site.btaBulgaria Reports Lowest Share of Online Commerce in EU in 2024

Online commerce in the EU continues to grow, according to the latest annual survey on the use of information and communication technologies by households and individuals, cited by Eurostat.

In 2024, 77% of internet users bought or ordered online goods or services for personal use, which is an increase compared to 59% in 2014, marking a growth of 17 percentage points.

In Bulgaria, the increase for the period 2014-2024 was +29 percentage points, from 29% to 57%.

The highest percentage of internet users who made online purchases was registered in Ireland (96%), the Netherlands (94%) and Denmark (91%). On the other hand, Bulgaria has the lowest share (57%), followed by Italy and Romania (with 60%each).

From 2014 to 2024, significant growth was reported in Romania (+43 percentage points from 17% to 60%), Hungary (+37 percentage points, from 42% to 79%) and Lithuania (+36 percentage points, from 36% to 72%).

The most frequently purchased goods online in 2024 were: clothing (including sportswear), shoes and accessories, with 45% of people having made these purchases in the previous three months, followed by food deliveries from restaurants, fast food chains and catering services (21%), cosmetics and wellness products (20%).