History of OECD in Timeline

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1961. It consists of 38 member countries committed to democracy and market economies. The OECD serves as a platform for these nations to collaborate, compare policy experiences, address shared challenges, identify best practices, and coordinate domestic and international policies to promote economic progress and world trade.

1947: OECD Library & Archives Collection Dates

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 the European recipients of Marshall Plan aid for the reconstruction of Europe after World War II.

1952: OEEC Focuses on Economic Issues

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

1954: End of Free Territory of Trieste's Membership

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

1955: René Sergent becomes Secretaries-General of OEEC

In 1955, René Sergent became the Secretaries-General of OEEC.

1957: Rome Treaties Challenge OEEC's Role

In 1957, the coordinating role of the OEEC was challenged after the Rome Treaties established the European Economic Community and Euratom.

1958: European Nuclear Energy Agency Set Up

In 1958, a European Nuclear Energy Agency was established in response to Euratom.

January 1960: Meetings at the Hotel Majestic in Paris

In January 1960, meetings began at the Hotel Majestic in Paris, leading to a resolution to create a body that would address European and Atlantic economic issues and assist less developed countries.

December 1960: Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Signed

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

1960: René Sergent ends term as Secretaries-General of OEEC

In 1960, René Sergent's term as Secretaries-General of OEEC ended.

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In September 1961, the OECD officially superseded the OEEC, consisting of the European founder countries of the OEEC, with the additions of the United States and Canada.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

1961: OECD Development Centre Created

In 1961, the OECD Development Centre was created.

1962: OECD Observer Launched

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

1964: Japan Becomes a Member

In 1964, Japan became a member of the OECD.

1974: International Energy Agency (IEA) Created

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

1989: OECD Assists Central European Countries

Following the Revolutions of 1989, the OECD began assisting countries in Central Europe to prepare for 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 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" programme to offer a partnership to Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland, including a membership option for these countries.

1992: Kumiharu Shigehara becomes OECD Chief Economist and Head of Economics Department

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

1995: Cyprus Applies for Membership

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

1995: OECD Publishes Transfer Pricing Guidelines

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

1996: Donald Johnston becomes OECD Secretary-General

In 1996, Donald Johnston becomes OECD Secretary-General

1996: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania Express Willingness to Join

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

1996: OECD Chief Economist and Head of Economics Department

In 1996, Kumiharu Shigehara, OECD Chief Economist and Head of Economics Department (1992–1997), delivered the Global Finance Lecture at the University of Birmingham, titled "Multilateral Surveillance: What the OECD can offer?".

1996: Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic become members of the OECD

In 1996, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic became members of the OECD.

1997: Kumiharu Shigehara becomes OECD Deputy Secretary-General

In 1997, Kumiharu Shigehara becomes OECD Deputy Secretary-General

1997: Cost of Member Countries

In 1997, Pierre Vinde estimated that the cost borne by the member countries for OECD activities, such as sending officials to meetings and maintaining delegations, is equivalent to the cost of running the secretariat. This unique ratio suggests the OECD functions more as a forum of officials and experts than a traditional administration.

1998: OECD iLibrary Access

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

1999: Kumiharu Shigehara ceases to be OECD Deputy Secretary-General

In 1999, Kumiharu Shigehara ceased to be OECD Deputy Secretary-General

2000: Slovakia, South Korea and Mexico become members of the OECD

In 2000, Slovakia, South Korea and Mexico became members of the OECD.

May 2004: Working Group Presents Enlargement Plan

In May 2004, a working group presented recommendations for enlargement with non-members at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting.

2005: Malta Applies to Join the Organisation

In 2005, Malta applied to join the OECD.

2006: Donald Johnston ceases to be OECD Secretary-General

In 2006, Donald Johnston ceased to be OECD Secretary-General

May 2007: OECD opens accession negotiations with Russia

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

May 2007: OECD Opens 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, which argues that tackling key environmental problems is both achievable and affordable.

2010: Chile, Slovenia, Israel, and Estonia Become Members

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

2010: OECD Observer Published Six Times a Year

Until 2010, the OECD Observer magazine appeared six times a year.

2011: OECD Observer Becomes Quarterly with Yearbook Introduction

In 2011, the OECD Observer became quarterly with the introduction of the OECD Yearbook.

September 2012: Bulgaria Confirms Intention to Apply for Membership

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.

July 2014: OECD Data Portal Public Release

In July 2014, the OECD publicly released its main statistical databases through the OECD Data Portal, an online platform that allows visitors to create custom charts based on official OECD indicators.

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: Transfer Pricing Guidelines Updated

In July 2017, the latest version of the Transfer Pricing Guidelines incorporates the approved Actions developed under the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project initiated by the G20.

2017: OECD global GDP statistics

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's Letter on Shigehara's Book

In his 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: Publication of Kumiharu Shigehara's Memoirs

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

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 by the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) and Cambridge University Press. The award recognized the development of the SDG Pathfinder, an open-access digital discovery tool for finding content and data relating to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

January 2021: OECD Membership Inclusion

As of January 2021, the Dutch Caribbean and the British territories of Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, and Bermuda are included as part of the OECD memberships of the Netherlands and the U.K., respectively. Other dependent territories of OECD member states are not members of the OECD.

May 2021: OECD Membership Count

As of May 2021, the OECD has 38 member countries.

May 2021: Costa Rica Joins the OECD

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

2021: OECD Observer Website Closed

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

2021: OECD Budget

The OECD operated on a two-year budget determined by member countries, with annual revenues over 700 million EUR during the most recent reporting period (2021–2022).

January 2022: Membership Talks Underway

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 after it invaded Ukraine.

March 2022: Belarus Suspended from OECD

In March 2022, Belarus was suspended from any 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 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

June 2022: Roadmaps for Accession 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.

2022: OECD Budget

The OECD operated on a two-year budget determined by member countries, with annual revenues over 700 million EUR during the most recent reporting period (2021–2022).

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: Roadmaps for Accession Adopted with Thailand

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

July 2024: Transition 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.

September 2024: Publication of English Edition of Shigehara's Memoirs

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.

2024: OECD collective population and statistics

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

2024: OECD Revenue

In 2024, assessed contributions to the "Part I Budget" total an estimated 229.9m EUR. These contributions are the largest single source of revenue for the OECD and are based on both the number of OECD members and the proportional size of their national economies.

2030: OECD Environmental Outlook

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.