Global E-commerce Market: UNCTAD Business E-commerce Sales Estimates
UNCTAD estimates business e-commerce sales topped $27 trillion in 2022 across 43 economies. See growth since 2016, US and China shares and online retail data.
- Updated October 1, 2026
- 6 min read
- 7 sources
- Global
Executive Summary
UNCTAD estimates that businesses in 43 developed and developing economies, covering about three quarters of global GDP, generated over USD 27 trillion of e-commerce sales in 2022. That is almost 60% more than in 2016. The United States and China together accounted for 57% of the total. During 2020, the e-commerce share of retail sales rose from 16% to 19%, according to an earlier UNCTAD release.
Key Numbers
Charts
E-commerce share of total retail sales in 2020 for selected economies, as reported by UNCTAD. Actual values.
- China24.9
- United Kingdom23.3
- United States14
- Singapore11.7
- Australia9.4
- Canada6.2
Data Tables
Share of retail sales made online in selected economies, as reported by UNCTAD.
| Economy | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 15.8% | 23.3% |
| China | 20.7% | 24.9% |
| United States | 11% | 14% |
| Australia | 6.3% | 9.4% |
| Singapore | 5.9% | 11.7% |
| Canada | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Overview
UNCTAD, the UN trade and development agency, is the main public source for a global figure on e-commerce. Its estimates add up the online sales reported by businesses, which means they include both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) sales.
The latest UNCTAD estimate puts business e-commerce sales at over USD 27 trillion in 2022 [1]. The figure covers businesses in 43 developed and developing economies that together represent about three quarters of global GDP and trade [2].
Market Size
UNCTAD estimates that e-commerce sales reached over USD 27 trillion in 2022 across 43 economies [1]. For 2021, the same 43-economy series showed sales approaching USD 25 trillion [4].
Earlier UNCTAD releases used a different country coverage. They put global e-commerce sales at USD 25.6 trillion in 2018, up 8% from 2017 [6], and at USD 26.7 trillion in 2019, of which B2B was worth USD 21.8 trillion [7]. These older figures are not directly comparable with the 43-economy series.
Growth
Business e-commerce sales in the 43 economies grew nearly 60% from 2016 to 2022 [3]. UNCTAD notes that China's sales almost tripled over this period [2].
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed online shopping up sharply. UNCTAD found that the e-commerce share of all retail sales rose from 16% to 19% in 2020 [5]. In the Republic of Korea, internet sales grew from around one in five retail transactions in 2019 to more than one in four in 2020 [5].
Regional Analysis
The United States and China accounted for 57% of the 43-economy total in 2022 [2].
Online shares of retail sales rose in every major market UNCTAD reported for 2019-2020 [5]:
- United Kingdom: 15.8% to 23.3%
- China: 20.7% to 24.9%
- United States: 11% to 14%
- Australia: 6.3% to 9.4%
- Singapore: 5.9% to 11.7%
- Canada: 3.6% to 6.2%
For the latest US figures, see the separate US e-commerce report, which uses US Census Bureau data.
Trends
E-commerce also drives cross-border trade. UNCTAD estimates that digitally ordered exports from the 43 economies amounted to about USD 3 trillion in 2021, within a range of USD 1.6-4.9 trillion [2]. This equals about 12-14% of their total exports of goods and services [2].
Large platforms dominate consumer sales. Online B2C sales of the world's top 13 companies stood at USD 2.9 trillion in 2020 [5].
Methodology
Figures come from UNCTAD publications, press material and presentations, and from UN News reporting of UNCTAD findings. UNCTAD's business e-commerce sales measure the value of goods and services sold by businesses through orders placed over computer networks. It includes B2B, B2C and business-to-government sales. The 43-economy estimates rely on Eurostat digital economy and society data, Eurostat structural business statistics and national statistical agencies [2].
Estimates from different releases cover different sets of countries, so year-to-year comparisons across releases should be read with caution. All values are in current US dollars. No FREEE.REPORT calculations are used in this report.
Sources
- [1]
Measuring e-commerce: UNCTAD work gets funding boost from Saudi Arabia / UNCTAD / Accessed October 1, 2026 / View source
- [2]
Trends in Digital Trade and E-commerce (presentation by Torbjorn Fredriksson) / UNCTAD / UNESCAP / 2024 / Accessed October 1, 2026 / View source
- [3]
Digital Economy Report 2024 / UNCTAD / 2024 / Accessed October 1, 2026 / View source
- [4]
Business e-commerce sales and the role of online platforms / UNCTAD / Accessed October 1, 2026 / View source
- [5]
Global e-commerce jumps to $26.7 trillion, fuelled by COVID-19 / UN News / 2021-05 / Accessed October 1, 2026 / View source
- [6]
Global e-Commerce hits $25.6 trillion - latest UNCTAD estimates / UNCTAD / Accessed October 1, 2026 / View source
- [7]
The dramatic rise of e-commerce amid COVID-19 restrictions / UNCTAD (official Facebook page) / 2021 / Accessed October 1, 2026 / View source
Figures are reproduced from the publishers above. Calculations marked as our own are derived from these figures. Always check the original source before using a number.
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