The German data statistics company Statista cited data from the German analysis firm eCommerceDB, stating that China leads the global e-commerce market, with total online retail sales in 2023 reaching nearly $2.179 trillion.
The report indicates that the statistics include sales of physical goods as well as value-added tax. The United States ranks second with sales of $981 billion, followed by the United Kingdom at $157 billion. South Korea (at $140 billion), Japan (at $124 billion), Germany (at $113 billion), India (at $88 billion), and Indonesia (at $73 billion) follow in succession.
In January 2024, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that China has been the world’s largest online retail market for 11 consecutive years. Ministry spokesperson Shu Jueting stated that online retail sales of physical goods account for over 25% of total retail sales. Over the past five years, the number of people employed in China’s e-commerce sector has increased from 47 million to over 70 million, and the number of “Silk Road e-commerce” partner countries has grown to 30.