Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain was 40.2 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
40.2 Percentage of employees
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
17th
of 29 countries
All-time high
85 Percentage of employees
in 1975
All-time low
34.8 Percentage of employees
in 2004
Years of data
40
1960–2024

Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain in United Kingdom, 1960–2024

0204060801960199220241960: 72.1 Percentage of employees1965: 70 Percentage of employees1970: 78 Percentage of employees1975: 85 Percentage of employees1978: 82 Percentage of employees1982: 82.5 Percentage of employees1985: 75 Percentage of employees1990: 58 Percentage of employees1993: 52.7 Percentage of employees1994: 40 Percentage of employees1995: 36.7 Percentage of employees1996: 36 Percentage of employees1997: 37 Percentage of employees1998: 35.4 Percentage of employees1999: 36.1 Percentage of employees2000: 36.4 Percentage of employees2001: 35.5 Percentage of employees2002: 35.2 Percentage of employees2003: 35.5 Percentage of employees2004: 34.8 Percentage of employees2005: 50.1 Percentage of employees2006: 50.6 Percentage of employees2007: 49.6 Percentage of employees2008: 49.5 Percentage of employees2009: 49.2 Percentage of employees2010: 47.8 Percentage of employees2011: 47 Percentage of employees2012: 45.1 Percentage of employees2013: 44.6 Percentage of employees2014: 42.9 Percentage of employees2015: 41.6 Percentage of employees2016: 41.7 Percentage of employees2017: 39.6 Percentage of employees2018: 39.2 Percentage of employees2019: 39.2 Percentage of employees2020: 38.9 Percentage of employees2021: 40.9 Percentage of employees2022: 39.5 Percentage of employees2023: 39.2 Percentage of employees2024: 40.2 Percentage of employees

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

Analysis

In 2024, collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in United Kingdom stood at 40.2 Percentage of employees.

The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and down 6.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in United Kingdom peaked at 85 Percentage of employees in 1975 and was at its lowest, 34.8 Percentage of employees, in 2004.

That places United Kingdom 17th out of 29 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 71.05 Percentage of employees 70 Percentage of employees 72.1 Percentage of employees 2
1970s 81.67 Percentage of employees 78 Percentage of employees 85 Percentage of employees 3
1980s 78.75 Percentage of employees 75 Percentage of employees 82.5 Percentage of employees 2
1990s 41.49 Percentage of employees 35.4 Percentage of employees 58 Percentage of employees 8
2000s 42.64 Percentage of employees 34.8 Percentage of employees 50.6 Percentage of employees 10
2010s 42.87 Percentage of employees 39.2 Percentage of employees 47.8 Percentage of employees 10
2020s 39.74 Percentage of employees 38.9 Percentage of employees 40.9 Percentage of employees 5

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 14 Germany 49 Percentage of employees compare
  2. 15 Israel 45.8 Percentage of employees compare
  3. 16 Czechia 43.2 Percentage of employees compare
  4. 18 Ireland 34 Percentage of employees compare
  5. 19 OECD 33.62 Percentage of employees compare
  6. 20 Canada 30.2 Percentage of employees compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in United Kingdom?
Collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in United Kingdom was 40.2 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 85 Percentage of employees in 1975.
What is the lowest collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 34.8 Percentage of employees in 2004.
How does United Kingdom rank for collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain?
United Kingdom ranks 17th out of 29 countries with data for 2024.
Is collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.3%. 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 Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/collective-bargaining-coverage-employees-with-the-right-to-bargain/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain
Unit
Percentage of employees
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
37 places, 1,069 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