History of OECD in Timeline
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1961. Comprising 38 member countries committed to democracy and market economies, the OECD serves as a forum for comparing policy experiences, addressing shared challenges, identifying best practices, and coordinating domestic and international policies. Its primary objective is to foster economic progress and global trade among its member nations through collaborative efforts and the sharing of knowledge and expertise.
1947: OECD Library and Archives Collection
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 to reconstruct Europe after World War II.
1952: OEEC Focus Shifts Post-Marshall Aid
Following the end of Marshall aid in 1952, the OEEC shifted its focus to economic issues.
1954: Free Territory of Trieste merges with Italy
In 1954, the Free Territory of Trieste (Zone A) merged with Italy and ceased to exist as an independent territorial entity, ending its membership in the OEEC.
1955: René Sergent Appointed Secretary-General
In 1955, René Sergent became the Secretary-General of the OEEC.
1957: Rome Treaties Challenge OEEC Coordination
In 1957, the Rome Treaties, which established the European Economic Community and Euratom, challenged the coordinating role of the OEEC.
1958: European Nuclear Energy Agency Established
In 1958, the European Nuclear Energy Agency was established in response to Euratom.
January 1960: Meetings at Hotel Majestic Begin
In January 1960, meetings began at the Hotel Majestic in Paris to discuss adapting the OEEC to fulfil a more global mission.
December 1960: OECD Convention 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 ends
In 1960, René Sergent's tenure as Secretary-General of the OEEC ended.
September 1961: OECD Officially Supersedes OEEC
In September 1961, the OECD officially superseded the OEEC, consisting of the European founder countries of the OEEC, the United States, and Canada.
1961: OECD Development Centre Created
In 1961, the OECD Development Centre was created.
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 Launched
In 1962, the OECD Observer, an award-winning magazine, was launched.
1974: International Energy Agency (IEA) Established
In 1974, the International Energy Agency (IEA) was established.
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 Through Reunification
On 3 October 1990, East Germany joined the OECD through reunification with West Germany.
1990: Centre for Co-operation Established
In 1990, the Centre for Co-operation with European Economies in Transition was established.
1991: "Partners in Transition" Programme Launched
In 1991, the "Partners in Transition" program was launched to offer a partnership to Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland.
1992: Kumiharu Shigehara becomes Head of Economics Department
In 1992, Kumiharu Shigehara becomes OECD Chief Economist and Head of Economics Department.
1995: Transfer Pricing Guidelines Published
Since 1995, the OECD has published and updated the Transfer Pricing Guidelines, serving as a template for profit allocation of inter-company transactions to countries.
1996: Donald Johnston's tenure as OECD Secretary-General starts
In 1996, Donald Johnston's tenure as OECD Secretary-General starts.
1996: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania Declare Interest
In 1996, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania signed a Joint Declaration expressing willingness to become members of the OECD.
1996: New Members Join OECD
In 1996, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic joined the OECD.
1996: Multilateral Surveillance Review
In 1996, the OECD's multilateral surveillance was systematically reviewed in Kumiharu Shigehara's "Multilateral Surveillance: What the OECD can offer?"
1997: Kumiharu Shigehara becomes Deputy Secretary-General
In 1997, Kumiharu Shigehara becomes OECD Deputy Secretary-General.
1997: Cost of Member Country Participation
In 1997, Pierre Vinde estimated that the cost borne by the member countries for participating in OECD activities is equivalent to the cost of running the secretariat.
1998: OECD iLibrary Access
Since 1998, all OECD titles and databases published are accessible via OECD iLibrary.
1999: Kumiharu Shigehara's tenure as Deputy Secretary-General ends
In 1999, Kumiharu Shigehara's tenure as OECD Deputy Secretary-General ended.
2000: More New Members Join OECD
In 2000, Slovakia, South Korea and Mexico became members of the OECD.
May 2004: Working Group Recommendations Presented
In May 2004, the working group's recommendations for OECD enlargement were presented at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting.
2005: Malta Applies for Membership
In 2005, Malta applied to join the OECD.
2006: Donald Johnston's tenure as OECD Secretary-General ends
In 2006, Donald Johnston's tenure as OECD Secretary-General ends.
May 2007: OECD opens accession negotiations with Russia
In May 2007, the OECD decided to open accession negotiations with Russia.
March 2008: OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030 Published
In March 2008, the OECD published the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030.
2010: OECD Observer Frequency Changes
In 2010, the OECD Observer appeared six times a year.
2011: OECD Yearbook Introduction
In 2011, the OECD Observer became quarterly with the introduction of the OECD Yearbook.
September 2012: Bulgaria Confirms Membership Application
In September 2012, the government of Bulgaria confirmed it would apply for membership before the OECD Secretariat.
2013: OECD Opens 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.
March 2014: OECD halts membership talks with Russia
In March 2014, the OECD halted membership talks with Russia in response to Russia's role in that year's Crimean Annexation and continuous human and civil rights abuses.
March 2014: Membership Talks with Russia Halted
In March 2014, the OECD halted membership talks with Russia in response to its role in the 2014 Annexation of Crimea.
July 2014: OECD Data Portal Released
In July 2014, the OECD publicly released its main statistical databases through the OECD Data Portal.
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
On 1 July 2016, Latvia became a member of the OECD.
July 2017: Latest Version of Transfer Pricing Guidelines
In July 2017, the latest version of the Transfer Pricing Guidelines incorporates the Actions developed under the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project initiated by the G20.
2017: OECD Global GDP Share in 2017
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 Accession Agreement
On 30 May 2018, Colombia signed the accession agreement to join the OECD.
July 2018: Lithuania Becomes a Member
On 5 July 2018, Lithuania became a member of the OECD.
February 2019: Donald Johnston Comments on Shigehara's Book
In a letter of 5 February 2019, Donald Johnston noted that Shigehara's "book is very important for the OECD where there is little living institutional memory".
2019: OECD Observer Last Issued
The OECD Observer was last issued in the fourth quarter of 2019.
April 2020: Colombia Becomes a Member
On 28 April 2020, Colombia became a member of the OECD.
May 2020: OECD Extends Invitation to Costa Rica
On 15 May 2020, the OECD decided to extend a formal invitation for Costa Rica to join the OECD.
2020: Sustainability Award Given to OECD
In 2020, the inaugural University Press Redux Sustainability Award was given to OECD for the development of the SDG Pathfinder.
January 2021: Dutch Caribbean and British territories included in OECD
In January 2021, the Dutch Caribbean and the British territories of Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, and Bermuda were included as part of the OECD memberships of the Netherlands and the U.K., respectively.
May 2021: OECD Membership Count
As of May 2021, there are 38 members of the OECD.
May 2021: Costa Rica Joins as a Member
On 25 May 2021, Costa Rica joined the OECD as a member.
2021: OECD annual revenues
In 2021, the OECD operated on a two-year budget determined by member countries, with annual revenues over 700 million EUR during the 2021–2022 reporting period.
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.
March 2022: Belarus suspended from OECD participation
In March 2022, Belarus was suspended from any participation in the OECD.
June 2022: Accession Roadmaps Adopted for Several Countries
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.
2022: OECD annual revenues
In 2022, the OECD operated on a two-year budget determined by member countries, with annual revenues over 700 million EUR during the 2021–2022 reporting period.
July 2024: Transition to Open-Access Information Model
In July 2024, the OECD announced that it has transitioned to an open-access information model using Creative Commons CC‑BY‑4.0 attribution licenses.
July 2024: Accession Roadmaps Adopted with Thailand
In July 2024, the Roadmaps for the Accession to the OECD were adopted with Thailand.
2024: OECD Member Demographics
As of 2024, OECD member countries collectively have a population of 1.38 billion people, an average life expectancy of 80 years, and a median age of 40.
2024: OECD Part I Budget
In 2024, assessed contributions to the "Part I Budget" totalled an estimated 229.9m EUR, making it the largest single source of revenue for the OECD. These contributions are based on both the number of OECD members and the proportional size of their national economies.
