50% of the population in Portugal made online purchases in 2025

In 2025, 50% of the Portuguese resident population aged 16 to 74 bought things online in the three months prior to the survey1, an increase of 0.7 percentage points (p.p.) compared to last year.

Around 25.9% of Portuguese residents in this age group have never made an online purchase. On the other hand, around 11.9% of the residents have sold goods online.

In terms of the percentage of the population that made an online purchase or sale in the last three months, Portugal ranked 24th and 25th respectively out of the 27 EU countries (EU27).

Among physical products, «clothing/footwear» (75.9% of the online shopping population) and «home-delivered meals» (39.2%) were the most commonly ordered items online in 2025. Compared to last year, online orders increased for «clothing» (+2.8 p.p.). and «cosmetics, beauty and wellness products» (2.6 p.p.).

The most commonly purchased digital products on the internet were «movies, series or sports programmes» (39.6% of the population that made online purchases), followed by «music» (26.5%) and «software» (18.9%).

In terms of services purchased online, «transport services» (42.3%), «accommodation services» (38.3%) and «tickets for cultural events» (38.2%) stood out.

The population aged under 54, with higher levels of education (secondary and higher education), as well as employees and students had a higher proportion of online purchases and sales. This profile is similar to the EU27 average.

Compared to last year, the proportion of people in the 45-54 age group who made purchases or orders online increased by the most (+4.8 p.p.), while the proportion of unemployed people who did so decreased by the most (-5.2 p.p.).

In 20242, around 20.9% of Portuguese companies employing 10 or more people received orders via electronic networks in 2024, which is an increase of 0.3 p.p compared with last year. Portugal exceeded the EU27 average (20.3%), ranking 15th in the EU27. These orders accounted for 20.6% of turnover (+1.1 p.p. compared with last year).

Most companies received orders via their website/app (14.9%), while around 9.4% of the companies analysed received orders via e-commerce portals or digital platforms (via apps) used by several companies.

Receiving orders online via electronic networks varies according to the size of the company. Around 42.5% of large companies in Portugal received orders online in 2024, compared with 31.3% of medium-sized companies and 18.6% of small companies. The subsectors in which the penetration of orders through electronic networks was highest were «accommodation and catering» (33.7%), «real estate activities» (32.1%), and «trade» (30.2%).

Consult:

• E-commerce in Portugal and the European Union in 2025 - residential and business segments https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1828826