India ranks top among global flexible office markets, set to cross 100 mn sq ft by 2026: Cushman & Wakefield

India has established itself as one of the world’s most advanced and mature flexible office ecosystems and is on track to achieve 100 million square feet of flex workspace by 2026, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest Global Trends in Flexible Office 2025 report. The report highlights that at a time when global occupiers are recalibrating portfolios for agility, India’s flex sector is not only keeping pace, it is setting benchmarks for scale, maturity, and innovation and now ranks ahead of UK, France and US.

"Scoring a perfect 100 on Cushman & Wakefield’s maturity index, India has outpaced its global peers with well-established office markets, including the United Kingdom at 98%, France at 97%, the United States at 81%, and both Japan and Singapore at 77%, respectively. These figures reflect the rare combination of scale, operator diversity and innovative agreement structures that are reshaping occupier strategies in India," the report said.

The maturity score has been calculated by the assessment of key industry metrics, including flexible inventory as a percentage of total office space, the number of flexible providers present in the market, leasing activity of flexible providers, the presence of emerging flexible agreement structures, which gauge the depth of the sector.

Ramita Arora, MD, Bengaluru & Head – Flex, India, Cushman & Wakefield, said: “India’s flexible office sector is widely recognised as a global pacesetter. What sets it apart is the maturity, diversity of operators, and its ability to pivot with demand — qualities that many Western markets are still developing. For India, the flexible workspace story is only strengthening."

The data shows India today is the largest flexible office market in APAC, with 79.7 million square feet (MSF) of stock, across top 8 cities as of Q2 2025. It is expected to reach 85 MSF by year-end and surpass 100 MSF by 2026. The growth has been matched by surging demand. Since 2020, flex demand has risen nearly sixfold, fuelled by occupiers prioritising shorter commitments, managed solutions, and speed-to-market strategies. In 2024 alone, flexible space accounted for 15% of total new office leasing, confirming its mainstream adoption.

Operator expansion has also accelerated sharply. Over the past three years (2022–2024), flexible workspace providers leased 33.5 MSF, equivalent to over 500,000 seats. Annual operator take-up has tripled in just five years, from 4.3 MSF in 2020 to 15.4 MSF in 2024, firmly establishing flexible workspace as a core workplace solution rather than an alternate option.

Flexibility and agility are driving India’s flex space story, and this trend is set to accelerate as firms actively seek business-ready offices to rapidly scale or adjust headcount as needed. The bulk of this demand is coming from international enterprises, which accounted for 72% of flex seat absorption in 2024, while start-ups took up 28%. The significant influx of global capability centres (GCCs) and other new companies entering India is accelerating this shift, further solidifying flexible workspaces as the preferred model for companies seeking speed, resilience, and growth in a dynamic market.

The managed office or enterprise model now dominates, accounting for 70-80% of demand post-COVID, well ahead of traditional coworking. The bulk of this stock remains concentrated in the top eight cities, with Bengaluru leading the charge with 30% of national flex inventory, followed by Delhi-NCR, Pune and Hyderabad. Bengaluru also leads the demand with an average of one-third of annual enterprise transactions in the country.

Beyond these leading metros, occupiers are increasingly expanding to Tier II cities such as Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kochi, Trivandrum, Coimbatore, Visakhapatnam, and Bhubaneswar to tap into new talent pools and capitalise on lower operating costs.

In its outlook, Cushman says India’s flexible office sector is also drawing strong institutional validation. "Four operators have already gone public, with more IPOs expected, signalling heightened transparency, governance, and investor confidence. The next 3-5 years are expected to bring consolidation, with leading players cementing their market share while niche and regional operators continue to serve specialised requirements."