adtribute Data

E-commerce statistics for Europe, Germany and the US

The official numbers on how big e-commerce is and how fast it grows, from Eurostat and the U.S. Census Bureau, refreshed automatically whenever the publisher releases new data.

Looking for what growth costs? See the e-commerce benchmarks
Official statistics

Official e-commerce statistics

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The official series behind e-commerce demand in Europe, Germany and the US, each with the publisher named on the card and linked on its page.

Region

E-commerce statistics, straight from the source

Most e-commerce statistics roundups copy numbers from each other until nobody knows where a figure came from or when it was measured. Every series here comes directly from the official publisher, shows its release date, and links to the original table.

Use them as market context: whether online demand is growing, how much of retail has moved online, and how many people buy online at all. For what it costs to win customers in that market, see the e-commerce benchmarks built from real DTC brands.

Frequently asked questions

Is e-commerce still growing?

Yes, in every market on this page. US e-commerce sales grew 12.2% year over year in Q2 2026 (nominal), EU online retail volume grew 1.7% in July 2026, German online retail volume grew 4.0% in August 2026. Growth has slowed from the pandemic years but online sales still grow faster than total retail, which is why e-commerce keeps gaining share.

What percentage of retail sales are online?

In the US, e-commerce accounted for 17.1% of all retail sales in Q2 2026, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (via FRED), seasonally adjusted. The figure includes cars and fuel in total retail, so sources that leave those out report a higher online share for the same sales.

How many people shop online in the EU?

73.6% of people aged 16 to 74 in the European Union bought something online in the twelve months before the 2025 survey, according to Eurostat. The share differs strongly between countries, with the Nordic countries and the Netherlands far above the average.

Is e-commerce growing faster in Germany or in the EU?

Real growth of German online retail volume was 4.0% year over year in August 2026, for the EU as a whole 1.7% in July 2026. Both series use the same Eurostat definition and are in real volume terms, so they can be compared directly, but single months are volatile and the trend over several months is more telling.

Can US and European e-commerce growth be compared directly?

Only with care. The US figure is nominal dollar sales growth from the Census Bureau and includes the online sales of store-based chains. The EU and German figures are real volume growth of internet and mail-order retailers from Eurostat, so price increases are removed. In inflationary periods the US line reads stronger for that reason alone.

Where do these e-commerce statistics come from?

From the official statistical publishers: Eurostat for the European Union, Destatis (via Eurostat) for Germany, and the U.S. Census Bureau via the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED) for the US. Every series is refreshed automatically when the publisher releases new data, and every page names and links the original source.

How do these statistics relate to the adtribute benchmarks?

The statistics describe the market: how big e-commerce is and how fast it grows. The adtribute benchmarks describe what it costs to compete in it, from real ad spend and orders of DTC brands: customer acquisition cost, ROAS, conversion rate, CPM and more. Read them together to separate market tailwinds from your own performance.