These figures, derived from a study by the Confederació de Cooperatives de la Comunitat Valenciana (Concoval) and the Statistical Portal of the Valencian Social Economy by CIRIEC-España, highlight cooperativism's ability to offer shared solutions to social challenges such as unemployment and demographic shifts. Over the past year, 145 new cooperatives were established, bringing the total to 2,510 entities comprising 2.7 million cooperativists.
“"One more year we maintain the achievement that more than half of the Valencian population has been a cooperativist throughout 2025. Cooperatives generate stable and quality employment, and a large part of the people who work in them are members, which translates into the highest degree of stability one can aspire to."
The growth of this business model has been consistent over the last decade, with 1,808 cooperatives established between 2015 and 2025. By province, Castellón registered 173 new cooperatives (9.57%), Valencia 778 (43.03%), and Alicante 857 (47.40%). Currently, the province of Valencia has the highest concentration of cooperatives, with the city of València (367) and the Ribera Alta region (151) being the areas with the most presence. In Alicante, L'Alacantí (196) and Vega Baja (140) lead, while in Castellón, La Plana Alta (134) stands out.
Valencian cooperatives are distinguished by their diversity, spanning all economic sectors and territories. There is an emergence of new sectors where cooperativism provides innovative solutions, such as consumer cooperatives in the electricity sector, which promote energy communities, and housing cooperativism with models like cohousing or use assignment. Worker cooperatives have become the main growth engine, especially in the education sector, with nearly a hundred entities serving over 25,000 students, many of which have made significant investments in areas affected by the DANA, such as L'Horta Sud.
The sales volume of cooperatives reached 9.843 billion euros in 2025, a 2.6% increase from the previous year. The agri-food sector was the primary contributor, with 7.625 billion euros. Furthermore, the Valencian Community is the Spanish region with the highest concentration of credit cooperatives (30 out of 60), showing higher growth rates than banks and savings banks in deposits and credits. The female employment rate in Valencian cooperativism is 57.5%, five points above the Spanish average.
