Quick facts about co-ops

Did you know there are more than 15 million co-operative memberships in the UK? That’s equivalent to around a fifth of the population. There’s a global movement that all co-operatives across the world are part of. Here’s just a few quick facts…

Quick facts about co-ops

There are three million co-operatives around the world – with 1.2 billion members.
In the UK, more than 7,000 co-ops contribute over £40bn to the economy
There are 15 million memberships of co-operatives in the UK
Co-ops employ 280 million people across the globe – that's 10% of the world’s employed population.
Co-ops are resilient – in the UK, 81.2% of co-ops survive the first five years of business compared to 39.6% of companies.

International connections

Co-ops contribute to the production of many high street brands, for example:

Lurpak is supplied by Arla, one of the world's largest dairy businesses and owned by thousands of farmers from Denmark, Sweden, the UK and other European countries.
When consumers buy a carton of Ocean Spray, the well-known cranberry juice brand, they are supporting a collective of small-scale farmers across North America.
Green & Black’s is famed for its high-quality organic chocolate. Its reliance on cocoa from small-scale farmers in Belize and Dominican Republic co-operatives – with producers receiving a fair price for their crops – is less well known

Being a member of a co-op, I feel I want to do more for the community and society. It’s rewarding using technology to make a difference for good – and I want to keep on doing it.

– Amil Vasishtha, project manager, Outlandish

The Co-operative and Mutual Economy

The Co-operative and Mutual Economy is the UK’s only comprehensive report on the co-operative and mutual sector, covering income, membership, employment and business performance.

11th September 2020

Photograph of the Rochdale Pioneers from 1865

How co-operatives began

The modern co-operative movement began in Rochdale in 1844, when the first commercially successful co-operative was founded.

11th September 2020

Co-op values and principles

From the outside a co-op may look like any other business – it’s what happens inside that makes them different. All co-ops are based on the same principles and they share a set of values.

11th September 2020