World Council of Credit Unions' 2008 Statistical Reportreveals modest growth in both the number of credit unions andmembers served, with 53,689 credit unions reporting nearly 186million members. That's a 9% and 5% increase over 2007 numbers,respectively.

First-time respondents Ethiopia and Haiti helped drive creditunion and member growth, but other areas of the world showed modestgrowth or slight declines. Global credit union assets totaledUS$1.19 trillion, up from 2007's total of US$1.18 trillion. Savingsreached US$995.7 billion, also an increase from last year'sUS$987.9 billion.

Loans worldwide dipped slightly to $847 billion, from US$847.9billion in 2007.

“Currency valuation changes in countries around the world mayhave tempered aggregate financial progress as reported in U.S.dollars, but growth in the number of institutions responding thisyear tells us credit unions are alive and well and on the path toserving an ever-increasing number of members,” said Pete Crear,president/CEO.

WOCCU has collected annual statistics for the past 36 years toproduce its Statistical Report. The only source for suchcomprehensive data on the global credit union movement, WOCCU'sreport is widely cited by governments, international institutionsand analysts. To download a free copy, visit WOCCU's Web site,www.woccu.org/statreport.

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