NEW DELHI: India’s cooperative sector has expanded over the past three years into one of the largest organised economic networks globally. The number of registered cooperatives now stands at about 8.5 lakh, with membership close to 32 crore, according to official and sectoral data.
The National Cooperative Database shows that India had around 7.94 lakh cooperatives and 29.08 crore members by late 2023. By December 2024, functional cooperatives were estimated at about 6.21 lakh, while membership remained near 28.7 crore. Further registrations and improved data mapping through 2025 lifted membership by nearly three crore within just over two years.
Officials attribute the expansion to renewed policy focus on grassroot economic sectors in agriculture, credit, dairy, fisheries, housing and small services, and to consolidation of previously fragmented records under a single national database.
Maharashtra leads with over 2.21 lakh cooperatives and nearly 5.8 crore members. Karnataka and Kerala report very high membership relative to the number of registered societies, while Gujarat, Telangana, UP, Bihar, and West Bengal together account for several crore members. Cooperatives often link households across multiple activities, such as farming, savings, production, and consumption, which explains their wide social reach despite a limited number of societies compared with private firms.
India accounts for about 27% of cooperatives worldwide. International study suggest cooperatives support about 10% of global employment, with around 15 Indian entities featuring in the Global Top 300 rankings. The financial segment remains significant. As of March 2025, India had 1,457 urban cooperative banks, holding assets of about Rs 7.38 trillion and deposits of roughly Rs 5.84 trillion.