India Emerges as a Global Cooperative Powerhouse:
The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC), highlighting India’s emergence as a global leader with over 8.5 lakh registered cooperatives and a renewed policy focus under the vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi.” India accounts for approximately 27% of all cooperatives worldwide, making it one of the largest organized economic networks globally. As of late 2025, there are nearly 32 crore members, covering roughly 98% of rural India across 30 different sectors.Out of 8.5 lakh registered societies, approximately 6.6 lakh are fully operational, including nearly 80,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS).The sector includes 1,457 urban cooperative banks holding assets worth ₹7.38 trillion and deposits of roughly ₹5.84 trillion as of March 2025.Through links with Self-Help Groups (SHGs), the cooperative framework has integrated nearly 10 crore women into the organized economy.
