SOURCE RESEARCH
Next Generation Data Centers
Market Data | 1Q 2026 | MD-NGDC-122
Get The ReportNumber of colocation data centerby region (2026-2035 growth outlook)
Colocation continues as the world's largest data center operator segment, with sites growing from 3,874 to 5,157 (2.8% CAGR), underscoring its importance as a flexible, neutral facility layer supporting enterprises, cloud nodes, and AI build-out.
North America: Colocation expands significantly from 1,137 to 1,540 data centers, reinforcing its role as the primary interconnect and hybrid‑cloud aggregation layer for enterprises and cloud providers.
Europe: Colocation remains the structural backbone, exceeding 1,575 sites in 2026 and continuing to increase as enterprises, telcos, and public‑sector agencies adopt hybrid, sovereign‑compliant architectures leveraging Europe’s concentrated interconnect hubs.
Asia-Pacific: Colocation leads Asia-Pacific’s operator base, surpassing 800 sites in 2025 and reaching 1,014 by 2035. Growth is driven by regional diversity, rising cross‑border digital services, and strong demand for metro‑edge deployments in fast‑industrializing markets.
Latin America: Colocation becomes increasingly essential, enabling enterprises to access secure hybrid‑cloud environments and interconnect hubs in key metros such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá, and Mexico City.
Middle East & Africa: The region delivers the fastest global data center growth (from 396 sites in 2025 to 705 in 2035), driven by sovereign cloud mandates, national digital‑economy programs, and accelerating hyperscaler presence across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Africa’s emerging hubs
