The UK and Ireland have quickly embraced flexible workspaces, spurring innovation and competitiveness in the sector with a coworking space density almost double that of the U.S.
To that end, CoworkingCafe recently released a UK and Ireland industry report that determined the number of coworking spaces, as well as the median prices and top operators at the end of Q2 of 2024.
British Isles Log 3,000+ Coworking Spaces, Including Almost 800 in London Alone
The coworking inventory in the UK reached 2,806 spaces at the end of Q2 with London as the ultimate hotspot. Specifically, the city has more than one-quarter of the national supply, checking 788 spaces. Next in line (albeit at a significant distance) is Manchester with 69 flex workspaces, followed by Bristol in the third spot with 52. Birmingham and Leeds follow with 47 and 41 coworking spaces, respectively.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh grabbed fifth place on the UK list with 44 spaces. Not far behind, Glasgow came in seventh place with 39. And, with 33 and 26 flexible workspaces, respectively, Cardiff and Belfast represented Wales and Northern Ireland on the podium. Last, but not least, Aberdeen completed the Scottish roundup by securing a spot among the top 15 coworking hubs in the UK with 18 spaces.
Despite being smaller in scale, coworking is also very much in demand in Ireland, where there are currently 210 coworking spaces. Here, Dublin is home to almost half of the country’s coworking inventory with precisely 101 shared workspaces.
Highest Coworking Prices Registered in London, Except for Dedicated-Desk Category
In the UK, open workspaces are priced at £155, virtual offices are roughly £40 and dedicated desks had a median monthly charge of £215. The median price for meeting rooms stands at £25 per hour.
When it comes to open workspaces (£250 per month), virtual office subscriptions (£99 per month) and conference rooms (£45 per hour), London coworking spaces attract the highest median prices. Even so, Brighton and Hove surpassed the capital’s customary domination over prices: These places have dedicated desks that are £35 more expensive.
Ireland, on the other hand, offers a marginally higher price point with a median monthly rate of €280 for dedicated desks, whereas open-workspace subscriptions landed at €200. Meeting rooms are also available for €37 per hour, on average, while virtual offices cost €50 per month. Naturally, the typical monthly price in Dublin is €19 higher than the national average, and meeting rooms cost €7 more an hour.
UK Coworking Scene Rounds Both Domestic & International Operators
The top 15 coworking markets were dominated by Fora, Workspace Group, The Boutique Workplace Company, WeWork and Landmark Space, which together held about 10% of the market in the United Kingdom. However, most of them only have a few locations outside of London, so their portfolios are not as geographically dispersed.
Finally, the coworking scene in Ireland is dominated by Pembr, Iconic Offices and Workhub, with Pembr having the largest market share. The pattern here follows the UK, but more pronounced: Dublin is where the top three operators keep all of their inventory. Evidently, these providers have successfully capitalized on the demand for flexible workspaces in the capital city by providing a variety of solutions to accommodate varying tastes.
