Global Expansion Guide · Italy

Market expansion guide:Italy.

An animated mosaic of Italian scenes

The euro area’s third-largest economy, where online spending grows more than ten times faster than GDP. Italy pairs world-class brands in fashion, luxury and travel with e-commerce adoption that still trails its neighbours. Explore it on your terms: pick a section, dig into the data, decide where to focus.

58.9m
Population
Euro area’s third-largest economy
$136.3B
E-commerce by 2028
From $115.2B in 2025
32.1%
Already cross-border
$37.0B → $48.4B by 2028
5.8%
E-commerce CAGR
Vs 0.5% GDP growth in 2025

Italy at a glance

Mature market,untapped headroom

A market of 58.9 million people where e-commerce grows more than ten times faster than the wider economy, with adoption still well below its northern European neighbours.

USD
115.2bn
E-commerce market, 2025
Up from USD 107.2bn in 2024
USD
136.3bn
Forecast market, 2028
5.8% CAGR
32.1%
Of e-commerce is cross-border
USD 37.0bn in 2025
56.2%
E-commerce penetration
Up from 43.9% in 2020
66%
Smartphone penetration
Clear room to grow
~90%
Internet penetration
Spain: 96% · Germany: 93%
USD
46.5k
GDP per capita (approx.)
GDP ~USD 2.5 trillion
58.9m
Population
Euro area’s third-largest economy
Sources: PCMI · International Monetary Fund (IMF) · Eurostat · Netcomm/Polimi eCommerce B2C Observatory · Istat
A winding cypress-lined road through Tuscan hills at sunset
Italy: 58.9 million people and the euro area’s third-largest economy.

01 · Why Italy

An economy that growsfastest when it’s online.

A colourful cliffside village above the sea on the Italian coast at dusk

Italy’s headline economy is slow-moving: GDP grew 0.7% in 2024 and an estimated 0.5% in 2025, and unemployment sits around 6%. Online, the picture is different. E-commerce is expanding at 5.8% a year and adding USD 21.1bn of new value by 2028, powered by world-class brands in fashion, luxury, food and travel and by adoption that is still catching up with Northern Europe.

Why Italy

Scale, spending powerand room to grow

Several structural factors provide a foundation for sustained e-commerce expansion in Italy.

01Meaningful scaleThe euro area’s third-largest economy, with GDP of ~USD 2.5 trillion.Home to 58.9 million people and one of Europe’s largest consumer markets, after Germany and France. Around 35 million Italians now shop online — a number that has more than doubled (+119%) since 2014.Read more +
“The market continues to benefit from Italy’s structural strengths in sectors such as Fashion & Luxury and Tourism & Travel/Hospitality. While GDP growth indeed remains limited, Italy is home to strong brands and industries that are particularly well suited to the digital world.”
— Federico Fanello, Nuvei Head of Business Development in Italy

Italy’s digital foundations

Well connected,not yet fully shopping.

56.2%
E-commerce penetration
Up from 43.9% in 2020
~90%
Internet penetration
Spain: 96% · Germany: 93%
66%
Smartphone penetration
82.2m mobile connections, 139% of the population
~USD
46.5k
GDP per capita
Highest in Southern Europe
~USD
2.5tn
GDP
Euro area’s third-largest

Italy is close to fully connected, but only 56.2% of people buy online — below Spain (68.9%) and Germany (77.9%), and far below Brazil (90%) or Chile (88%). For merchants, that gap is the opportunity.

The Florence skyline with the dome of the cathedral
A large consumer market at the centre of the EU single market.

Growth momentum

Ten times fasterthan the economy.

While GDP growth is measured in fractions of a percent, Italian e-commerce is compounding at 5.8% a year. Cross-border commerce grows faster still, at 9.4% — more than twice the domestic rate of 4.1%.

USD
115.2bn
Italy, 2025
E-commerce market
5.8%
E-commerce CAGR
2025–2028
USD
21.1bn
New transaction value
Added by 2028
USD
136.3bn
Italy, 2028
Forecast
Source: PCMI E-commerce Datapack

The adoption gap

Older shoppers,smaller towns, new demand.

Italy has the oldest population of the EU’s large economies, with a median age of 49.1. Online shopping was once a younger habit; today the average online shopper is 48 — the same as the population at large. Around 35 million Italians now shop online, up 119% since 2014, with growth coming from older, more affluent consumers and from medium and smaller towns rather than the big cities.

58.9m
Population
Third-largest in the euro area
~35m
Online shoppers
+119% since 2014
48
Average shopper age
Median population age: 49.1
6%
Unemployment
A multi-decade low