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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The latest global figures show eCommerce at enormous scale, but they measure different things. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reports $28 trillion in business eCommerce sales across 45 economies in 2024, while a separate EMARKETER forecast puts worldwide retail eCommerce sales at $6.88 trillion in 2026. The first includes business-to-business activity and is an observed national-statistics benchmark; the second is a retail-only forecast. They should not be read as competing estimates of the same market.
This roundup presents the global statistics established by the cited sources, with their dates, geographies, definitions and forecast status attached. It does not claim to verify 90 separate statistics.
How large is global eCommerce?
UNCTAD’s latest global benchmark is $28 trillion in business eCommerce sales across 45 developed and developing economies in 2024. UNCTAD updated the data on 21 May 2026, and reports that sales in this sample were 4.4% higher than in 2023. The 45 economies represented three quarters of global GDP and exports. UNCTAD’s 2026 update presents this as a business-sales measure, not a retail-only total.
The distinction matters: business eCommerce includes sales to businesses and organizations. In most economies examined in UNCTAD’s 2024 technical note, business-to-consumer (B2C) sales accounted for less than one quarter of business eCommerce. A headline business-sales total therefore cannot be used as a measure of consumer online shopping alone. UNCTAD’s Digital Economy Report 2024 discusses the coverage and limitations of these statistics.
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What the global figures measure
| Figure | What it measures | Status, year and coverage |
|---|---|---|
| $28 trillion | Business eCommerce sales | 2024; reported by UNCTAD in a data update dated 21 May 2026; 45 economies |
| $6.88 trillion | Worldwide retail eCommerce sales | 2026 forecast by EMARKETER, February 2025; reproduced by Shopify in 2025 |
| 20.5% | eCommerce share of worldwide retail sales | 2025 forecast by EMARKETER, reproduced by Shopify in 2025 |
| 22.5% | eCommerce share of worldwide retail sales | 2028 forecast by EMARKETER, reproduced by Shopify in 2025 |
UNCTAD’s $28 trillion figure is based on national statistics and includes B2B sales. EMARKETER’s figures are retail forecasts. Because the definitions and methods differ, the gap between $28 trillion and $6.88 trillion is not evidence of a measurement error or a direct change in market size.
How retail eCommerce is forecast to grow
Shopify’s global eCommerce statistics and trends page reproduces an EMARKETER forecast issued in February 2025. The values below are forecasts, not observed sales results.
| Year | Worldwide retail eCommerce sales forecast | Forecast share of worldwide retail sales |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $6.419 trillion | 20.5% |
| 2026 | $6.88 trillion | not stated in the cited Shopify table |
| 2028 | $7.886 trillion | 22.5% |
These numbers describe the projected value of retail eCommerce and its projected portion of total retail sales. They are not a count of online orders, merchants, or consumers.
What UNCTAD’s historical data adds
UNCTAD’s 2024 report provides an earlier business-sales comparison across 43 economies, which accounted for around three quarters of worldwide GDP. It reports almost $25 trillion in business eCommerce sales in 2021 and estimates almost $27 trillion in 2022. Across those same 43 economies, business eCommerce sales grew nearly 60% from 2016 to 2022, reaching $27 trillion. The 2022 value is an estimate, not a final observation. UNCTAD’s 2024 report explains the data and methodological context.
The later 2024 benchmark uses 45 economies and a 2026 data update, so it is not a like-for-like continuation of the 43-economy series in every respect. UNCTAD’s available national statistics use differing definitions and methods, which can affect comparisons as well as reflect real changes in sales.
Did developing economies grow faster?
For 2016–2024, UNCTAD reports that the average annual growth rate of business eCommerce sales in developing economies was almost double that of developed economies. This comparison is based on the economies for which data were available: eight developing and 28 developed economies. It is not a complete census of either group, and the result should be read as a comparison within that sample. UNCTAD published the finding in its data update dated 21 May 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why global eCommerce statistics can differ
There is no single, complete global dataset covering every country and every form of eCommerce on a consistent basis. UNCTAD notes that value statistics remain limited, especially in developing economies, and that national definitions and methods vary.
- Different market boundaries: business eCommerce includes B2B transactions; retail eCommerce focuses on sales to consumers.
- Different evidence types: an observed or reported result is not interchangeable with an estimate or a forecast.
- Different country samples: UNCTAD’s 2024 comparison of growth rates draws on 36 economies representing two thirds of global GDP. Its 2024 sales total draws on 45 economies representing three quarters of global GDP and exports. The 2021–2022 historical figures cover 43 economies representing around three quarters of worldwide GDP.
- Different measures: sales value and eCommerce’s share of total retail sales answer different questions.
UNCTAD’s 2024 figures draw on data published by national statistical offices or other competent agencies. A total drawn from a defined country sample is informative, but it should not be mistaken for a perfect count of all global transactions.
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The available figures establish the scale of business eCommerce, provide a historical growth comparison, and show how one forecaster expects retail eCommerce sales and share to change. They do not establish a universal consumer-shopping pattern, a country ranking, conversion rate, cart-abandonment rate, or device and social-commerce share. Those questions require separate claims with their own sources, dates and definitions.
As UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan put it in the Digital Economy Report 2024: “We must harness the power of digitalization to advance inclusive and sustainable development, while mitigating its negative environmental impacts.”
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