In 2021, Amazon net sales were $514 billion worldwide, a 9.5% increase from the previous year. While the majority of Amazon’s revenue comes from the United States, the international market is responsible for about a third of the company’s net sales. The countries with the biggest Amazon markets include the U.S., Germany, the U.K., and Japan.
E-commerce continues to grow worldwide, and Amazon consistently stays at the top of global online retailers. In this article, we examine Amazon’s impact on the e-commerce industry on an international scale by looking at the latest statistics. It may surprise you to find out the extent of Amazon’s success outside the U.S.—and where the company’s revenue comes from.
Highest Amazon International Sales
In 2022, the country with the highest Amazon international sales was the U.S., with $356 billion, which is 70% of Amazon’s net revenue. The next highest market was Germany, at about $34 billion, maintaining the large gap in market share between the U.S. and the rest of the world.
The following are the top Amazon markets in the world in 2022:
- United States: $356 billion
- Germany: $34 billion
- United Kingdom: $30 billion
- Japan: $24 billion
Amazon has three primary segments: North America, International, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). In 2022, North America accumulated $316 billion, International $118 billion, and AWS $80 billion.
Key Statistics:
- The U.S. was responsible for approximately 70% of Amazon’s revenue in 2022
- E-commerce sales grew 10.5% in 2021, climbing from $907 billion to surpass $1 trillion for the first time
- In 2022, 73% of U.S. Amazon users held a subscription to Amazon Prime
- Amazon Prime subscribers grew 10% from 200 million to 220 million in 2022
- 5.8% of Amazon sales come from countries besides the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan
Sources: Statista, BusinessofApps
Amazon Sales In United States
Amazon retail sales in North America grew to $316 billion in 2022 from $279 billion in 2021, a 13% increase. The online retailer’s rapid growth hasn’t shown signs of slowing down, and analysts predict that Amazon will pass Walmart as the largest U.S. retailer by 2024.
Amazon is already the most prominent online retailer in the country, beating other popular e-commerce retailers like Walmart, Apple, and Target.
Key Statistics:
- U.S. Amazon sales have increased by 83% since 2019.
- Amazon holds 37.8% of the retail e-commerce market in the U.S., compared to second-place company Walmart with a 6.3% market share.
- North America accounts for nearly 70% of Amazon retail sales.
- In 2021, U.S. e-commerce sales reached $1.03 trillion, 30% more than in 2020
Sources: BusinessofApps, Forbes, Statista
Percentage of Amazon Sales Outside of U.S.
In 2022, 30.7% of Amazon’s sales came from outside the United States, with the biggest markets being Germany, the U.K., and Japan. The rest of the world contributed $70 billion in revenue, which is 13.6% of the online retailer’s total earnings and 44% of Amazon’s international sales.
Key Statistics:
- 26% of Amazon sales in the second quarter of 2023 were international sales
- U.K. sales reached $30 billion in 2022, up 71% from 2019
- Japan provides 11% of Amazon’s global online traffic at 555 million monthly visits
- Germany’s net Amazon sales increased by 26% from 2020 to 2021
Sources: BusinessofApps, Amazon, Statista, Statista, Similar Web
How Many Sellers Are on Amazon per Country?
Amazon has around 9.7 million sellers total, with 1.9 million active Amazon sellers in 2022. Amazon is available in 8 European countries and they represent 24% of Amazon sellers globally.
Key statistics:
- 60% of Amazon’s total sales are independent sales from third-party sellers
- From April 2020 to January 2021, third-party sellers’ sales increased by 55%
- Singapore had the highest growth of sellers in 2021, with a 222% increase
- Of the 1.9 million total active sellers, the U.S. has 1.3 million active sellers, and the U.K. has around 280,000 active sellers
- About 3,700 new sellers join Amazon daily
- Amazon employs more than 1.6 million people worldwide
- 76% of Amazon sellers become profitable – 63% become profitable within the first year
Sources: The Guardian, Marketplace Pulse, Amazon, Statista, Business Insider, GeekWire, SellerApp, Nethansa
Amazon Revenue by Segment
While best known for the online retail marketplace, Amazon has numerous segments that contribute to its annual revenue and help drive growth in other parts of the company. Other income streams include Amazon Web Services (AWS), advertising, and third-party seller services.
Amazon Revenue by Segment in 2022:
- Online stores: $220 billion
- Third-party seller services: $117.7 billion
- Amazon Web Services: $80 billion
- Advertising services: $37.7 billion
- Subscription services: $35.2 billion
- Physical stores: $18.9 billion
- Other: $4.2 billion
Each segment saw growth from 2021 with the exception of online sales which was almost equal to 2021. AWS, advertising, and online stores improving the most. AWS had 30% growth year over year (YoY) in 2022 as the company continued to expand globally and develop its services in the industry.
Amazon’s advertising services increased 21% year-on-year, closing in on the leaders in online advertising, Google and Facebook. In total, Amazon Advertising earned $37.7 billion in 2022.
Online store sales include physical and digital products (e-books, games, music, etc.), and analysts expect global online retail sales will grow to $1 trillion in 2023. Third-party seller revenue, which increased 14% from the previous year, comes from fulfillment and shipping fees and other services.
Sources: BusinessofApps
Countries With the Most Amazon Users
The country with the most Amazon users is the United States. Amazon is the most popular e-commerce site in the U.S., totaling 2.2 billion monthly visits in April 2023. Globally, Amazon has over 300 million active users.
Amazon Prime is the company’s membership program that offers free two-day shipping and other benefits, drawing 50% of the U.S. population or 167 million users. The retailer has over 200 million Prime members globally.
Key statistics:
- Amazon subscriptions provide $35.2 billion in annual revenue
- More than 80% of Amazon Prime members are from the U.S
- Consumers spent over $12 billion on Prime Day in 2022
- Third-party sellers sold 11,500 products per minute on average during the holidays in 2021
- 31% of adults in the U.S. spend $50 to $100 monthly on Amazon purchases
- On average, U.S. Amazon Prime members spend an average of $1,400 annually on the platform
Types of Amazon Sales
The three main types of third-party sellers on Amazon are:
- Private label sellers, who source generic products, typically from manufacturers in China, and sell them under a custom brand. Private label selling is a popular strategy for new sellers because it doesn’t require extensive resources or infrastructure for manufacturing and logistics
- Manufacturers and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, who might sell their unique products on Amazon using their own manufacturing and logistics infrastructure. Some brands choose to sell their products wholesale to Amazon sellers
- Resellers, usually dedicated Amazon sellers or traditional retailers who buy a brand’s products wholesale and resell them on the platform. Resellers can also be retail arbitragers who buy discounted items and sell them at a higher price on Amazon
Sellers have multiple options for how they sell on Amazon, including:
- Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): The seller lists their products on Amazon and sends them to an Amazon warehouse for storage, where Amazon employees pick, pack, and ship the items to customers. The seller pays fees for Amazon’s logistics services
- Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM): The seller utilizes their own logistics operation to ship their products to customers. While cheaper, many sellers prefer the FBA program for Amazon Prime eligibility and more straightforward returns and customer service
- Amazon Vendor: Similar to a standard wholesale agreement, in this model, Amazon buys a brand’s products in bulk and takes care of the listing, marketing, and selling
Key statistics:
- In 2022, 58% of paid units came from third-party Amazon sellers
- Amazon generated $117.7 billion in third-party seller services in 2021
- 76% of Amazon sellers are profitable in 2022
- 63% of sellers attain profitability within a year of starting to sell on Amazon Marketplace
- Private label is the most popular business model, making up 59% of Amazon sellers
- Retail arbitrage, where the sellers purchase discounted items and sell them for a higher price, increased by 22% from 2021
- Most Amazon sellers spend less than $5,000 to start a business on the platform
- 89% of sellers use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) as their sales method
- Home and Kitchen is the most popular category of Amazon products among small-to-medium businesses, with 32% of sellers
- 79% of small-to-medium businesses advertise their products on Amazon or other channels
Sources: Codisto, Statista, JungleScout, BusinessofApps
Sources: ZipRecruiter, ZipRecruiter, Zippia
Conclusion
Amazon made $33.3 billion in net income in 2021, an astonishing 56% increase from the prior year. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and extended lockdowns that made going to the store difficult, Amazon sales were 84% higher than they had been in 2019. Amazon Prime, in particular, has been wildly successful, especially in the U.S. market, where over half of the country’s adult population holds a membership.
After researching the statistics of Amazon sales by country and the online retail giant’s global performance in multiple industries, it’s clear that Amazon will continue to expand steadily over the years.
