History of OECD in Timeline

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1961 with 38 member countries. It serves as a forum for nations committed to democracy and market economies. The OECD facilitates the comparison of policy experiences, the identification of best practices, and the coordination of domestic and international policies among its members. Its primary goal is to stimulate economic progress and world trade by providing a platform for collaborative problem-solving and policy development.

1947: OECD Library & Archives Collection Dates From 1947

The OECD Library & Archives collection dates from 1947, including records from the Committee for European Economic Co-operation (CEEC) and the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC), predecessors of today's OECD.

April 1948: Establishment of the OEEC

In April 1948, the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) was established among European recipients of Marshall Plan aid for the reconstruction of Europe after World War II.

1952: OEEC Focuses on Economic Issues After Marshall Aid Ends

In 1952, following the end of Marshall aid, the OEEC shifted its focus to economic issues.

1954: Dissolution of Free Territory of Trieste's OEEC Membership

In 1954, the Free Territory of Trieste (Zone A) ceased to exist as an independent territorial entity after merging with Italy, ending its membership in the OEEC.

1955: René Sergent becomes Secretary-General of OEEC

In 1955, René Sergent became the Secretary-General of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC), succeeding Robert Marjolin.

1957: Rome Treaties Challenge OEEC's Coordinating Role

In 1957, the Rome Treaties establishing the European Economic Community and Euratom challenged the OEEC's coordinating role.

1958: European Nuclear Energy Agency Set Up

In 1958, the European Nuclear Energy Agency was established in response to Euratom within the framework of the OEEC.

January 1960: Meetings Begin to Reconstitute the OEEC

In January 1960, meetings began at the Hotel Majestic in Paris to discuss reconstituting the OEEC for a more global mission, including assisting less developed countries and bringing the US and Canada on board as full members.

December 1960: Convention on the OECD Signed

On 14 December 1960, the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development was signed.

1960: René Sergent's tenure as Secretary-General of OEEC ends

In 1960, René Sergent's tenure as Secretary-General of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) came to an end.

September 1961: OECD Officially Supersedes OEEC

In September 1961, the OECD officially superseded the OEEC, consisting of the European founder countries of the OEEC, with the additions of the United States and Canada.

1961: OECD Development Centre Established

In 1961, the OECD Development Centre was established.

1961: OECD founded

In 1961, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was founded with 38 member countries to stimulate economic progress and world trade.

1962: OECD Observer Magazine Launched

In 1962, OECD Observer, an award-winning magazine, was launched.

1964: Japan Joins OECD

In 1964, Japan became a member of the OECD.

1974: International Energy Agency (IEA) Established

In 1974, the International Energy Agency (IEA) was established by the OECD.

1989: OECD Assists Central European Countries

Following the Revolutions of 1989, the OECD began assisting countries in Central Europe to prepare market economy reforms.

October 1990: East Germany Joins OECD

On 3 October 1990, East Germany joined the OECD through reunification with West Germany.

1990: Centre for Co-operation with European Economies in Transition Established

In 1990, the Centre for Co-operation with European Economies in Transition was established by the OECD.

1991: "Partners in Transition" Programme Launched

In 1991, the OECD launched the "Partners in Transition" program to offer a partnership to Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland, including a membership option.

1992: Kumiharu Shigehara Becomes OECD Chief Economist

In 1992, Kumiharu Shigehara became OECD Chief Economist and Head of Economics Department.

1995: Cyprus applies for OECD membership

In 1995, Cyprus applied for membership to the OECD, but according to the Cypriot government, it was vetoed by Turkey.

1995: OECD Publishes Transfer Pricing Guidelines

Since 1995, the OECD has published and updated the Transfer Pricing Guidelines which serve as a template for the profit allocation of inter-company transactions to countries.

1996: Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia Become OECD Members

Between 1996 and 2000, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia became members of the OECD.

1996: Donald Johnston Becomes OECD Secretary-General

From 1996 to 2006, Donald Johnston was OECD Secretary-General.

1996: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania show willingness to become OECD members

In 1996, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania signed a Joint Declaration expressing their willingness to become members of the OECD, and Slovenia also applied for membership that same year.

1996: Kumiharu Shigehara Publishes on Multilateral Surveillance

In 1996, Kumiharu Shigehara's "Multilateral Surveillance: What the OECD can offer?" was published, coinciding with his role as OECD Chief Economist and Head of Economics Department (1992–1997).

1997: Kumiharu Shigehara Becomes OECD Deputy Secretary-General

From 1997 to 1999, Kumiharu Shigehara was OECD Deputy Secretary-General.

1997: Cost of OECD Membership

In 1997, Pierre Vinde estimated that the cost borne by member countries for sending officials to OECD meetings and maintaining delegations equaled the secretariat's running costs.

1998: OECD iLibrary Launched

Since 1998, all OECD titles and databases published can be accessed via OECD iLibrary.

1999: Kumiharu Shigehara's Tenure as OECD Deputy Secretary-General Ends

From 1997 to 1999, Kumiharu Shigehara was OECD Deputy Secretary-General, ending his tenure in 1999.

2000: South Korea and Mexico Become OECD Members

Between 1996 and 2000, South Korea and Mexico became members of the OECD.

May 2004: Recommendations presented at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting

On 13 May 2004, the recommendations of the working group to work out a plan for the enlargement with non-members were presented at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting.

2005: Malta applies to join OECD

In 2005, Malta applied to join the OECD.

2006: Donald Johnston's Tenure as OECD Secretary-General Ends

From 1996 to 2006, Donald Johnston was OECD Secretary-General, ending his tenure in 2006.

May 2007: OECD Opens Accession Negotiations with Russia

In May 2007, the OECD decided to open accession negotiations with Russia.

May 2007: OECD Ministerial Council Decides to Open Accession Discussions

On 16 May 2007, the OECD Ministerial Council decided to open accession discussions with Chile, Estonia, Israel, Russia, and Slovenia, and to strengthen cooperation with Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and South Africa.

March 2008: OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030 Published

In March 2008, the OECD published the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030, arguing that tackling key environmental problems is both achievable and affordable.

2010: Chile, Slovenia, Israel, and Estonia become OECD members

In 2010, Chile, Slovenia, Israel, and Estonia all became members of the OECD.

2010: OECD Observer Frequency Changes

In 2010, the OECD Observer magazine appeared six times a year, changing frequency.

2011: OECD Yearbook Introduced

In 2011, the OECD Yearbook was launched for the 50th anniversary of the organization, and the OECD Observer magazine became quarterly.

September 2012: Bulgaria confirms it will apply for OECD membership

In September 2012, the government of Bulgaria confirmed it would apply for membership before the OECD Secretariat.

2013: OECD Decides to Open Membership Talks with Colombia and Latvia

In 2013, the OECD decided to open membership talks with Colombia and Latvia.

2013: OECD Observer Crossword Introduced

In Q2 2013, an OECD Observer Crossword was introduced in the OECD Observer magazine.

March 2014: OECD Halts Membership Talks with Russia

In March 2014, the OECD halted membership talks with Russia due to its role in the Crimean annexation and human rights abuses.

July 2014: OECD Data Portal Publicly Released

In July 2014, the OECD publicly released its main statistical databases through the OECD Data Portal, an online platform.

2015: OECD Opens Talks with Costa Rica and Lithuania

In 2015, the Organisation opened talks with Costa Rica and Lithuania.

July 2016: Latvia Becomes a Member of the OECD

On 1 July 2016, Latvia became a member of the OECD.

2017: OECD Member Countries' Share of Global GDP

As of 2017, OECD Member countries collectively comprised 62.2% of global nominal GDP (USD 49.6 trillion) and 42.8% of global GDP (Int$54.2 trillion) at purchasing power parity.

May 2018: Colombia Signs OECD Accession Agreement

On 30 May 2018, Colombia signed the accession agreement to become a member of the OECD.

July 2018: Lithuania Becomes a Member of the OECD

On 5 July 2018, Lithuania became a member of the OECD.

February 2019: Donald Johnston Notes the Importance of Shigehara's Book

In a letter of 5 February 2019, Donald Johnston, OECD Secretary-General (1996–2006), noted that Shigehara's "book is very important for the OECD where there is little living institutional memory".

December 2019: Kumiharu Shigehara Publishes Memoirs in Japanese

In December 2019, Kumiharu Shigehara published his memoirs in Japanese titled "the Bank of Japan and the OECD: Recollections and Reflections".

2019: Last Issue of OECD Observer

The OECD Observer was last issued in the fourth quarter of 2019, with a double edition looking ahead at artificial intelligence.

April 2020: Colombia Becomes a Member of the OECD

On 28 April 2020, Colombia became a member of the OECD.

May 2020: OECD Extends Invitation to Costa Rica to Join

On 15 May 2020, the OECD decided to extend a formal invitation for Costa Rica to join the OECD.

2020: OECD Receives Inaugural University Press Redux Sustainability Award

In 2020, the inaugural University Press Redux Sustainability Award was given to OECD for the development of the SDG Pathfinder, an open-access digital discovery tool.

January 2021: OECD Membership and Dependent Territories

In January 2021, the Dutch Caribbean, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, and Bermuda were included in the OECD memberships of the Netherlands and the U.K., as dependent territories of member states.

May 2021: Costa Rica Joins the OECD

On 25 May 2021, Costa Rica joined the OECD as a member.

2021: OECD Observer Website Closed

In the first quarter of 2021, the OECD Observer website closed; the archive can be consulted at www.oecd.org.

January 2022: OECD Membership Talks Underway with Several Countries

In January 2022, the OECD reported that membership talks were underway with Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Peru, and Romania.

February 2022: OECD Terminates Accession Process with Russia

On 25 February 2022, the OECD terminated the accession process with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

March 2022: Belarus Suspended from OECD Participation

In March 2022, Belarus was suspended from all participation in the OECD.

March 2022: OECD Suspends Participation of Russia and Belarus

In March 2022, the OECD suspended the participation of Russia and Belarus due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

June 2022: Roadmaps for Accession to the OECD Convention Adopted

In June 2022, during the annual OECD Ministerial Council Meeting, the Roadmaps for the Accession to the OECD Convention for Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Peru and Romania were adopted.

2023: OECD Budget and Revenue

In 2023, the OECD operated on a two-year budget determined by member countries, with annual revenues exceeding €900 million during the 2023–2024 reporting period.

March 2024: Roadmaps for Accession Adopted with Argentina and Indonesia

In March 2024, the Roadmaps for the Accession to the OECD were adopted with Argentina and Indonesia.

July 2024: OECD Transitions to Open-Access Information Model

In July 2024, the OECD announced that it "has transitioned to [an] open-access information model" and that Creative Commons CC‑BY‑4.0 attribution licenses will be used on all data and publications.

July 2024: Roadmaps for Accession Adopted with Thailand

In July 2024, the Roadmaps for the Accession to the OECD were adopted with Thailand.

September 2024: The English Edition of Shigehara's Memoirs is Published

In September 2024, the English edition of Kumiharu Shigehara's memoirs titled The Bank of Japan, the OECD, and Beyond was published by Palgrave Macmillan.

The Bank of Japan, the OECD, and Beyond: Reflections from a lifetime’s work

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2024: OECD Collective Population and Economic Status

As of 2024, the collective population of OECD member countries is 1.38 billion people with an average life expectancy of 80 years and a median age of 40.

2024: OECD Part I Budget Contributions

In 2024, assessed contributions to the "Part I Budget" totalled an estimated 229.9 million EUR, representing the largest single source of revenue for the OECD, based on the number of OECD members and their national economies' sizes.

2024: OECD Budget and Revenue

In 2024, the OECD operated on a two-year budget determined by member countries, with annual revenues exceeding €900 million during the 2023–2024 reporting period.

June 2025: OECD Membership Count

As of June 2025, the OECD has 38 member countries.

2030: OECD Environmental Outlook Projected to 2030

In March 2008, the OECD published the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030, which argues that tackling key environmental problems—including climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and the health impacts of pollution—is both achievable and affordable by 2030.

Mentioned in this timeline

Ukraine is a large Eastern European country bordering Russia Belarus...

The United States of America is a federal republic located...

Colombia officially the Republic of Colombia is a country located...

Germany officially the Federal Republic of Germany is a Western...

World War II - was a global conflict between the...

Japan is an East Asian island country situated in the...