Collective bargaining coverage rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Collective bargaining coverage rate was 26.9 in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
26.9
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
36th
of 68 countries
All-time high
36.4
in 2000
All-time low
26
in 2017
Years of data
20
2000–2019

Collective bargaining coverage rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2019

0102030402000200920192000: 36.42001: 35.52002: 35.22003: 35.52004: 34.72005: 34.92006: 33.32007: 34.62008: 33.62009: 32.72010: 30.92011: 31.22012: 29.32013: 29.52014: 27.52015: 27.92016: 26.32017: 262018: 262019: 26.9

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2019, collective bargaining coverage rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 26.9.

That represents a change of up 3.5% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, collective bargaining coverage rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 36.4 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 26, in 2017.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 36th of 68 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

Collective bargaining coverage rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Collective bargaining coverage rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000 to 2019.
Year Value Change
2000 36.4
2001 35.5 -2.5%
2002 35.2 -0.8%
2003 35.5 +0.9%
2004 34.7 -2.3%
2005 34.9 +0.6%
2006 33.3 -4.6%
2007 34.6 +3.9%
2008 33.6 -2.9%
2009 32.7 -2.7%
2010 30.9 -5.5%
2011 31.2 +1.0%
2012 29.3 -6.1%
2013 29.5 +0.7%
2014 27.5 -6.8%
2015 27.9 +1.5%
2016 26.3 -5.7%
2017 26 -1.1%
2018 26 +0.0%
2019 26.9 +3.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 34.64 32.7 36.4 10
2010s 28.15 26 31.2 10

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 33 Russian Federation 28.5 compare
  2. 34 Zambia 27.6 compare
  3. 35 Latvia 27.3 compare
  4. 37 Greece 25.8 compare
  5. 38 Slovakia 22.4 compare
  6. 39 Chile 21 compare

See the full ranking of 68 places →

More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is collective bargaining coverage rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Collective bargaining coverage rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 26.9 in 2019, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest collective bargaining coverage rate recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 36.4 in 2000.
What is the lowest collective bargaining coverage rate recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 26 in 2017.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for collective bargaining coverage rate?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 36th out of 68 countries with data for 2019.
Is collective bargaining coverage rate rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Collective bargaining coverage rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Collective bargaining coverage rate in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/collective-bargaining-coverage-rate/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Collective bargaining coverage rate
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
68 places, 795 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed

The collective bargaining coverage rate conveys the number of employees whose pay and/or conditions of employment are determined by one or more collective agreement(s) as a percentage of the total number of employees. Collective bargaining coverage includes, to the extent possible, workers covered by collective agreements in virtue of their extension. Collective bargaining coverage rates are adjusted for the possibility that some workers do not have the right to bargain collectively over wages (e.g. workers in the public services who have their wages determined by state regulation or other methods involving consultation), 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.