How many people are part of a trade union in Germany?

How many people who work in Germany are part of a trade union, and how does membership compare to other European countries? The German Economic Institute (IW) has published a new analysis of recent figures.

Only 16,6 percent of German workers are union members

Trade union membership across Europe is on the decline overall. According to the IW’s analysis, 20,2 percent of employees in Germany were members of a trade union in 2016, compared to 16,6 percent in 2023.

While the number of union members has declined over the six-year period, the number of people employed in Germany has risen. In 2023, the number of employees joining one of the eight unions which is part of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) umbrella organisation briefly increased, but then declined again in 2024.

“This does not indicate a sustained reversal of the trend,” the IW said. The results indicate that even in the crisis years from 2020 onwards, “marked by multiple exogenous shocks” which could have incentivised more employees to join, “there has been no reversal of the trend”.

According to the IW, the decline is primarily due to the low mobilisation of employees in small businesses, “atypical” employees (people with limited work contracts or in part-time work), employees with a migration background and younger workers.

The IW doesn’t forecast a trend shift. “Due to the disproportionate number of union members who are in the older cohort and less inclination to organise among young people, there is a threat that membership will further decrease, unless unions remedy their sign-up deficit,” the study concluded.

How does German union membership compare to other European countries?

Scandinavia is the European hotspot of trade union membership. However, between 2016 and 2023, membership also fell in Sweden - the European country where the highest percentage of employees are part of a union - from 77,3 percent to 72,3 percent. The pattern was mirrored in Finland, down from 73 percent to 67,8 percent and in Norway, down from 61,4 percent to 57,5 percent.

In 2023, France (9,1 percent), Poland (7,8 percent) and Hungary (5,6 percent) were the countries where the lowest percentage of employees are union members. Between 2016 and 2023, the only European country included in the study where membership increased was Austria, from 27,8 percent to 32,1 percent.

Membership in all the countries included in the study falls below the EU goal of 80 percent of employees being covered by collective bargaining agreements.

Should I join a trade union in Germany?

In Germany, people with a recent migration background make up 27,3 percent of the working population, but only 20,9 percent of trade union members. 

While the reasons behind this discrepancy are not explored in the IW’s study, there could be several factors at play; international employees may come from a country where trade union membership is criminalised, dangerous or just highly uncommon. 

They may have an insecure work contract and fear that joining a union may put them at risk of losing their job, or work in a sector which is not widely unionised, e.g. the tech sector. Others may simply not have found enough information about how union membership works in Germany.

Under Article 9, Paragraph 3 of the German constitution (Grundgesetz), it is illegal for employers in Germany to discourage employees from joining a trade union or discriminate against those who join one. 

Certain industries, such as transport, education and healthcare, have a much longer tradition of union membership in Germany, and employees in these industries are more likely to be covered by collective bargaining agreements. However, there are increasing efforts to organise further sectors where insecure work is common, such as tech or hospitality.

Overall, employees in Germany who are covered by collective bargaining agreements earn more. German trade unions typically charge employees 1 percent of their monthly income as a membership fee. In return, members can receive advice about employment contracts or workplace disputes and support in finding further training programmes, among other things.