Global Ecommerce Sales Growth (2021–2026)
The global ecommerce growth rate for 2023 is forecast at 8.9%, bringing global ecommerce sales worldwide to $5.9 trillion. This marks a 1.8 percentage point increase from 2022’s growth rate, which followed a massive dip from 2021.
In 2021, global ecommerce growth rates hit 16.8%, which is also the largest year-over-year increase analysts expect between 2021 and 2026 and can be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID-19 outbreak forced governments all over the world to impose strict lockdowns, which meant brick-and-mortar stores had to stay shut and consumers had to remain home. This boosted online retail growth as people went on the internet to carry out their purchases. In 2022, most countries relaxed their restrictions and consumers returned to physical stores to enjoy the benefits of in-store shopping, resulting in relatively slower online retail growth rates.
According to experts’ forecasts, global ecommerce sales growth is set to continue—albeit at a slower pace. Apart from the slight increases expected this year and next, growth is projected to decelerate over the coming years.
For instance, ecommerce sales growth worldwide is expected at 9.4% in 2024. But in 2025 and 2026, this is set to fall slightly to 8.8% and 8.1%, respectively.
Despite the falling growth rates, the ecommerce share of retail sales is expected to increase. In 2023, this figure is forecast at 20.2% and will increase to 23.3% by 2026.
Ecommerce Sales Growth by Region
In which parts of the world is ecommerce experiencing the fastest growth?
Recent ecommerce sales growth statistics analyzing increase rates in the largest ecommerce markets show that the online shopping trend is expected to grow in the US in the next few years. Ecommerce sales there are forecast to increase by a whopping 50% from $907.9 billion in 2022 to $1.4 trillion in 2025.
In Europe, this is set to grow a little slower at 47%. China, the country with the highest amount of ecommerce sales, is expected to see its online retail sector grow by 15% during this period. Analysts credit the relatively slow rate in China to the fact that the country’s peak in online shopping growth had already come in previous years.
In comparison, the rest of the world is forecast to see an increase of 52% in online sales from just over $1 trillion in 2022 to $1.5 trillion in 2025.
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