Digital economy and technology

Data insights

The rapid advancement of digital technologies has transformed economies and reshaped the way businesses, governments and individuals interact globally. The digital economy, driven by innovation, connectivity and technological disruption, plays a pivotal role in shaping economic growth, productivity and societal change. This collection of thematic insights explores key aspects of the digital economy and technology, offering a comprehensive understanding of its evolving landscape.

E-commerce sales by businesses continue growing

Business e-commerce sales value and GDP, in current prices (indices, 2016=100)

UN Trade and Development, UNCTADstat.

Indices represent the same 36 developed and developing economies which account for two thirds of global GDP.

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Business e‑commerce sales have grown rapidly, based on statistics available across 36 developed and developing economies which account for two thirds of global GDP. This trend accelerated during the COVID‑19 pandemic (2020-2023), when both businesses and their customers turned to e-commerce to mitigate disruption to other sales channels. It slightly slowed down in 2024, but sales in 2024 were still 4.4% higher than in 2023. These trends reflect that the Internet offers businesses a new form of "shop window" that is visible Worldwide and can be open for orders 24/7.

In 2024, the value of e-commerce sales by businesses across 45 developed and developing economies, comprising three quarters of GDP and exports globally, reached $28 trillion.

Data updated on 21 May 2026

E-commerce growing faster in developing economies

Average annual growth in business e-commerce sales value, percentage, 2016-2024

UN Trade and Development, UNCTADstat.

Based on data from eight developing and 28 developed economies.

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Over 2016-2024, the average annual growth rate of e-commerce sales in developing economies was almost double that of developed economies, based on the sample of countries with available data.

In many developed economies, e-commerce ordering is relatively widely offered as a sales channel by businesses. Although adoption and the value of e-commerce sales are still increasing (with the latter also affected by changes in prices for goods and services sold), digital ordering will have already been implemented by many of the businesses for which it is most suited. By contrast, many developing economies are experiencing rapid digitalisation, including of ordering processes.

Data updated on 21 May 2026

The United States, Europe, and China are the largest e-commerce markets

Distribution of e-commerce sales, 2022-2024

UN Trade and Development, UNCTADstat.

Based on data from 36 developed and developing economies which account for two thirds of global GDP.

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Based on data from 36 economies, the United States of America, Europe, and China are the largest e-commerce markets. The existence within the United States, Europe, and China of highly integrated, complex, and digitalized supply chains for manufacturing, retail, and other business activities, as well as these economies' integration in global value chains, is a key driver for the extent of e‑commerce observed. 

Data updated on 21 May 2026

Metadata

The availability of e-commerce value statistics remains limited, especially for developing economies. These analyses are based on e-commerce sales figures published by national statistical offices or other competent agencies of 36 developed and developing economies, including the United States of America, China, and most European economies, which are known to comprise large e-commerce markets. The economies covered account for two thirds of global GDP. For the derivation of trends over time, missing values for specific periods for individual economies are estimated using linear interpolation and extrapolation based on growth rates observed across economies.

The sample of 36 economies includes the following developing economies: China; Hong Kong, China; Colombia; Indonesia; Malaysia; Philippines; Singapore; Thailand. It includes the following developed economies: Australia; Austria; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Canada; Croatia; Czechia; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Kingdom of the Netherlands; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; Norway; Poland; Portugal; the Republic of Korea; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; United Kingdom; United States of America.

As the underlying value figures are expressed in current prices, the trends in real e-commerce sales values are affected by changes in the prices of the goods and services sold via e-commerce.

An e-commerce transaction is "the sale or purchase of goods or services, conducted over computer networks by methods specifically designed for the purpose of receiving or placing of orders. The goods or services are ordered by those methods, but the payment and the ultimate delivery of the goods or services do not have to be conducted online" (OECD, 2009; 2025. See The 2025 OECD definition of e-commerce and guidelines for interpretation).

A key outcome of this definition is that e-commerce does not include orders placed via manually typed messages sent through email or messaging apps, orders placed through voice or video calls, or placement through any other "general purpose" method not "specifically designed for the purpose of receiving or placing of orders".

However, in operationalizing the definition, some economies include orders placed through manually typed messages. There are also variations in the economic activities and firm sizes covered, and in the valuation of e-commerce sales. Notably, some economies include sales taxes such as the value added tax in the value reported. 

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