Yesterday, the global coworking movement celebrated it's seventh official birthday. Less than a decade after coworking pioneer Brad Neuberg first coined the term, the concept has been duplicated, re-imagined, and expanded by creative innovators all over the world.
What started as an eight-desk shared workspace for developers called Spiral Muse has grown into 1,779 spaces in dozens of countries, with new communities being launched every day. It wasn't necessarily Neuberg's model of coworking that spread around the world. Rather, in the true spirit of openness and collaboration–which are foundational principals of the movement–it was the opensource concept of working independently, yet together, that sparked a global revolt against business as usual.
Coworking Spaces rarely offer only workspace. As Spiral Muse, they relied on a collaborative atmosphere, which supported members while they worked. In addition to tables, chairs and the internet, there were events, workshops, and sometimes even massages. Individual and flexible adaptation according to the needs of the members is commonly viewed in these workspaces. Few coworking spaces are alike.
Pooling data together from its own annual global survey and resources on its sister site, Deskwanted, Deskmag was able to come up with some astounding statistics about how far coworking has come in a short time, and its potential for continued growth in the future. Some important highlights:
- There are 1,779 coworking spaces worldwide, 93% more than last year.
- Nearly 700 of of the world's coworking spaces are in the U.S., and just over 700 in the EU.
- Spain and Australia now have the most coworking spaces per capita.
- Coworking is growing the fastest in Asia, Latin America and Oceania.
For more surprising and encouraging statistics about the benefits of coworking and how it's helping spawn a new mobile workforce full of independent, interconnected professionals, check out the infographic below!
