employees, in 2024.
That places United Kingdom 13th out of 31 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Trade union density in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 38.7 Percentage of employees | — |
| 1961 | 38.5 Percentage of employees | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 38.7 Percentage of employees | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 38.9 Percentage of employees | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 38.9 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 39.8 Percentage of employees | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 39.4 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 39.8 Percentage of employees | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 40.1 Percentage of employees | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 41.3 Percentage of employees | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 44.3 Percentage of employees | +7.3% |
| 1971 | 44.8 Percentage of employees | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 45.5 Percentage of employees | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 45.2 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 46.2 Percentage of employees | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 43.6 Percentage of employees | -5.6% |
| 1976 | 46.2 Percentage of employees | +6.0% |
| 1977 | 48 Percentage of employees | +3.9% |
| 1978 | 50.2 Percentage of employees | +4.6% |
| 1979 | 51.1 Percentage of employees | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 52.2 Percentage of employees | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 52.1 Percentage of employees | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 51.9 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 49.9 Percentage of employees | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 47.4 Percentage of employees | -5.0% |
| 1985 | 44.9 Percentage of employees | -5.3% |
| 1986 | 45 Percentage of employees | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 43.4 Percentage of employees | -3.6% |
| 1988 | 41.7 Percentage of employees | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 40.4 Percentage of employees | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 38.9 Percentage of employees | -3.7% |
| 1991 | 39.1 Percentage of employees | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 38.7 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 36.7 Percentage of employees | -5.2% |
| 1994 | 35.5 Percentage of employees | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 33.5 Percentage of employees | -5.6% |
| 1996 | 32.2 Percentage of employees | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 31.1 Percentage of employees | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 30.1 Percentage of employees | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 29.7 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 29.8 Percentage of employees | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 29.3 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 28.8 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 29.3 Percentage of employees | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 28.8 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 28.6 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 28.3 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 28 Percentage of employees | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 27.5 Percentage of employees | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 27.4 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 26.6 Percentage of employees | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 26 Percentage of employees | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 26.1 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 25.6 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 25 Percentage of employees | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 24.7 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 23.5 Percentage of employees | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 23.3 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 23.4 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 23.6 Percentage of employees | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 23.9 Percentage of employees | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 23.2 Percentage of employees | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 22.3 Percentage of employees | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 22.4 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 22 Percentage of employees | -1.8% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 22 Percentage of employees is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.3 Percentage of employees, 1.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 22 Percentage of employees is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 22 Percentage of employees, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 39.41 Percentage of employees | 38.5 Percentage of employees | 41.3 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.51 Percentage of employees | 43.6 Percentage of employees | 51.1 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.89 Percentage of employees | 40.4 Percentage of employees | 52.2 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.55 Percentage of employees | 29.7 Percentage of employees | 39.1 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.58 Percentage of employees | 27.4 Percentage of employees | 29.8 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.78 Percentage of employees | 23.3 Percentage of employees | 26.6 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.76 Percentage of employees | 22 Percentage of employees | 23.9 Percentage of employees | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More economy & growth data for United Kingdom
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 21.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.14 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 1.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0099 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 571.28 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -3.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0072 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 417.14 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 3.15 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade union density in United Kingdom?
- Trade union density in United Kingdom was 22 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest trade union density recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 52.2 Percentage of employees in 1980.
- What is the lowest trade union density recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 22 Percentage of employees in 2024.
- How does United Kingdom rank for trade union density?
- United Kingdom ranks 13th out of 31 countries with data for 2024.
- Is trade union density rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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
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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