Ecommerce Statistics 2026: Online Share of Retail in the US, UK, EU and China
Ecommerce made up 17.1% of US retail sales in Q2 2026, according to the US Census Bureau. US online sales grew 12.2% in a year, 1.8 times as fast as all retail. Great Britain buys online more, with 28.8% of retail sales made online in September 2026. In China, online sales of goods equalled 25.7% of retail sales in the first nine months of 2026, by our calculation. In the EU, 78% of internet users bought something online in 2025.
Key statistics
- Ecommerce made up 17.1% of total US retail sales in Q2 2026, seasonally adjusted, according to the US Census Bureau.
- US retail ecommerce sales rose 12.2% in Q2 2026 compared with Q2 2025, according to the US Census Bureau.
- Online sales made up 28.8% of retail sales in Great Britain in September 2026, seasonally adjusted, according to the Office for National Statistics.
- Online sales of goods equalled 25.7% of China's total retail sales of consumer goods in January to September 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Bureau of Statistics of China data.
- 78% of EU internet users aged 16 to 74 bought or ordered goods or services online in 2025, according to Eurostat.
Ecommerce share of retail sales by country
Three official statistics offices publish the share of retail sales made online. Each defines it differently, so the figures below are close but not identical measures.
Great Britain has the highest online share of the three. About 29p in every £1 spent with British retailers goes online. The US share of 17.1% is 11.7 points lower. China sits between them. We divided online sales of goods (9,506.0 billion yuan) by total retail sales of consumer goods (37,000.1 billion yuan). That gives 25.7% for January to September 2026. The January to September 2026 release does not print a share itself. The NBS published 26.1% for online sales of physical goods in 2025.
The measures are not like for like. The ONS covers Great Britain only and compares online sales with in-store plus online sales by retailers. The Census Bureau compares ecommerce with total US retail sales from its retail survey. China's total includes catering income, while its online figure covers goods only, which pulls the Chinese share down. See our UK ecommerce statistics for store types and the monthly British series.
Sources: ONS, NBS (share calculated by StatisticsGlobal), US Census Bureau.
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The online share of retail sales was 11.7 points higher in Great Britain than in the US in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from ONS and US Census Bureau data.
How we calculated it: Great Britain online share of 28.8% (September 2026, ONS) minus US e-commerce share of 17.1% (Q2 2026, US Census Bureau), both seasonally adjusted = 11.7 percentage points. Definitions and periods differ.
| Country | Period | Online share | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | September 2026 | 28.8% | ONS, seasonally adjusted |
| China | January to September 2026 | 25.7% | NBS, calculated by StatisticsGlobal |
| China | 2025 | 26.1% | NBS, physical goods |
| United States | Q2 2026 | 17.1% | US Census Bureau, seasonally adjusted |
US ecommerce sales and growth
The US Census Bureau publishes ecommerce sales every quarter from its Monthly Retail Trade Survey. Its quarterly series starts in late 1999.
US ecommerce growth picked up in 2026. Sales rose 12.2% in Q2 2026 on a year earlier, against 6.7% for all retail. In 2025 as a whole, ecommerce grew 5.4%, by our calculation from the quarterly series. Part of the 2026 jump may be revised, since the Q2 figure is preliminary.
The online share more than doubled in ten years, from 7.1% in 2015 to 16.4% in 2025. The big step came in 2020, when the share rose 4 points in one year. It then flattened for two years as shops reopened, before climbing again. The fourth quarter is always the peak. Ecommerce reached 18.3% of US retail sales in Q4 2025, before seasonal adjustment.
Source: US Census Bureau quarterly series, not seasonally adjusted. Annual shares calculated by StatisticsGlobal.
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US retail ecommerce sales were $340.2 billion in Q2 2026, seasonally adjusted, according to the US Census Bureau.
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US retail ecommerce sales rose 12.2% in Q2 2026 compared with Q2 2025, according to the US Census Bureau.
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Total US retail sales rose 6.7% in Q2 2026 compared with Q2 2025, according to the US Census Bureau.
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US ecommerce sales grew 1.8 times as fast as total US retail sales in Q2 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from US Census Bureau data.
How we calculated it: Year-on-year e-commerce growth of 12.2% divided by year-on-year total retail growth of 6.7%, both Q2 2026 versus Q2 2025, seasonally adjusted = 1.82.
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US retail ecommerce sales rose 3.8% in Q2 2026 from Q1 2026, seasonally adjusted, according to the US Census Bureau.
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US retail ecommerce sales totalled $1,233.7 billion in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from US Census Bureau data.
How we calculated it: Sum of the four not seasonally adjusted quarterly e-commerce estimates for 2025: $275,715m + $293,140m + $299,717m + $365,160m = $1,233,732m.
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US retail ecommerce sales grew 5.4% in 2025 compared with 2024, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from US Census Bureau data.
How we calculated it: 2025 e-commerce sales of $1,233,732m divided by 2024 e-commerce sales of $1,170,030m, minus 1 = 5.44%. Both are sums of four not seasonally adjusted quarters.
| Year | Ecommerce sales | Total retail sales | Ecommerce share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $331.5bn | $4,638.3bn | 7.1% |
| 2017 | $435.5bn | $4,949.6bn | 8.8% |
| 2019 | $561.7bn | $5,307.3bn | 10.6% |
| 2020 | $798.5bn | $5,467.3bn | 14.6% |
| 2021 | $936.6bn | $6,399.7bn | 14.6% |
| 2022 | $997.5bn | $6,916.1bn | 14.4% |
| 2023 | $1,087.0bn | $7,073.4bn | 15.4% |
| 2024 | $1,170.0bn | $7,264.7bn | 16.1% |
| 2025 | $1,233.7bn | $7,518.7bn | 16.4% |
Online shopping in the EU by country and age
Eurostat asks households across the EU each year whether they bought anything online. This measures how many people shop online, not how much they spend.
Online shopping is close to universal in north-west Europe. In Ireland and the Netherlands more than 94% of internet users bought online in 2025. In Bulgaria the figure was 57.0% and in Italy 61.7%. The gap between the top and bottom country was 38.3 points. The EU rate rose from 62% in 2015 to 78% in 2025.
Age is the clearest divide. 90% of internet users aged 25 to 34 bought online, against 55% of those aged 65 to 74, a gap of 35 points. Older people are not closing the gap. Since 2015 the rate rose 19 points for 25 to 34 year olds and 8 points for 65 to 74 year olds. Work status matters too. 85% of employees bought online, against 60% of pensioners.
Source: Eurostat, E-commerce statistics for individuals, Figure 5 data, 2025.
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78% of EU internet users aged 16 to 74 bought or ordered goods or services online in 2025, according to Eurostat.
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62% of EU internet users aged 16 to 74 bought or ordered goods or services online in 2015, according to Eurostat.
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95% of people aged 16 to 74 in the EU used the internet in the 12 months before the 2025 survey, according to Eurostat.
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95.3% of internet users aged 16 to 74 in Ireland bought online in 2025, the highest rate in the EU, according to Eurostat.
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94.4% of internet users aged 16 to 74 in the Netherlands bought online in 2025, according to Eurostat.
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61.7% of internet users aged 16 to 74 in Italy bought online in 2025, according to Eurostat.
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57.0% of internet users aged 16 to 74 in Bulgaria bought online in 2025, the lowest rate in the EU, according to Eurostat.
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The share of internet users who bought online was 38.3 points higher in Ireland than in Bulgaria in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Eurostat data.
How we calculated it: Ireland 95.26% minus Bulgaria 57.01% = 38.25 percentage points. Eurostat isoc_ec_ib20, last online purchase in the 12 months, % of internet users, 2025.
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90% of EU internet users aged 25 to 34 bought online in 2025, the highest of any age group, according to Eurostat.
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55% of EU internet users aged 65 to 74 bought online in 2025, according to Eurostat.
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The online buying rate of EU internet users aged 25 to 34 was 35 points higher than for those aged 65 to 74 in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Eurostat data.
How we calculated it: Share of internet users aged 25 to 34 who bought online in 2025 (90%) minus the share aged 65 to 74 (55%) = 35 percentage points.
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The online buying rate of EU internet users aged 25 to 34 rose 19 points between 2015 and 2025, against 8 points for those aged 65 to 74, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Eurostat data.
How we calculated it: 25 to 34: 90% in 2025 minus 71% in 2015 = 19 points. 65 to 74: 55% in 2025 minus 47% in 2015 = 8 points. Figure 5 data series, Eurostat.
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60% of EU pensioners who used the internet bought online in 2025, against 85% of employees, according to Eurostat.
| Country | Share of internet users who bought online |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 95.3% |
| Netherlands | 94.4% |
| Denmark | 91.2% |
| Sweden | 90.1% |
| Czechia | 88.0% |
| Germany | 85.2% |
| France | 83.8% |
| EU average | 77.8% |
| Poland | 77.0% |
| Spain | 73.2% |
| Portugal | 67.3% |
| Romania | 63.6% |
| Italy | 61.7% |
| Bulgaria | 57.0% |
Problems EU shoppers have when buying online
The same Eurostat survey asks online buyers whether anything went wrong in the past year.
Most online shoppers had no trouble. 63% reported no problems in 2025. Slow delivery was the most common complaint, named by 20%. Eurostat also reports 12% who found a website hard to use and 10% who received a wrong or damaged item. Returns are covered on our ecommerce returns statistics page.
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63% of EU online shoppers reported no problems when buying online in 2025, according to Eurostat.
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20% of EU online shoppers said delivery was slower than expected in 2025, the most common problem, according to Eurostat.
How many EU businesses sell online
Eurostat's enterprise survey looks at ecommerce from the seller side. It covers firms with 10 or more employees and includes sales to other businesses.
Fewer than one in four EU firms sell online. 23.59% made ecommerce sales in 2024, up from 18.93% in 2014. Those sales made up 19.49% of total turnover. Size matters. Large firms were 2.3 times as likely as small firms to sell online.
Most business ecommerce value is not on websites. EDI-type sales, automated orders between business systems, made up 11.07% of turnover. Website and app sales made up 8.39%. Ireland led the EU, with ecommerce at 38.25% of enterprise turnover. Bulgaria was lowest at 7.63%.
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23.59% of EU enterprises made ecommerce sales in 2024, up from 18.93% in 2014, according to Eurostat.
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Ecommerce sales made up 19.49% of EU enterprise turnover in 2024, according to Eurostat.
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EDI-type sales made up 11.07% of EU enterprise turnover in 2024, against 8.39% for website and app sales, according to Eurostat.
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Ecommerce sales made up 38.25% of enterprise turnover in Ireland in 2024, the highest share in the EU, according to Eurostat.
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48.48% of large EU enterprises made ecommerce sales in 2024, against 21.38% of small enterprises, according to Eurostat.
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Large EU enterprises were 2.3 times as likely as small ones to make ecommerce sales in 2024, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Eurostat data.
How we calculated it: 48.48% of large enterprises with e-sales divided by 21.38% of small enterprises with e-sales = 2.27.
| Size class | Enterprises with e-sales | E-sales share of turnover |
|---|---|---|
| Large | 48.48% | 24.24% |
| Medium | 31.67% | 15.41% |
| Small | 21.38% | 8.65% |
| All enterprises | 23.59% | 19.49% |
China online retail sales
The National Bureau of Statistics of China reports online retail sales every month, alongside total retail sales of consumer goods.
Online retail sales of goods and services reached 15,972.2 billion yuan in 2025, up 8.6%. Growth slowed in 2026. Online sales of goods rose 3.8% in January to September 2026, still faster than the 1.1% rise in total retail sales. The 2026 release reports online sales of goods, while the 2025 release reported physical goods. We therefore compare the two years only through the growth rates the NBS publishes.
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Online retail sales in China reached 15,972.2 billion yuan in 2025, up 8.6% on 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China.
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Online retail sales of goods in China rose 3.8% in January to September 2026 to 9,506.0 billion yuan, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China.
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Total retail sales of consumer goods in China rose 1.1% in January to September 2026, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China.
US holiday ecommerce
Adobe tracks US online spending through its analytics product, which runs on many large retail sites. It publishes a forecast before the holiday season and results after it.
Adobe expects US shoppers to spend $275.1 billion online over November and December 2026, up 6.7%. That is close to the 6.8% growth of 2025. Cyber Week took 17.1% of holiday online spend in 2025, by our calculation. Phones carry most of it. Adobe expects mobile to reach 57.4% of spend. Our mobile ecommerce statistics page has more on device trends.
AI assistants are a new source of shoppers. Traffic to US retail sites from generative AI tools rose 693.4% in the 2025 holiday season. Adobe notes that the base is still small. Adobe and the Census Bureau measure different things, so their totals should not be compared directly.
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US shoppers spent $257.8 billion online from 1 November to 31 December 2025, up 6.8% on 2024, according to Adobe.
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US shoppers spent $14.25 billion online on Cyber Monday 2025, the biggest online shopping day of the year, according to Adobe.
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Traffic to US retail sites from generative AI tools rose 693.4% in the 2025 holiday season compared with 2024, according to Adobe.
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US online holiday spending is forecast to reach $275.1 billion from 1 November to 31 December 2026, up 6.7% on 2025, according to Adobe.
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Mobile devices are forecast to account for 57.4% of US holiday online spending in 2026, up from 56.4% in 2025, according to Adobe.
| Measure | 2025 actual | 2026 forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday season online spend | $257.8bn | $275.1bn |
| Growth on previous year | 6.8% | 6.7% |
| Cyber Week online spend | $44.2bn | $47.5bn |
| Cyber Monday online spend | $14.25bn | $15.1bn |
| Mobile share of spend | 56.4% | 57.4% |
How ecommerce is measured
Each source answers a different question. Read every figure with its own scope, period and definition.
The US Census Bureau counts sales of goods and services where the order is placed online or over EDI, whether or not payment is made online. It covers retail firms with paid employees and, since April 2025, excludes non-employer businesses. Figures are in current prices, so growth includes inflation. We built annual totals by adding four unadjusted quarters.
The ONS share comes from its Monthly Business Survey of retailers and covers Great Britain only. The latest month is provisional. The NBS online figure covers sales through public online platforms, including retailers' own sites. Its 2026 share is our calculation, because the January to September 2026 release does not state one.
Eurostat's household survey counts people aged 16 to 74 who bought anything online for private use, including services such as travel and streaming. It does not measure spending. Its enterprise survey covers firms with 10 or more employees and includes business-to-business sales.
Adobe data come from retail sites that use Adobe Analytics and cover the US only. They are not a census of all online sales. Its 2026 numbers are a forecast made in September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of retail sales are ecommerce in the US?
Ecommerce made up 17.1% of total US retail sales in Q2 2026, seasonally adjusted, according to the US Census Bureau. Across 2025 the share was 16.4%, by our calculation.
Is ecommerce growing compared with last year?
Yes. US ecommerce sales rose 12.2% in Q2 2026 on a year earlier, against 6.7% for total retail. British online sales were 6.8% higher in September 2026 than a year before.
Which country has the highest share of online shopping?
Of the countries with official monthly data, Great Britain is highest, with 28.8% of retail sales online in September 2026. China was about 25.7% and the US 17.1%. In the EU, Ireland had the most online shoppers in 2025, at 95.3% of internet users.
How many people shop online in Europe?
78% of EU internet users aged 16 to 74 bought something online in 2025, according to Eurostat. That is up from 62% in 2015.
How big will US holiday ecommerce be in 2026?
Adobe forecasts US online holiday spending of $275.1 billion from 1 November to 31 December 2026, up 6.7% on 2025. It expects Cyber Monday to reach $15.1 billion.
How much did the US spend online in 2025?
US retail ecommerce sales totalled $1,233.7 billion in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from US Census Bureau quarterly data. That was 5.4% more than in 2024.
Sources
- US Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, 2nd Quarter 2026, August 2026, accessed 9 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: Public domain (US government work)
- Office for National Statistics, Retail sales, Great Britain: September 2026, 23 October 2026, accessed 9 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods from January to September 2026, 20 October 2026, accessed 9 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Eurostat, E-commerce statistics for individuals, February 2026, accessed 9 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: CC BY 4.0
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods in December 2025, 20 January 2026, accessed 9 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- US Census Bureau, Estimated Quarterly U.S. Retail Sales (Not Adjusted): Total and E-commerce, time series, August 2026, accessed 9 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: Public domain (US government work)
- Eurostat, Internet purchases by individuals (isoc_ec_ib20), last online purchase in the 12 months, % of internet users, Updated 17 April 2026, accessed 9 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Eurostat, E-commerce statistics (enterprises), February 2026, accessed 9 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy · Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Adobe, Adobe: Holiday Shopping Season Drove a Record $257.8 Billion Online, 7 January 2026, accessed 9 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Adobe, Adobe: U.S. Holiday Shopping Season to Hit Record $275.1 Billion Online, Rising 6.7% YoY, 28 September 2026, accessed 9 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
Changes to this page
- : Page published with US Census Bureau data to Q2 2026, ONS data for September 2026, Eurostat 2025 survey data, NBS data to September 2026 and Adobe holiday data.