E-commerce in Africa to bring in $46.1bn by 2025

Africa is shaping up to be the next hotbed for internet-based businesses. As smartphones and the internet become more prevalent in African countries, the population has started to shift towards online shopping. According to the stats available on Statista, the African e-commerce industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.7% between 2017 and 2024. In 2017, the industry’s annual revenue was just $7.7 billion, and it is expected to increase to $42.3bn in 2024. Thus, the yearly income stands to increase by almost 500% in seven years.

In the last couple of years, the pandemic has also helped the industry, like everywhere else on the globe. Thus, one can also expect the recent surge in growth to slow down in the coming years. In 2021, the African e-commerce industry brought in $28bn in revenue. Compared to $21.4bn in 2020, the 2021 figure represented a 31% annual increase. As per the report, the annual growth rate is expected to decline to 9% by 2025 gradually. 

In 2022, the African e-commerce industry is predicted to produce $33.3 billion in revenue, following an increase of 19%. Next year, the industry will grow by 14.7% to $38.2bn. In 2024, the annual growth rate will further drop to 11%, with $42.3bn in revenue. In 2025, the annual revenue will reach $46.1bn  on the back of a nine percent annual increase.

The growth in the African e-commerce industry is primarily down to the expanding e-commerce user base on the continent. 

In 2017, only 138.9 million people shopped online in Africa. This figure is expected to grow up to 519.8 million in 2024, at a CAGR of 17.9%. It is interesting to note that the revenue growth rate is higher than that of the user base.

Furthermore, the e-commerce penetration in the African population in 2024 is expected to be 40%. Therefore, there is significant room for further growth in the African e-commerce industry.