This technical note presents up-to-date statistics on e-commerce sales by companies, which have become much more available thanks to Eurostat's publication of statistics for many EU and partner countries.
In 2021, e-commerce sales by businesses in 43 developed and developing countries reached nearly $25 trillion, accounting for roughly three-quarters of global GDP. This represents a 15% increase from pre-pandemic (2019) levels, with sales Estimation It is expected to grow another 10% in 2022, reaching approximately $27 trillion.
The share of e-commerce sales by businesses in the economies analyzed varies widely, ranging from less than 1% to 30%. In most cases, the majority of e-commerce sales by businesses are made to other businesses or organizations. In most cases, the share of business-to-consumer sales is less than a quarter.
Although developing countries generate around 40% of global GDP, they account for a significantly lower share of e-commerce sales for businesses.
The majority of e-commerce sales in these 43 developed and developing countries, which account for about three-quarters of global exports, take place between buyers and sellers residing in the same economy. Digitally ordered exports (i.e., international e-commerce sales) from these economies are estimated to be worth about $2.5 trillion in 2021, roughly 13% of total exports of goods and services. However, this estimate is relatively uncertain because data on trade through digital orders is limited.
Statistics for online retail sales, a subset of business-to-consumer e-commerce, share the same pattern of rapid growth spurred during the pandemic. This growth has moderated somewhat in 2023 as pandemic restrictions and disruptions eased. China, the UK, and South Korea stand out with significantly higher online retail sales than other economies, accounting for around 25-30% of total retail sales. The US follows with around 15%, with most economies falling in the range of around 5-10%.
Digital intermediary platforms (DIPs) play a key role in the e-commerce sector: during the pandemic, transaction volumes through 37 major DIPs increased by more than 55%.
The Task Group on Measuring the Value of E-Commerce (TG-eCOM), convened by the United Nations Organization for Trade and Development, is bringing together the various countries and international organizations featured in the report to develop internationally agreed guidelines and recommendations that will serve as the basis for capacity building and technical assistance to improve the availability and comparability of statistics on e-commerce.
