The economic situation of coworking spaces in Germany improved significantly by early 2025 compared to previous years. According to the latest survey, well over half of all coworking space operators rated their business situation as good. In 2024, that figure was just 46%, and in the pandemic year 2021, only 29%.
Business sentiment among coworking spaces in Germany at the time of each survey (excluding normal seasonal fluctuations) from 2019 to today (red = poor, yellow = satisfactory, green = good)
The industry as a whole continued to recover from the damage caused by the pandemic as well as the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine, gradually gaining more stability. It now holds a middle position globally in terms of business performance.
::: You can download the 2025 Coworking Trends Survey results for Germany here as a free PDF Report in German. :::
Occupancy Levels Remained Largely Unchanged Nationwide
Despite this progress, the average occupancy rate across all locations remained almost unchanged at 64% compared to the previous survey. This could be a result of price increases, which may have boosted revenue without negatively impacting occupancy. It is also possible that the supply of new locations or spaces was growing at roughly the same pace as the number of new members.
Occupancy rates of coworking spaces at the time of survey, from 2019 to the most recent survey.
As in previous years, coworking spaces in large cities showed significantly higher occupancy rates than those in small towns or rural areas. In major cities with over 100,000 residents, occupancy rates clearly exceeded 70%.
Coworking Spaces Earn an Average of 365 Euros per Desk Offered
Revenue from coworking spaces also varied greatly. This significant spread is partly due to the survey including both large and small spaces in cities and rural areas, rather than focusing only on the three largest chains in the top cities. As a result, the average revenue per location in Germany was approximately €29,000.
The revenue per desk showed less variation. As an average result, this figure is therefore much more meaningful. On average, coworking spaces earned around €365 per desk. This amount represents the actual revenue generated per desk offered, rather than the listed prices. Unrented desks lowered the average revenue accordingly.
There Are More Profitable Coworking Space Ventures
This also supported the profitability of coworking spaces. There are now more profitable ventures in Germany. While their share remains quite low at 29% (compared to the global average), every second coworking space is now at least covering its costs.
As a result, the share of unprofitable spaces has significantly decreased—to just 21%. In the previous two years, it was nearly 40%!
Profitability of coworking spaces over the last twelve months, from 2019 to today (red = unprofitable, gray = breaking even, green = profitable).
Coworking Spaces in Germany More Often Pursue Socially Oriented Goals
One reason for the relatively low profitability lies in the business models and financial goals of the surveyed companies. The share of those not operating "for-profit," not aiming for maximum profits, or not focusing on "growth and expansion" was significantly higher than the global average.
Additionally, average coworking spaces in Germany are still smaller than the global average, which also lowers the proportion of profitable ventures.
Continued High Demand for Meeting & Event Spaces
According to German coworking spaces meeting and event rooms have recently seen particularly high demand while the popularity of one-person offices has declined significantly. Hot desks remained especially popular in urban locations. High demand for team offices stayed relatively stable at a lower level. Note: For this question private offices were divided into two types — one-person and team offices.
"Phone booths" were not included in the demand data. They are typically not rented out directly and therefore do not represent a separate revenue source. However, based on subjective experience, coworking spaces should provide enough of them for members.
They have now become part of the basic infrastructure, like high-speed internet, coffee, electricity, or water, which are not charged separately but are essential for members. If such phone booths are lacking, many potential members, based on subjective experience, may choose against that coworking space, as they would have difficulty holding online meetings there.
In Germany, the main revenue source was direct desk rental (including memberships). Worldwide, however, it was private offices. Although the demand for team and one-person offices has not yet reached previous highs, they still contribute to profitability. At least, the profitability is generally higher where private offices generate the highest revenues.
