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There are approximately 58,000 self storage facilities worldwide, of which 52,000 are located in the United States.
According to a report (1st June 2006) by Mintel Consulting and in collaboration with the Self-Storage Association of the United Kingdom, space available for rental in the USA is approximately 1.6 billion rentable square feet, against 22 million rentable square feet in Australia and around 20 million in the United Kingdom.
The report also states that there are around 41,000 facilities in the USA, 1,400 in Australia and around 600 in the United Kingdom.
 In recent years, the self-storage market has grown considerably with the UK now the largest and most established in Europe. Market penetration, however, is still somewhat lower than in the US and Australia, and the UK Self-Storage Association anticipates the market to grow with a compound annual growth rate of 10%-15% going forward.
With social factors (for instance, high divorce rates), and other pressures such as increased workforce mobility and the growth of the home improvement market playing a part, it is easy to see why many more customers might be calling upon the services of storage facilities in the near future.
Storage facilities offer a flexible, secure and cost effective solution when the homeowner wishes to create a little extra space in the home, or perhaps when furniture needs to be stored between house moves or during decorating. Another frequent customer is the student looking to store belongings in between terms.
The bigger more reputable storage companies will also tend to offer a whole range of useful items such as packaging, removal boxes and bubble wrap or van hire, to provide an all-round solution to all household, business and student storage needs.
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