Hi there! If you‘re wondering "how many people shop online in 2024?" – the answer is over 2 billion worldwide! Online shopping has completely transformed commerce and continues growing exponentially each year. Let me walk you through the latest eye-opening statistics and trends shaping e-commerce across the globe and in the US and China.
Contents
- How Many Online Shoppers Are There Globally in 2024?
- Which Country Spends the Most Online Each Year?
- How Many Businesses Sell Online Worldwide?
- Who Are the Biggest Online Retailers Worldwide?
- How Many Online Shoppers Does the US Have?
- How Does China‘s Online Shopping Scene Compare?
- Why Do People Prefer Online Shopping So Much?
- How Might Online Shopping Evolve Moving Forward?
How Many Online Shoppers Are There Globally in 2024?
In 2021, there were over 2.14 billion digital buyers worldwide according to data from Statista. That means around 27% of the total global population shopped online last year.
To put the massive growth into perspective, back in 2012 there were only around 1 billion online shoppers globally. The number has more than doubled in a decade!
Here‘s a breakdown of the global online shopping population each year:
| Year | Online Shoppers (billions) |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 1.32 |
| 2015 | 1.46 |
| 2016 | 1.52 |
| 2017 | 1.66 |
| 2018 | 1.79 |
| 2019 | 1.92 |
| 2020 | 2.05 |
| 2021 | 2.14 |
Asia Pacific accounts for the most online shoppers by region, with nearly 60% of the global total. China leads all countries with over 800 million digital buyers annually.
Experts predict over 2.5 billion consumers will be shopping online globally by 2025. That‘s a lot of people looking to buy!
Which Country Spends the Most Online Each Year?
When it comes to per capita online spending, UK shoppers take the top spot, spending an average of $4,021 per person annually according to Statista.
US shoppers come in second, spending around $3,428 per year online. South Korea, France, and China round out the top 5 biggest spending countries.
Here are the countries whose people spend the most shopping online each year on average:
| Country | Annual Online Spend Per Person |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $4,021 |
| United States | $3,428 |
| South Korea | $2,591 |
| France | $1,946 |
| China | $1,855 |
| Australia | $1,764 |
| Canada | $1,746 |
| Japan | $1,488 |
| Israel | $1,361 |
| Germany | $1,283 |
The UK‘s top ranking can be attributed to high average incomes combined with a very mature e-commerce market. South Korea and China‘s positions make sense given those countries mobile and digital shopping obsession!
Now let‘s look at total e-commerce sales. China is the runaway leader here with nearly $2.8 trillion in online retail spending in 2021. The US came in second with just under $1 trillion in total e-commerce sales last year.
Both China and the US are projected to continue seeing double digit growth in this area over the next 5 years!
How Many Businesses Sell Online Worldwide?
Selling online has also exploded over the past decade. Exact estimates vary, but here‘s a breakdown of data on the number of e-commerce merchants globally:
- There are between 12 – 24 million e-commerce sites worldwide according to different estimates.
- Around 7.2 million businesses in the US engage in e-commerce sales.
- The US has about 1.9 million online stores and marketplaces. China has over 1 million digital sellers.
- Shopify powers over 1 million online merchants across 175 countries.
- Tens of millions more individuals sell through Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and social apps.
As you can see, the number of businesses embracing online commerce globally is absolutely massive and keeps growing as technology improves!
Who Are the Biggest Online Retailers Worldwide?
When it comes to the giants of e-commerce, Amazon is king. By far the largest online retailer globally, Amazon accounted for nearly 7% of total retail sales worldwide in 2021 according to eMarketer.
The company generated over $130 billion in online sales revenue last year. To put that into perspective, Amazon makes more than Nike, McDonald‘s, and Coca-Cola combined!
Chinese retailer JD.com and Apple rounded out the top 3 biggest online sellers globally. Walmart and eBay also made the top 10 list:
| Rank | Company | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | United States |
| 2 | JD.com | China |
| 3 | Apple | United States |
| 4 | Walmart | United States |
| 5 | eBay | United States |
| 6 | Pinduoduo | China |
| 7 | Alibaba | China |
| 8 | Otto Group | Germany |
| 9 | Rakuten | Japan |
| 10 | Zalando | Germany |
In the US alone, Amazon accounted for a staggering 40% of all online sales last year. Walmart, Apple, Target, and Home Depot made up the rest of the top 5 American e-commerce companies.
It will likely take something completely revolutionary for any company to dethrone Amazon as the king of online retail anytime soon!
How Many Online Shoppers Does the US Have?
Now let‘s analyze the online shopping landscape specifically in the United States.
According to the US Census Bureau, there were over 200 million digital shoppers in the country as of 2021. That equates to around 80% of Americans aged 15 and above!
The number of online shoppers in the US has steadily risen over the past decade:
| Year | Online Shoppers (millions) |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 156 |
| 2015 | 182 |
| 2018 | 191 |
| 2021 | 200 |
While growth accelerated during the pandemic, e-commerce adoption was strong even before COVID. Generations Y and Z now drive over 60% of spending.
Surveys also show that 57% of Americans prefer shopping online compared to in-store today. And 30% say they plan to shop online even more going forward.
The pandemic certainly accelerated the ongoing trend of Americans dedicating more of their time and wallet to e-commerce each year.
How Does China‘s Online Shopping Scene Compare?
China is the definite leader globally both in total e-commerce sales and online shopping adoption.
In 2021, a whopping 842 million Chinese consumers shopped online according to Statista. That equates to around 60% of China‘s population!
China has added around 100 million new online shoppers every year recently. Compared to the US, China‘s e-commerce adoption surpassed 50% back in 2016 and continues rapidly rising.
Experts predict China‘s digital buyer population will reach 1 billion by 2025. That means nearly 70% of Chinese citizens would shop online!
A few factors explain China‘s incredible online shopping leadership:
- Mobile obsession – Chinese consumers spend way more time on mobile apps than any other country. New tech is quickly embraced.
- Urbanization – More Chinese citizens are moving to efficient megacities with advanced delivery infrastructure.
- Young demographics – Over half of Chinese e-shoppers are under 30. Younger generations are fully embracing digital lifestyles.
- Tech innovation – Chinese e-commerce apps incorporate social, entertainment and financial elements that drive engagement.
China‘s dominance in digital shopping won‘t fade anytime soon. Retail giants like Alibaba and JD.com will keep battling fiercely for online market share.
Why Do People Prefer Online Shopping So Much?
What is it about online stores that consumers find so compelling compared to brick-and-mortar retailers?
According to a 2021 Statista survey, the top benefits shoppers enjoy from e-commerce include:
| % | Benefit |
|---|---|
| 49% | Free delivery |
| 38% | Discounts and coupons |
| 31% | Reviews from other buyers |
| 30% | Easy returns |
| 28% | Quick checkout process |
| 27% | Next-day shipping |
| 25% | Rewards programs |
| 22% | Social proof and content |
| 19% | Eco-friendly options |
| 18% | Buy now pay later financing |
This data shows that convenience, savings, discovery, and modern features not found offline are the main reasons people love shopping online. Brick-and-mortar stores still excel at personalized service though.
How Might Online Shopping Evolve Moving Forward?
It‘s clear at this point that e-commerce is here to stay and will likely keep expanding globally.
Total online sales are forecasted to reach $6.4 trillion by 2024. That signals enormous continued growth ahead!
Here are some trends that could shape online shopping in the years to come:
- Mobile obsession – More sales will happen on smartphones, especially across Asia.
- Buy online, pick up in-store – More shoppers will browse online but retrieve items in stores for convenience.
- Faster shipping – Free next-day or even same-day delivery will become the norm for memberships like Amazon Prime.
- Virtual and augmented reality – New technologies will allow shoppers to digitally try on and visualize products.
- Voice ordering – More consumers will use smart assistants to conveniently reorder essentials.
- Hyper-personalization – Retailers will use data and AI to provide customized recommendations and experiences.
- Subscriptions – More stores will offer auto-delivery subscriptions for routine purchases.
- Social commerce – Shopping directly through social apps like TikTok and Instagram will gain traction.
- Sustainability – Eco-conscious consumers will increasingly factor sustainability into online purchases.
- Crypto payments – Cryptocurrencies and blockchain may start playing a bigger role in transactions.
Online shopping innovation and disruption will continue as retailers compete for trillion-dollar global market share. Consumers stand to benefit from this evolution through improved experiences, selection, and costs.
One thing is for sure – the number of people shopping online will keep growing massively across developed and emerging economies in the years ahead! E-commerce is fundamentally changing commerce around the world.
I hope this overview gives you a sense of how enormous online shopping has become globally and where it might be headed next. Let me know if you have any other e-commerce questions!
