A Look At the Global Expansion of Coworking

Quickly vanishing are the days of working in a grey cubicle, where workers are separated from their colleagues and social interactions only occur around the water cooler or break room. As the future of work changes to meet the needs of the modern workforce, Coworking has become one of the fastest-growing industries and the phenomenon has gone global.

According to the 2016 Coworking forecast by Emergent Research, international Coworking will grow rapidly over the next four years, from 11,000 global Coworking spaces in 2016 to more than 26,000 in 2020 — a compounded annual growth rate of 23.8 percent. Additionally, the forecast projected the number of global coworking members to increase from about 976,000 in 2016 to just over 3.8 million in 2020 — a 41 percent compounded annual growth rate.

According to deskmag’s 2016 Coworking Forecast, 62 percent of all Coworking space owners reported wanting to expand their spaces and 87 percent report expectations of growing membership. Clearly, Coworking has grown into a sizable, thriving industry that will continue to grow on a national and international scale.

Let’s take a look at Coworking around the world:

Brazil

According to the Global Coworking Map, Brazil leads the way globally, with more than 160 Coworking spaces. While the list isn’t exhaustive, it illustrates how the country has adopted Coworking as a viable alternative to the traditional workspace. In fact, Brazil is at the forefront of the international Coworking scene as evidenced by the Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC) South America taking place in São Paulo earlier this spring.

Hungary

Coworking spaces in Hungary are seen as the “key to success for Hungarian businesses on the international scene,” as Coworking is all about sharing, cooperation and community — values that propel both our economy and society forward.

India

In Dehli, India, the startup community is greatly benefitting from the city’s Coworking culture. The country’s GDP grew by 7.9 percent for the 10-year period ending 2012-13 and the city’s startup scene is growing exponentially as a result of the favorable entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Australia

Australia has seen an uptick in Coworking spaces, too. In fact, the Australian government has begun to step in and provide support for the Coworking industry throughout the continent. As the coworking environment in Australia continues to have a positive social, economic and environmental impact other initiatives surrounding Coworking will likely emerge over the coming years.

Countries in Africa are witnessing a burgeoning amount of support for the flexible and enjoyable environment that Coworking spaces harbor, as well.  Across the Asian continent, Coworking has exploded in popularity. This slide deck illustrates some of the many differences seen between Asian Coworking spaces and others around the world.

Entrepreneurs around the globe have also attempted to create inspirational workspaces in tourist-friendly destinations like the Spanish Canary Islands, Costa Rica, the surf village of Taghazout in Morocco and now, South Okayama, Japan. This points to the popularity of Coworking worldwide and exhibits that Coworking spaces can succeed outside of highly populated, dense, urban city centers.

The Americas, Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia have all witnessed the many benefits brought about by Coworking and the entire world is set to thrive as a result. It doesn’t matter where in the world you are going to be working, Coworking has infiltrated every corner of the globe and is allowing cultures everywhere — no matter how different they are — to take advantage of the inspiring, stimulating and collaborative environments that Coworking spaces strive to cultivate.