10th World Co-op Monitor

The main goal of the World Cooperative Monitor project produced by Euricse and the ICA is to develop a multi-dimensional database reporting on the socio-economic value and impact of cooperatives both within a global scenario and in their regional and national contexts.

The 2019 issue of the World Cooperative Monitor collects data for 4,575 cooperatives and mutuals (1,152 from Europe, 3,218 from the Americas, 197 from Asia-Pacific, and 8 from Africa) from 10 sectors of activity. The Top 300 cooperatives and mutuals report a total turnover of over two trillion USD (2,034.98 billion USD), based on 2017 financial data.

The world’s top 300 cooperatives and mutuals operate in various economic sectors, but this year’s results show an increased presence of the insurance sector in the Top 300: insurance accounts for 39%; agriculture 31.7%; wholesale and retail trade 17.7%; banking and financial services 7%; industry and utilities 1%; and health, education and social care 1%. There is also new data on employment and cooperative types.

The World Cooperative Monitor is the successor to the former Global 300 project. 

How the Monitor benefits your cooperative

Dame Pauline Green, President of the International Cooperative Alliance (2009-2015), at the release of the 2014 Monitor adequately summarized the benefits of a wide cooperative support for the Monitor: “The importance of the World Cooperative Monitor cannot be understated. Not only is it a crucial tool which we can use to raise the profile of cooperatives to policy-makers and industry professionals, but it also provides an incredibly useful starting point for researchers and academics alike. The 2015 edition's 6.9% increase in the figures for the world's largest 300 cooperative and mutual businesses is a great tribute to the growing strength of our sector of the global economy.  This is a remarkable achievement for a model of business that is not present on the world's stock markets and is often invisible to the economic commentators and political leaders. Cooperatives have been given a precious tool which I strongly encourage them to use to demonstrate how important our enterprise model is".