E-commerce statistics for individuals (2024)

Main points

Uptake of e-commerce in the EU in 2022: Based on the total population of all individuals aged between 16 and 74 years, 68% of respondents bought or ordered products or services online in the 12 months preceding the survey, an increase of 1% compared with 2021 (Table1).

Table 1: Internet users who bought or ordered goods or services for private use in the previous 12 months by age group, EU, 2010-2022 (% of individuals who used internet in the previous 12 months) - Source: Eurostat (isoc_ec_ibuy) and (isoc_ec_ib20)

Among the individuals who used the internet in the 12 months preceding the survey, the proportion of e-shoppers grew in the EU from 55% in 2012 to 75% in 2022, an increase of 20percentage points(pp). For the same period, the growth was particularly significant in Estonia (+47pp), Hungary (+43pp), in Czechia and in Romania (+41pp each).

E-commerce in the EU was boosted by the demand of the age group of 25-34 years in 2022. 87% of individuals in this age group bought or ordered goods or services online in 2022.

Among the internet users of the last 3 months, 42% bought or ordered clothes (including shoes and accessories), 19% deliveries from restaurants, fast food and catering services, and 17% cosmetic, beauty and wellness products in 2022. These products were the most popular to be purchased in 2022.

In 2022, 51% of the e-shoppers among the users of the internet in the last 3 months preceding the survey, bought or ordered goods and services from a national seller and 19% from a seller from another EU Member State.

Purchase of physical goods is ahead of the services in the online version of the collaborative economy. 21% of individuals who used internet in the last three months ordered or bought physical goods from other individuals in the EU, 6% rented accommodation.

Catching-up effect visible in some EU Member States

In 2022, in the EU, 3 out of 4 individuals who used the internet in the 12 months preceding the survey bought or ordered goods or services online. 12 countries were over the EU average of 75% of online buyers: the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Slovakia, Czechia, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Finland, Belgium, Hungary and Estonia. The highest proportion of online buyers of goods and services in the EU was in the Netherlands, with a rate of 92% in 2022. Between 2012 and 2022, the Netherlands increased the rate of e-shoppers by 23pp. The catching-up effect in the last ten years was particularly strong in the following countries: Estonia, Hungary, Romania and Czechia. In Estonia, the rate of e-shoppers grew from 29% in 2012 to 77% in 2022, representing an increase of 47pp. In Hungary, the proportion of e-shoppers grew from 35% in 2012 to 78% in 2022, an increase of 43pp. Romania and Czechia presented a growth of 41pp, from 11% in 2012 to 51% in 2022, and from 43% in 2012 to 84% in 2022, respectively. Three countries recorded a growth rate of online buyers of one-digit between 2012 and 2022: Germany (5%), Finland (8%) and Luxembourg (9%). These countries were already among the countries with the highest rates of e-shoppers in the EU in 2012. (Figure1)

Figure 1: Internet users who bought or ordered goods or services for private use in the previous 12 months, 2012 and 2022 (% of individuals who used internet in the previous 12 months) - Source: Eurostat (isoc_ec_ibuy) and (isoc_ec_ib20)

E-shopping: largest increase among young internet users

Concerning the individuals who have used the internet in the last 12 months, the proportion of online buyers was 75% in the EU in 2022, an increase of 20% over the last 10 years. Since 2010, e-commerce has been boosted by purchases of the individuals of the age group 25-34, which presented the highest share of online buyers year after year. In 2022, 87% of individuals of 25-34 years, who used the internet in the 12 months prior to the survey, bought or ordered goods or services on the internet for their personal need. In 2012, the rate was 62%, an increase of 25pp over ten years. The proportion of the individuals of the group 35-44 years is more often in the second place behind the age group 25-34 years. In 2022, 83% of individuals of 35-44 years bought or ordered goods or services over the internet for their personal need in the 12 months preceding the survey; an increase of 24pp compared with 2012. The largest rise was recorded by the proportion of online buyers of 16-24 years, from 53% in 2012 to 81% in 2022, an increase of 28pp. The proportion of online shoppers of 45-54 years has been very close to the EU total population average over the last 10 years, while the figure of 55-74 age group was below the EU average. (Figure2)

Figure 2: Internet users who bought or ordered goods or services for private use in the previous 12 months by age group, EU(¹), 2010-2022 (% of individuals who used internet in the previous 12 months) - Source: Eurostat (isoc_ec_ibuy) and (isoc_ec_ib20)

Positive correlation with the level of education and employment status

The level of education seems to be positively correlated to e-commerce. While in 2022, 56% of people with a low level of formal education bought online, this rate increased to 74% for medium level and 88% for individuals with higher education. Employment status also counts. While 56% of pensioners bought online, the rate rose to 63% for those unemployed and 81% for employees or entrepreneurs. Nationals, individuals from other EU Member States and individuals from the rest of the world seem to have different patterns of consumption. While the proportion of national e-shoppers is the same as the EU average of 75%, the rate of online buyers from other EU Member States was 72%, and 66% for those from non-EU countries. (Table2)

Table 2: Profile of the internet users who bought or ordered goods or services for private use in the previous 12 months, EU, 2022 (% of individuals who used internet in the previous 12 months) - Source: Eurostat (isoc_ec_ib20)

Clothes and deliveries from restaurants among the most popular online purchases

In 2022, the three items with the most popular purchases were clothing (including shoes and accessories), deliveries from restaurants, fast food and catering services, and cosmetic, beauty and wellness products. 42% of online shoppers bought or ordered clothes (including sportswear), shoes and accessories in 2022, down from 43% in 2021. The proportion of the individuals having bought or ordered products from restaurants, fast-food or catering services was 19% in 2022, stable compared with 2021. The proportion of individuals who bought or ordered cosmetic, beauty and wellness products was 17% in 2022, unchanged compared with 2021. Only 3% of online buyers reported having made a transaction related to films or series as DVDs, blu-rays, etc. (Table3)

The individuals of the age groups 16-24 years and 25-54 years filled in the demand of online clothing with the proportion of 51% and 49% respectively of online buyers in 2022. Although it is important to notice the difference in the size of these age groups, the proportion of individuals aged 25-54 years were only topped by the group aged 16-24 years in the purchase of the following items: clothes, deliveries from restaurants, and musical articles (CDs and vinyl, etc.). For all the remaining products presented in Table3, the proportion of individuals aged 25-54 years was the highest, except for the items related to computers, tablets and films or series, where the percentage was the same as for the age group 16-24 years.

Table 3: Online purchases of goods, EU, 2022 (% of individuals who used the internet in the previous 3 months) - Source: Eurostat (isoc_ec_ibgs)

Origin of the sellers: 51% of the purchases made from national sellers

In 2022, in the last 3 months preceding the survey, 51% of the e-shoppers bought or ordered goods and services from a domestic seller. The rates of online customers who bought or ordered from a seller from another EU country, from the rest of the world or where the origin was unknown were 19%, 12% and 9% respectively in 2022. In 2022, The individuals aged 25-34 years presented the highest rate of individuals (61%) with purchases from national sellers. The individuals aged 35-44 years followed with 60%, while those aged 55-74 years were lowest with a rate of 39% of e-shoppers in 2022. As regards the distribution by gender, while their purchases from domestic sellers is comparable (51% for women compared with 50% for men), men were more inclined to order or to buy from sellers from other EU countries (20% for men compared with 18% for women) as well as from sellers from the rest of the world (12% for men compared with 11% for women).Concerning sellers based in other EU countries, unsurprisingly, the highest rate of purchases was from individuals from another EU country (28% of individuals), i.e. 9pp over the rate of domestic buyers (19%). 22% of students bought or ordered from sellers based in other EU countries. 16% of students bought from sellers from non-EU countries. Pensioners and individuals aged 55-74 years presented the lowest proportion of online buyers from sellers outside the EU with a rate of 6% each.

Table 4: Origin of the seller, EU, 2022 (% of individuals who used the internet in the previous 3 months) - Source: Eurostat (isoc_ec_ibos)

Collaborative economy: Purchase of physical goods above the demand for services

The collaborative economy, also known as the sharing economy, has opened up a new way of exchanging goods and services through information and communication technologies. The concept of the collaborative economy is based on the exchange, sharing and collaboration between individuals of goods, services or knowledge with or without monetary exchange through digital platforms.In 2022, for individuals who used the internet in the last 3 months before the survey, 21% ordered or bought physical goods from other individuals in the EU, 6% rented accommodation, 1% used a transport service and finally 1% used household services. The purchases of physical goods had therefore led the online version of the collaborative economy in 2022. The individuals of the age groups 25-34 years and 35-44 years had a higher than average propensity of buying physical goods online in 2022 with a rate of 29% of e-shoppers each. Male and female also presented the same rate of e-shoppers of physical goods (21%). 27% of individuals with higher level of education made online purchases of physical goods. This group was also the one with the highest rate of purchases in the renting of accommodation (11%) ahead of the group aged 25-34 years (10%). The rate of nationals of other EU countries who ordered or bought rented accommodation was 7% in 2022, slightly over the 6% presented by the nationals.

Table 5: An emerging online collaborative economy, 2022 (% of individuals who used the internet in the previous 3 months) - Source: Eurostat (isoc_ec_ce_i)

Data sources

The data in this article are based on the results of annual surveys on ICT usage in households and by individuals. Data were aggregated from micro data transmitted by all EU Member States and some non-EU countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Kosovo^[1] and Bosnia and Herzegovina). Researchers can apply for access to the micro data.

The 2022 survey results are based on responses from a total of 169 million households in the EU having at least one person aged 16-74, and 328 million individuals in the EU aged 16-74. Individuals were asked about the last time they used the internet, how often they used it, internet activities, certain aspects of the collaborative economy, activities related to e-government, e-commerce and about privacy and protection of data together with digital skills. An e-shopper is defined as an individual who bought or ordered goods or services on-line during the last 3 months or the last 12 months prior to the survey.

Most countries collected data in the first half of 2022. The results above refer to individuals' experiences during the last 3 months or 12 months prior to the survey.

Levels of education are defined according to ISCED-2011 as follows: high (tertiary, ISCED 5, 6, 7 or 8); medium (upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary, ISCED 3 or 4); low (at most lower secondary, ISCED 0, 1 or 2).

Source data for tables and graphs

E-commerce statistics for individuals - graphs and tables

Context

Data from this survey supports measuring the implementation of one of the six priorities for the period 2019-2024 of the von der Leyen European Commission – A Europe fit for the digital age. The strategy is built on three pillars: (1) Technology that works for the people; (2) A fair and competitive digital economy; (3) An open, democratic and sustainable society. Furthermore, it facilitates the monitoring of the EU's digital targets for 2030, set by the Digital Compass for the EU's Digital Decade, evolving around four cardinal points: skills, digital transformation of businesses, secure and sustainable digital infrastructures, and digitalisation of public services.Data on the use of ICT in households and by individuals appears as well among the monitoring indicators of the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard and the European Skills Agenda.