GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY
MEMBER
DEMOGRAPHICS
MEMBERS OF COWORKING SPACES - PART 1 OF 2
SELECTED VISUALS FROM THE 2019 GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY RESULTS
THE CONDUCTION OF THE SURVEY WAS SUPPORTED BY: READ MORE: BIT.LY/C0W0RKERS

SIDE NOTES
FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING, PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING BACKGROUND IN MIND: .
• THE STRONGLY GROWING NUMBER OF MEMBERS COMES WITH A HIGH SHARE OF NEW MEMBERS, MEANING YOU CAN'T ASSUME
THAT YOU ARE COMPARING THE SAME MEMBERS ACROSS THE YEARS.
• FURTHERMORE, DATA FROM MEMBERS ALSO FLUCTUATES MUCH STRONGER ACROSS YEARS THAN FROM COWORKING SPACES.
MEMBERS CAN START & END MEMBERSHIPS MORE EASILY THAN A COWORKING SPACES CAN OPEN AND CLOSE THEIR BUSINESSES.
• MEMBERS ARE NOT AS EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED AS COWORKING SPACES SINCE THE NUMBER OF MEMBER ACROSS COWORKING
SPACES VARIES. IN ADDITION, NOT ALL MEMBERS ARE AWARE THAT THEY WORK FROM A COWORKING SPACE, ESPECIALLY MEMBERS
WHO ARE PAID TO WORK FROM A COWORKING SPACE AND HAVE NOT DECIDED TO WORK THERE OF THEIR OWN ACCORD.
• IF YOU SPOT A CORRELATION, THE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURED IS NOT NECESSARILY THE CAUSE OF THE CORRELATION. THERE IS
RARELY ONE CHARACTERISTIC THAT CAN AFFECT OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OVERALL (PERHAPS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE
NUMBER OF CHILDREN BY AGE). USUALLY, MULTIPLE CHARACTERISTICS ARE REQUIRED FOR SUCH AN EFFECT, AND NOT ALL CAN BE
EXAMINED IN A QUANTITATIVE SURVEY. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT, CHARACTERISTICS CAN BE AFFECTED BY
EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES UNRELATED TO COWORKING SPACES, FOR EXAMPLE, THE INEQUALITY OF GENDER.
• ALL RESULTS ARE ROUNDED UP OR DOWN FOR A BETTER VISUAL EXPERIENCE. FOR THIS REASON, A SUM OF VALUES WITHIN A
GROUP MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY LOWER OR HIGHER THAN 100%. IN REALITY, IT IS 100% WHEN THE UNROUNDED RESULTS ARE TAKEN
INTO ACCOUNT.
PAGE 22019 GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY PAGE 2

2019
GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
2019
2017
2016
2014
2012
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
2%
2%
1%
3%
3%
6%
9%
8%
9%
11%
22%
19%
19%
23%
23%
36%
41%
43%
37%
36%
33%
28%
30%
28%
28%
MEAN MEDIAN
35.4 33.5
36.1 34
35.3 33
5% TRIMMED
MEAN
37.0 3536.4
35.5
34.7
34.9
MEMBER AGE GROUPS
BY YEAR
200 %
775 %
1.350 %
1.925 %
2.500 %
18-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60+
10%
18% 20%
15% 14%
9% 7% 4% 3%2019
36.4 36.9 35
AVERAGE AGE IN YEARS
ALL RESULTS ARE ROUNDED UP OR DOWN. FOR THIS REASON, A SUM OF VALUES WITHIN A GROUP MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY LOWER OR HIGHER THAN 100%.
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 ≥ 60 YEARS OLD

PROFESSIONAL STATUS OF MEMBERS
2019
GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
2019
2017
2016
2014
2012
0 % 2.500 % 5.000 % 7.500 % 10.000 %
6%
7%
5%
5%
4%
1%
3%
3%
2%
3%4%
7%
5%
8%
6%
3%
13%
13%
13%
17%
17%
8%
7%
16%
13%
13%
13%
16%
14%
16%
16%
55%
50%
42%
41%
42%
FREELANCERS EMPLOYERS
EMPLOYEES OF A COMPANY W/ ≤ 5 EMPLOYEES EMPLOYEES OF A COMPANY W/ 6 - 99 EMPLOYEES
EMPLOYEES OF A COMPANY W/ 100 - 999 EMPLOYEES* EMPLOYEES OF A COMPANY W/ ≥ 1000 EMPLOYEES*
STUDENTS OTHER W/O N.A.
BY YEAR OF SURVEY
RESPONSES FROM MEMBERS. GROUPS WITHOUT N.A. RESULTS ARE ROUNDED. *2017 & BEFORE: EMPLOYEES OF A COMPANY W/ ≥ 100 EMPLOYEES.
PLEASE NOTE: A DECREASED PERCENTAGE THROUGHOUT NUMEROUS YEARS DOES NOT INDICATE A DECREASE IN ABSOLUTE NUMBER; INSTEAD IT INDICATES A
DECREASE RELATIVE TO OTHER GROUPS.

MEMBER PROFESSIONS
2019
GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
2019 2017 2016 2014
7 %
12 %15 %15 % 3 %
2 %
3 %
2 %
7 %
5 %
6 %
3 %
2 %
3 %
1 %
3 % 3 %
4 %3 %4 %
2 %
6 %5 %
4 % 5 %
8 %4 %
4 %
1 %
1 %3 %5 %
3 %
4 %3 %6 % 12 %
7 %9 %6 %
9 %
8 %5 %9 %
18 %
11 %
6 %
10 %
9 %8 %
14 %
12 %
19 %20 %22 %19 %
IT (PROGRAMMING, SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, WEB DEVELOPMENT)
PR, MARKETING, SALES, ADVERTISING, COMMUNICATION
CONSULTING
DESIGN (GRAPHICS, WEB, PRODUCTS, GAMING)
WRITING (JOURNALIST, WRITER, COPYWRITER, …)
HIGHER MANAGEMENT
ACCOUNTING & OFFICE ADMINISTRATION
PROJECT MANAGEMENT (EVENTS, COMMUNITY, CULTURE)
RESEARCH (SCIENCE, DATA, ANALYTICS)
EDUCATION (COACHING, TRAINING, TEACHING)
ART (FILMMAKING, PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, MUSIC)
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (INCL. FOUNDERS)
TRANSLATION
OTHER
BY YEAR OF SURVEY (GENERAL RESULTS)
PLEASE NOTE: A DECREASED PERCENTAGE DOES NOT INDICATE A DECREASE IN ABSOLUTE
NUMBERS. RATHER, IT INDICATES A DECREASE RELATIVE TO OTHER PROFESSIONS.
THE RESULTS ARE BASED ON OPEN RESPONSES FROM MEMBERS.
MOST NOTED ALTERNATIVE OR OVERLAPPING PROFESSIONS IN 2019:
- CONSULTING
- IT (PROGRAMMING, WEB DEVELOPMENT)
- HIGHER MANAGEMENT
- PR, MARKETING, SALES, ADVERTISING, COMMUNICATION
- ART (FILMMAKING, PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, MUSIC)

HIGHEST LEVEL OF SCHOOL EDUCATION
2019
GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
2014
9 %
35 %
33 %
21 %3 %
N.A.
NO SCHOOL EDUCATION
PRIMARY EDUCATION
SECONDARY EDUCATION
COLLEGE
BACHELOR (UNIVERSITY)
MASTER (UNIVERSITY)
PhD OR HIGHER
2012
3 %
72 %
18 %6 %2 %
N.A.
NO SCHOOL EDUCATION
PRIMARY EDUCATION
SECONDARY EDUCATION
COLLEGE
BACHELOR OR MASTER
PhD OR HIGHER
2019 2017 2016
5 %4 %5 %
42 %41 %
31 %
40 %41 %
44 %
8 %8 %
13 %
3 %2 %4 % 1 %
1 %
1 %
2 %
2 %2 %
N.A. NO SCHOOL EDUCATION
PRIMARY EDUCATION (ELEMENTARY SCHOOL) LOWER SECONDARY EDUCATION (HIGH SCHOOL)
UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION (INCL. COLLEGE) BACHELOR (INCL. VOCATIONAL DEGREE)
MASTER DOCTORAL OR HIGHER
BY YEAR OF SURVEY (GENERAL RESULTS)
RESPONSES FROM MEMBERS.

GENDER OF MEMBERS
2019
GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
PLEASE NOTE: A DECREASED PERCENTAGE DOES NOT
INDICATE A DECREASE IN ABSOLUTE NUMBERS.
RATHER, IT INDICATES A DECREASE RELATIVE TO
ANOTHER GENDER WITHIN THE SAME YEAR.
0 %
2.500 %
5.000 %
7.500 %
10.000 %
ALL MEMBERS** 2019
1%
51%
48%
0 %
2.500 %
5.000 %
7.500 %
10.000 %
2018 2017 2016 2014 2012
3%3%2%3%1%
33%38%43%44%47%
64%59%54%53%52%
MALE FEMALE OTHER & N.A.
RESPONSES FROM MEMBERS.

2019
GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
2019
2017
2016
2014
2012
0 % 2.500 % 5.000 % 7.500 % 10.000 %
2%
7%
2%
4%
2%
12%
16%
14%
12%
12%
54%
53%
48%
49%
54%
28%
20%
32%
30%
27%
4%
5%
5%
5%
5%
VERY HIGH HIGH SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE
LOW VERY LOW
BY YEAR OF SURVEY (GENERAL RESULTS)
INCOME OF MEMBERS RELATIVE TO COST OF LIVING
ALL RESULTS ARE ROUNDED UP OR DOWN. FOR THIS REASON, A SUM OF VALUES WITHIN A GROUP MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY LOWER OR HIGHER THAN 100%.
RESPONSES FROM MEMBERS.

2019
GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
2019
2017
2016
2014
2012
0 % 2.500 % 5.000 % 7.500 % 10.000 %
2%
3%
3%
5%
5%
3%
4%
5%
4%
7%
5%
9%
10%
8%
7%
35%
44%
42%
37%
37%
54%
40%
40%
46%
44%
≥ 1M INHABITANTS < 1M - 100K INHABITANTS
< 100K - 50K INHABITANTS < 50K - 20K INHABITANTS
< 20K INHABITANTS
BY YEAR OF SURVEY (GENERAL RESULTS)
NUMBER OF INHABITANTS LOCAL TO THEIR COWORKING SPACE
RESPONSES FROM MEMBERS. THE FOLLOWING CHARTS DO NOT REFLECT THE DISTRIBUTION OF COWORKING SPACES, BUT THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE MEMBERS!
ALL RESULTS ARE ROUNDED UP OR DOWN. FOR THIS REASON, A SUM OF VALUES WITHIN A GROUP MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY LOWER OR HIGHER THAN 100%.

2019
GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
ALL MEMBERS
0 % 2.500 % 5.000 % 7.500 % 10.000 %
12%
3%77%
28%
6%
60%
14%
2019 GENERAL RESULTS
SHARE OF DIGITAL NOMADS
ALL MEMBERS
0 % 2.500 % 5.000 % 7.500 % 10.000 %
15%
4%73%
38%
10%
47%
13%
2017 GENERAL RESULTS
MEMBERS WHO
TRAVELLED
≥ 4 WEEKS A YEAR
WHILST WORKING
MEMBERS WHO
TRAVELLED
≥ 4 WEEKS A YEAR
WHILST WORKING
DIGITAL NOMAD
NOT A DIGITAL NOMAD (BUT TRAVELLED ≥ 4 WEEKS PER YEAR WHILST WORKING)
NOT A DIGITAL NOMAD (TRAVELLED < 4 WEEKS PER YEAR WHILST WORKING)
DON'T KNOW & N.A.
RESPONSES FROM MEMBERS.

ETHNICITIES OF MEMBERS (USA)
2019
GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
WHITE / CAUCASIAN
HISPANIC OR LATIN
ASIAN
OTHER
22,5 45 67,5 90
3%
5%
2%
4%
89%
USA
BY NUMBER OF INHABITANTS LOCAL TO A COWORKING SPACE (USA)
WHITE / CAUCASIAN
HISPANIC OR LATIN
ASIAN
OTHER
22,5 45 67,5 90
4%
4%
2%
4%
88%
2%
8%
1%
3%
92%
≥ 1M INHABITANTS
< 1M INHABITANTS
BLACK OR AFRICAN
AMERICAN
BLACK OR AFRICAN
AMERICAN
RESPONSES FROM MEMBERS.
MULTIPLE RESPONSES WERE ALLOWED, WITHOUT N.A. IF NO ETHNICITY WAS CHOSEN.

MORE STATISTICS
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GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
AND RECEIVE MORE
STATISTICS?
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PAGE 122019 GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY PAGE 12

2019 GLOBAL
COWORKING
SURVEY
13
THANKS TO OUR MAIN SUPPORTERS:
YARDI.COM
The all-new Yardi KUBE is the most
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THE MAIN SUPPORTERS LISTED ABOVE HELPED TO DISTRIBUTE THE SURVEY AND FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED THE OVERALL
PROMOTION OF THE SURVEY.
OUR DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS & REGIONAL PARTNERS HELPED TO DISTRIBUTE THE SURVEY ON A GLOBAL OR REGIONAL SCALE.
OFFICIAL SUPPORTERS HELPED TO DISTRIBUTE THE SURVEY WITHIN THEIR OWN COWORKING SPACE NETWORKS.
"Nexudus is a leading white-label
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Today, hundreds of spaces around the
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THANKS TO OUR DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS:
THANKS TO OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS & OFFICIAL SUPPORTERS:

A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BY
RECEIVING TOO MANY EMAILS FROM STUDENTS ABOUT COWORKING RESEARCH?
ADD COWORKINGLIBRARY.COM
TO YOUR F.A.Q. PAGE.

(ARITHMETIC) MEAN, 5% TRIMMED MEAN, MEDIAN…
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DIFFERENT AVERAGE VALUES? ISN’T THERE A SIMPLER WAY?
SURE THERE IS! BUT REDUCING A SKEWED DEVELOPMENT TO A SINGLE VALUE WOULD NOT PROVIDE AN ACCURATE REFLECTION
OF THE COWORKING SPACE LANDSCAPE, WHICH HAS BECOME MORE DIVERSE IN RECENT YEARS. IN FACT, THE VALUES
PRESENTED HEREIN ARE THREE OF DOZENS OF STATISTICAL MEASURES; SO, WE ARE STILL KEEPING IT QUITE SIMPLE. THE
(ARITHMETIC) MEAN IS THE MOST COMMON AVERAGE TO REPORT CENTRAL TENDENCIES. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT ROBUST IF IT IS
INFLUENCED BY OUTLIERS (EXTREME CASES, WHICH ARE MUCH LARGER OR SMALLER THAN MOST OF THE OTHERS). FOR EXAMPLE,
THINK OF AN UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME, WHERE 10% OF PEOPLE IN YOUR COUNTRY “EARN” 90% OF ALL INCOME. IF YOU
TOOK THE MEAN OF THAT INCOME, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WOULD SEE A HUGE GAP BETWEEN THE MEAN VALUE AND THE
AMOUNT IN THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS. THUS, THESE NUMBERS UNFORTUNATELY WOULD NOT REFLECT THEIR REALITY. THE
COWORKING MARKET IS, OF COURSE, NOT THAT UNEQUAL. HOWEVER, THERE ARE COWORKING SPACES (CHAINS) THAT CAN BE
IDENTIFIED AS OUTLIERS AND ARE MUCH BIGGER THAN THE MAJORITY OF OTHER COWORKING SPACES. THEREFORE WE ONLY
HIGHLIGHT THE (ARITHMETIC) MEAN WHEN PRESENTING RESTRICTED SCALES, SUCH AS AGE, BECAUSE LIFE IS STILL LIMITED, OR IN
STAR RATINGS (1-10). FOR OPEN, UNLIMITED SCALES WE PREFER THE 5% TRIMMED MEAN. IT CUTS THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST 5%
OF CASES, AND REFLECTS THE AVERAGE REALITY MUCH BETTER THAN THE ARITHMETIC MEAN IN THOSE CASES - WE CAN ALSO
AVOID TYPOS IN THE CASE THAT A PARTICIPANT ACCIDENTALLY ENTERS TOO MANY FIGURES. THE MEDIAN SEPARATES THE UPPER
HALF FROM THE LOWER HALF (IT IS SIMPLY THE VALUE IN THE MIDDLE). IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT MOST STATISTICS
PRESENTED HEREIN ARE GROUPED, AND PRESENT THEIR SHARE TO REFLECT THE WHOLE REALITY.
HOW TO READ THE STATISTICS?
PAGE 162019 GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY PAGE 16

BACKGROUND
PAGE 172019 GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY PAGE 17
MEASURING & SEPARATING SYSTEM:
WE LIKE AND RESPECT DIVERSITY, HOWEVER WE NEEDED TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING DECISIONS TO AVOID
REPEATING "TRANSLATIONS" ON COUNTLESS SLIDES:
• RESULTS ARE SHOWN IN THE METRIC SYSTEM IF NOT STATED OTHERWISE:
E.G. 1 SQUARE METER = 10.7639 SQUARE FEET
• A POINT IS USED AS A DECIMAL SEPARATOR & A COMMA FOR MARKING NUMBERS HIGHER THAN ONE
THOUSAND OR MORE: E.G. 20.7 MEMBERS = 20,7 MEMBERS OR 1,899.34€ = €1.899,34
HOW IS THE GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY FINANCED?
THE GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY IS FINANCED THROUGH TWO SOURCES. FIRSTLY, THE MAIN
SUPPORTERS, AS SHOWN IN THE PUBLISHED MATERIAL, PROVIDE THE FINANCES TO PROMOTE THE SURVEY.
THEY ALSO ALLOW A BASIC ANALYSIS WHICH IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE. WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO THEM!
A MUCH MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS TAKES SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TIME, BUT CATERS TO A SMALLER AUDIENCE.
SOUNDS LIKE A BAD CORRELATION, RIGHT? FOR THAT REASON, THE SURVEY ANALYSIS IS ALSO SUPPORTED
BY THE PEOPLE WHO PURCHASE THE REPORTS. BUT CRUCIAL FINDINGS ARE ALSO PUBLISHED IN ARTICLES,
FREE OF COST. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED THE GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY BY PURCHASING
THESE REPORTS, BY DISTRIBUTING THE SURVEY AND ESPECIALLY BY TAKING THE SURVEY!

BACKGROUND OF THE 2019 GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY
THE 2019 GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY WAS ACTIVE ONLINE FROM JANUARY 24 - MARCH 18, 2019. THE FINAL RESULTS
ARE ANALYZED USING IBM SPSS, AND ARE CHECKED USING QUALITY STANDARDS TO REMOVE BOTS OR FAKE
PARTICIPANTS. THOSE PEOPLE ARE NOT CONSIDERED IN THE ANALYSIS NOR IN THE COUNTING OF PARTICIPANTS. IT IS
FOR THIS REASON THAT THE FIRST AND THE FINAL RESULTS MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY.
PARTICIPANTS:
2019: 2668 ❖ 2018: 1980 ❖ 2017: 1876 ❖ 2016: 1679 ❖ 2014: 1270 ❖ 2013: 1206 ❖ 2012: 913
BY GROUPS IN 2019:
COWORKING SPACES (OPERATORS OR STAFF MEMBERS): N=1240
MEMBERS: N=879 - PLANNED OR FUTURE COWORKING SPACES: N=137
REMAINING PARTICIPANTS ARE PRIMARILY FORMER COWORKING SPACE MEMBERS
OR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER WORKED IN A COWORKING SPACE.
THE GLOBAL RESULTS OF THIS REPORT ARE BASED ON THE RESPONSES FROM
MEMBERS OF COWORKING SPACES (N=879).
© 2019 DESKMAG - CARSTEN FOERTSCH
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2019 MEMBER DEMOGRAPHICS - MEMBER OF COWORKING SPACES
VISUALS FROM THE FINAL 2019 GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY RESULTS