How Many People Shop Online?
With the rise of ecommerce, it’s only natural that the number of online shoppers worldwide rises along with it. As it stands in 2023, the number of digital buyers is at 2.64 billion. This makes up 33.3% of the population worldwide. In other words, one out of every three people you see around you is an online shopper.
The number of online shoppers has been growing over the past few years. In 2023, there are 80 million more digital buyers than there were in 2022—a 3.1% year-over-year increase.
The increase should come as no surprise, as internet connectivity penetrates the world and online shopping becomes increasingly convenient. Exclusive online shopping events offering huge discounts such as Singles’ Day in China, Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday have also played their part in spurring shoppers to hop on the online shopping bandwagon.
The number of online shoppers is set to continue increasing, rising to 2.71 billion in 2024 and 2.77 billion in 2025.
Given the rising trend, the potential for an ecommerce store is huge. A deeper look into these ecommerce statistics would go a long way in helping budding ecommerce store owners better understand the direction of online shopping.
To do that, ecommerce entrepreneurs need to look beyond general questions such as how many people shop online or the number of online shoppers in their target markets and dive into specifics.
Here’s a look at the number of digital buyers in the world’s biggest ecommerce markets.
How Many People Shop Online in China?
Recent research shows that there were 842.1 million online shoppers in China in 2021—a 7.6% annual increase.
The whopping number of digital buyers in China is not surprising, considering it’s the world’s most populous country and home to some of the world’s top ecommerce companies. The data also shows that online shopping is growing very quickly in China. In 2011, there were just 193.95 million people buying things online there.
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How Many People Shop Online in the United States?
According to the latest data, the number of online shoppers in the US has been increasing year after year. In 2023, analysts expect there to be 218.8 million digital buyers there. This marks a 1.9% annual increase from the previous year.
The number of people shopping online in the US is set to continue growing. By 2026, this figure is set to hit 230.6 million.