Data collection
The present report refers to data from the year 2013. To
see the entire list of data requested, reference the World Cooperative
Monitor questionnaire on page 7.
One of the long-term aims of the World Co-operative
Monitor Project is to collect data that can assess not only
the economic, but also the social and environmental impacts
of the largest co-operatives worldwide. Given the limited
availability of data on a global level that can be used to
compare co-operatives across different contexts, the Monitor
is presently primarily focused on general organizational data
and financial performance data. Based on current scientific
thought concerning the measurement of the economic
performance of co-operatives, the research team has chosen
to collect turnover data, defined as the income generated
by the business activities conducted by a company, usually
the sales of goods and services to customers. In the case
of the Insurance Co-operatives and Mutuals sector, this is
premium income. For the Banking and Financial Services
sector, the values in the rankings in this year’s edition of the
World Co-operative Monitor are either taken from existing
rankings or developed using, where possible, the sum of net
interest income, net premiums and other operating income,
such as deposit and payment service charges, lending fees
and credit card service revenues, income from brokerage and
investment fund services, management and custodial service
fees, foreign exchange income as well as other income. This
methodology creates the most homogeneity possible among
data sources, but note that there could be variations among
countries and existing rankings regarding calculations and
values used