Global retail e-commerce sales 2014-2026

In 2021, retail e-commerce sales amounted to approximately 5.2 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide. This figure is forecast to grow by 56 percent over the next years, reaching about 8.1 trillion dollars by 2026.

World players

The Chinese retail group Alibaba , is the largest e-commerce retailer worldwide, with online sales valued at over 700 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. However, according to forecasts, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon will surpass Alibaba in estimated sales by 2027, when Amazon will generate over 1.2 trillion U.S dollars in online sales.

Leading e-tailing countries

In 2022, the Chinese e-commerce market is forecast to be the biggest in the world, with internet sales accounting for nearly half of the country's retail sales. The United Kingdom ranks second with the highest percentage of retail sales taking place online (36 percent), followed by South Korea (32 percent), and Denmark (20 percent). In 2022, the up-and-coming e-commerce markets center around Asia. The fastest growing e-commerce countries based on online sales are the Philippines and India, where e-commerce sales are forecast to increase by more than 25 percent.