A person is packing goods and checking the order on a laptop

In 2022, 22.9% of EU enterprises conducted online sales, which was 0.1 percentage point (pp) higher compared with 2021 (22.8%) and 6.5 pp higher compared with 2012 (16.4%). 

This article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article on e-commerce statistics.

Among the EU countries, the percentage of enterprises engaging in online sales varied considerably. The highest shares were recorded in Lithuania (38.9%), Sweden (38.1%) and Denmark (36.7%). In contrast, the lowest shares were recorded in Romania (12.9%), followed by Luxembourg (13.4%), and Bulgaria (15.1%).

EU enterprises conducting e-sales, % of enterprises, 2022. Bar chart. See link to full dataset below.

Source dataset: isoc_ec_esels

The share of enterprises conducting online sales varied significantly depending on the size of the enterprises. In 2022, 45.9% of large enterprises in the EU conducted online sales and 30.2% of medium sized enterprises. By contrast, 20.8% of small enterprises were engaged in online sales in 2022.

For more information

Methodological notes

  • E-commerce refers to the trading of goods or services over computer networks, such as internet, using methods specifically designed for the purpose of receiving or placing orders. E-commerce sales (e-sales) specifically refer to situations where enterprises receive orders. E-sales can be conducted through websites or apps (web sales) or in an automated manner via EDI (electronic data interchange) type messages; enterprises may offer one or both options to their clients.
  • E-commerce data from the 2023 EU survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises refers to the preceding calendar year (2022). For more information read the methodological information about the survey.  
  • EU enterprises: at least 10 employees or self-employed persons in NACE Rev. 2 section C to J, L to N and group 95.1.
  • Small enterprises have 10-49 employees or self-employed persons, medium enterprises have 50-249 employees or self-employed persons and large enterprises have 250 or more employees or self-employed persons.
  • Sweden: break in the time series due to implementation of the statistical unit enterprise.

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