<![CDATA[ Quase metade da população portuguesa faz compras 'online' ]]>

Almost half (48.9%) of the population residing in Portugal aged 16 to 74 made purchases online between February and April 2024, an increase of 5% compared to 2023, according to a survey by Anacom.

The study by the National Communications Authority (Anacom), entitled "Electronic Commerce in Portugal and the EU (European Union)", was carried out between May and August 2024 and reveals that in the 12 months prior to its preparation, 59.3% of the population made an online purchase, which represents an increase of 4.6% compared to 2023.

Around 24.2% of Portuguese residents aged 16 to 74 have never made purchases online, while around 12.8% of residents have made online sales.

In this sense, Portugal occupies 23rd place in the EU ranking both in the percentage of the population that made online purchases in the last three months and in internet sales.

Among physical products, 73.1% of the population makes online purchases of clothing/footwear, which corresponds to an increase of 5.6% compared to the previous year.

In 2024, home-delivered meals were the most ordered goods online (39.6%), followed by cosmetics, beauty and well-being products (31.4%) and computer equipment (28.4%).

Among digital products, films, series or sports programs for download or online subscription stood out as the most purchased online (34.7% of the population that made online purchases).

The study also states that those living in urban areas had a higher rate of online shopping, with the majority of buyers being under 54 years old and having secondary or university education.

Furthermore, during 2023, around 20.5% of Portuguese companies with 10 or more employees received orders via electronic networks, 3.5 percentage points more than in the previous year and approaching the EU average (20.8%).