Cooperatives are organizations that have proven to be an effective way to promote collaboration and development. economic that encompasses different sectors. Globally, there are prominent cooperatives that have become leaders in their respective industries. They have not only achieved financial success, but have also demonstrated a commitment to the core values of cooperation, solidarity and social responsibility.
In this sense, in Latin America, the area of education, health and social work stands out. The largest system of medical cooperatives in the world is located in the region, as is the largest health care network in Brazil, Unimed systemwhich had a turnover of almost 15 billion dollars in 2020. On the other hand, the Mondragón Corporation of Spain had a turnover of 13 billion dollars in the same year and has almost 80,000 employees.
Chart of the Day: The World’s Leading Cooperatives
On July 2nd, cooperatives from around the world celebrated the centenary of the International Day of cooperatives. And according to the United Nations, they have various qualities, which include promoting economic participation, combating environmental degradation, in addition to climate change, generating jobs, contributing to food security and maintaining financial capital within local communities. And it is that they employ 280 million people worldwide, representing 10 percent of the active population.
According to the ‘World Cooperative Monitor 2022’ report carried out by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and the European Institute for Research on Cooperatives and Social Enterprises (Euricse), in the area of financial services, the cooperative with the highest turnover worldwide in 2020 it was the French group of cooperative banks Groupe Credit Agricole, with 88.97 billion dollars. In the field of wholesale and retail trade, the cooperative with the highest annual turnover in the same year was the REWE Group, of German origin, which has more than 250,000 employees worldwide with a turnover of 78 billion dollars in 2020, as shown in the attached graph.