This survey is carried out annually from April to June. Approximately 6 thousand people aged 12 years or older participate in this survey. In 2024, approximately 12.6 million people aged 12 years and over said they had purchased products or services online during the three months preceding the survey.
Online shopping saw a sharp increase in 2020 and 2021, when people spent more time at home during the coronavirus pandemic. It declined in 2022, before picking up again in 2023 and 2024.
Online purchases¹⁾
Jaartal
Online purchases (% of people aged 12 years and over)
2014
53.1
2015
54.0
2016
57.2
2017
62.0
2018
63.8
2019
64.0
2020
71.2
2021
77.4
2022
73.5
2023
78.5
2024
80.8
¹⁾ In the three months preceeding the survey. This survey is carried out annualy from April to June.
Online purchases¹⁾
Jaartal
Online purchases (% of people aged 12 years and over)
2014
53.1
2015
54.0
2016
57.2
2017
62.0
2018
63.8
2019
64.0
2020
71.2
2021
77.4
2022
73.5
2023
78.5
2024
80.8
¹⁾ In the three months preceeding the survey. This survey is carried out annualy from April to June.
Online purchases of personal care products increased slightly
Fifty-nine percent of the population aged 12 years or older bought clothes, sportswear, shoes or accessories such as bags and jewellery online. As a result, those articles topped the list of products most commonly purchased online, comparable to previous years. Forty percent of people ordered meals online from a restaurant, fast food chain or caterer, around the same percentage as in 2023. In addition, more than a quarter of people bought cosmetics and sporting goods online, similar to the previous year. Over 20 percent of them bought furniture, home accessories, personal care items or food. Purchases of personal care items increased compared with 2023.
Online purchases - products¹⁾
Goederen
2024 (% people aged 12 years and over)
2023 (% people aged 12 years and over)
2022 (% people aged 12 years and over)
Clothing, shoes
59
57
53
Meals ordered
40
41
43
Cosmetics, perfume
31
29
27
Sporting goods
28
27
26
Furniture, home accessories
24
24
25
Personal care items
24
21
19
Food
22
23
24
Computers, smartphones
21
21
22
Printed books
21
21
21
Medicines, vitamin pills
21
19
18
Electronics, devices
18
18
18
¹⁾ In the three months preceeding the survey.
Online purchases - products¹⁾
Goederen
2024 (% people aged 12 years and over)
2023 (% people aged 12 years and over)
2022 (% people aged 12 years and over)
Clothing, shoes
59
57
53
Meals ordered
40
41
43
Cosmetics, perfume
31
29
27
Sporting goods
28
27
26
Furniture, home accessories
24
24
25
Personal care items
24
21
19
Food
22
23
24
Computers, smartphones
21
21
22
Printed books
21
21
21
Medicines, vitamin pills
21
19
18
Electronics, devices
18
18
18
¹⁾ In the three months preceeding the survey.
Increase in online purchases of computer software or upgrades
Among people aged 12 and over, 49 percent bought films or series via a streaming service or as downloads. That was similar to the percentage in 2023. The number of internet subscriptions or renewals rose from 44 percent in 2023 to 49 percent in 2024. Online purchases of computer software or upgrades also increased compared to 2023, as well as other paid apps.
Online purchases - digital products and services¹⁾
Diensten
2024 (% of people aged 12 years and over)
2023 (% of people aged 12 years and over)
2022 (% of people aged 12 years and over)
Streaming services for films
49
48
46
Internet subscription
49
44
39
Streaming services for music
40
40
37
Computer software
17
15
15
Online games
16
17
17
Other paid apps
14
12
10
Sport or health apps
6
6
5
¹⁾ In the three months preceeding the survey.
Online purchases - digital products and services¹⁾
Diensten
2024 (% of people aged 12 years and over)
2023 (% of people aged 12 years and over)
2022 (% of people aged 12 years and over)
Streaming services for films
49
48
46
Internet subscription
49
44
39
Streaming services for music
40
40
37
Computer software
17
15
15
Online games
16
17
17
Other paid apps
14
12
10
Sport or health apps
6
6
5
¹⁾ In the three months preceeding the survey.
More online ticket purchases and accommodation bookings
Online purchases of bus or train tickets, airline tickets or taxi rides have increased significantly: in 2024, 35 percent of people aged 16 years and above bought a transport ticket or taxi ride online, up from 26 percent in 2023.
Online bookings of holiday rental accommodations from private individuals (via Airbnb or HomeExchange, for example) also increased substantially, from 7 percent in 2023 to 17 percent in 2024. More hotel rooms and other types of holiday rental accommodation were purchased online from a business active in e-commerce, such as a hotel, travel agency or Booking.com.
Online purchases - transport tickets and accommodations¹⁾²⁾
Diensten
2024 (% of people aged 16 years and over)
2023 (% of people aged 16 years and over)
2022 (% of people aged 16 years and over)
Transport tickets, taxi rides (UBER)
35
26
22
Accommodations rented by businesses
37
35
30
Accommodations rented by private individuals
17
7
7
¹⁾ In the three months preceeding the survey.
²⁾ Questions about tickets and accommodations were only asked of people aged 16 and over.
Online purchases - transport tickets and accommodations¹⁾²⁾
Diensten
2024 (% of people aged 16 years and over)
2023 (% of people aged 16 years and over)
2022 (% of people aged 16 years and over)
Transport tickets, taxi rides (UBER)
35
26
22
Accommodations rented by businesses
37
35
30
Accommodations rented by private individuals
17
7
7
¹⁾ In the three months preceeding the survey.
²⁾ Questions about tickets and accommodations were only asked of people aged 16 and over.
Online shopping most popular among people aged 25 to 44
People aged 25 to 44 were the most likely to shop online; in 2024, 94 percent of them bought goods or services online. Among people aged 75 or older, 41 percent made purchases online, which is similar to the percentage in 2023. The increase was largest among people aged 65 to 74; in 2024, 73 percent of them made purchases online compared to 64 percent in 2023.
