The self-education market is experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by the rise of entrepreneurship and solopreneurship across all industries. As traditional formal education models are increasingly expensive and challenged, the demand for flexible, high-quality self-education is soaring.
Current market offerings typically focus on either courses or community, rarely combining the two effectively. However, platforms that successfully integrate both elements see significant growth, as they enable users to interact with educators and peers seamlessly online.
The synergy of education and community offers substantial benefits. It fosters collaboration among like-minded individuals, often leading to new business ventures and mutual learning opportunities, much like a university environment. Furthermore, these communities are incredibly diverse, encompassing a wide range of ages, ethnicities, and geographical locations, enhancing the learning experience and broadening perspectives.
By blending education and community, we are positioned to capitalize on this dynamic market, providing an enriched, interactive learning environment that meets the evolving needs of modern learners.
Growth (3 - 12 Months)
Recent Trends
In the last three months, the e-learning market has continued to experience growth, albeit at a slightly slower pace compared to the pandemic peak. However, the demand remains strong due to ongoing digital transformation efforts in education and training sectors.
Platform-Specific Growth
Platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, and MasterClass have reported steady growth in their user bases. Udemy, for instance, has over 59 million learners and continues to expand its course offerings.
Increased Adoption
Over the past six months, the adoption of online learning platforms has continued to rise, particularly in emerging markets. Regions like Africa saw a 43% increase in student registrations and a 50% increase in course enrolments, reflecting the growing acceptance and need for online education in these areas.
Corporate Training
There has been a noticeable increase in the adoption of e-learning solutions for corporate training. The corporate segment of the e-learning market is expected to expand at over 15% CAGR through 2032, driven by the need to upskill employees and the flexibility offered by online training programs.
Global Market Growth
The e-learning market was valued at USD 399.3 billionin 2022 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 14% between 2023 and 2032, reaching a value of USD 1 trillion by 2032. This indicates a robust expansion driven by increasing internet penetration, corporate training needs, and the rise in self-education.
Regional Growth
Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region in the e-learning market, expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.1% by 2030. The North American market is also strong, projected to grow at a CAGR of 10.3% by 2030, driven by high technological infrastructure and demand for online education).
User Growth
Platforms like Coursera reported significant increases, with more than 20 million new learners in 2021 alone. This trend continued into 2023, with a steady rise in registrations and course enrolments globally, totalling to over 142 million global learners.
Google Trends
Search Interest: Google Trends data shows a steady increase in over 14% annually in search interest for terms like "online courses," "self-education," "e-learning," and "online learning" over the past year. The interest peaked during significant periods of remote work and learning mandates but has remained consistently higher than pre-pandemic levels.
These trends highlight the substantial and ongoing growth in the self-education and online learning sectors, driven by advancements in technology, increasing internet access, and the flexibility and accessibility of online education platforms. This sustained growth underscores the importance of digital learning solutions in meeting educational and training needs globally.
Active Company Analysis
Skool
User Base
Skool hosts over 1,000 communities, highlighting its capacity to support a wide range of user groups and interests. Skool caters to "well over 1m active users" according to founder Sam Ovens.
Revenue
Skool operates on a subscription-based model, charging $99 per month per community, with an additional 2.9% transaction fee plus $0.03 per transaction. This straightforward pricing structure simplifies financial management for users.
Circle
User Base
Circle.so has over 6,000 active communities, catering to a diverse range of creators, educators, and influencers who use the platform to build and manage their online communities effectively. They ended 2023 with over 4.1 million active registered users.
Udemy
Revenue
Udemy reported a 16% year-over-year increase in full-year revenue for 2023, reaching $729 million. The fourth-quarter revenue rose by 15% to $190 million.
User Growth
Udemy has over 59 million learners and 70,000 instructors teaching more than 213,000 courses in 75 languages. The enterprise segment, Udemy Business, saw a 34% year-over-year revenue increase, reaching an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $466 million.
Retention and Engagement
Udemy's focus on professional and technical courses continues to drive engagement, with technology courses averaging 4,200 learners per course. The platform's strategic investments in AI capabilities and customer success are expected to further enhance retention and user experience.
Coursera
Revenue
Coursera reported a 19% year-over-year revenue growth, totalling $636 million for 2023. The platform added 24 million new learners, bringing the total to 142 million global learners.
User Growth
Coursera’s extensive partnerships with universities and organizations have helped it expand its user base significantly. The platform's focus on professional and academic courses has been a key driver of growth.
Whop
User Base
While Whop is newer compared to other platforms, it has rapidly grown to support thousands of users by focusing on community engagement and educational content delivery. Revenue is unspecified at the moment to the public.
General course-based platforms are taking a nose-dive in terms of overall traffic to the platforms while community-driven education platforms like Skool and Whop are rising drastically. The trend is in collaborative educational communities and the growth does not show signs of slowing down.
