Iceland vs Sweden: Trade union density rate

Iceland
91.42
in 2019
Sweden
65.21
in 2019
Iceland rank
1st
Sweden rank
3rd

Trade union density rate over time

  • Iceland
  • Sweden
020406080100200020092019

How they compare

Iceland currently reports 91.42 against 65.21 in Sweden, a difference of 26.21.

That makes Iceland's figure about 1.4 times Sweden's.

Across all 20 years both countries report, Iceland has been ahead every year.

Iceland ranks 1st and Sweden ranks 3rd of 86 countries.

Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iceland Sweden Difference Ahead
2000s 87.21 73.6 13.61 Iceland
2010s 89.59 62.19 27.4 Iceland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher trade union density rate, Iceland or Sweden?
Iceland, at 91.42 against 65.21 in Sweden as of 2019.
What is the difference in trade union density rate between Iceland and Sweden?
26.21, with Iceland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Sweden?
20 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2019.
How do Iceland and Sweden rank globally for trade union density rate?
Iceland ranks 1st and Sweden ranks 3rd of 86 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Labour Organization, published as Trade union density rate. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Iceland vs Sweden: Trade union density rate. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/trade-union-density-rate/iceland/sweden/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/trade-union-density-rate/iceland/sweden/">Iceland vs Sweden: Trade union density rate</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Trade union density rate
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
86 places, 1,182 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed

A trade union is defined as a workers' organization constituted for the purpose of furthering and defending the interests of workers. This trade union density rate conveys the number of union members who are employees as a percentage of the total number of employees. For the purpose of this indicator in particular, trade union membership excludes union members who are not in paid employment (self-employed, unemployed, retired, etc.), unless otherwise stated in the notes. The statistics presented in this table result from an ILO data compilation effort (including an annual questionnaire and numerous special enquiries), with contributions from J. Visser. For more information, refer to the Industrial Relations data (IRdata) database description.