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Research · Statistics Canada and METI data

Canada vs Japan e-commerce share tracker

Online sales were 7.5% of Canadian retail sales in July 2026 (seasonally adjusted), down from 7.7% in June 2026, according to Statistics Canada's retail trade release of September 24, 2026. Across calendar 2025, e-commerce was 7.02% of retail sales. In Japan, METI puts the e-commerce share of goods sales (物販系 EC化率) at 9.78% for 2024, up from 9.38% in 2023; the two countries measure different things, so the gap is indicative rather than exact.

Last updated
First published
Update cadence
Canada monthly (next Statistics Canada release: October 23, 2026); Japan annually, when METI publishes its e-commerce market survey
Data
Statistics Canada, Monthly Retail Trade Survey; METI, Market Research on Electronic Commerce (電子商取引に関する市場調査)
Compiled by
Innovation Trigger Lab

Key figures

  • 7.5%

    Canada: e-commerce share of retail sales, July 2026 (seasonally adjusted)

    7.46% unrounded; 7.39% in July 2025

  • C$5.49 billion

    Canada: retail e-commerce sales, July 2026 (seasonally adjusted)

    -3.5% from June 2026; unadjusted share 6.53%

  • 7.02%

    Canada: e-commerce share of retail sales, calendar 2025

    7.07% in 2024; sum of unadjusted months

  • 9.78%

    Japan: e-commerce share of goods sales (物販系 EC化率), 2024

    9.38% in 2023; 4.37% in 2014

Canada vs Japan by year

In 2024, e-commerce was 7.07% of Canadian retail sales and 9.78% of Japanese goods sales. Japan's share has risen every year since 2014; Canada's jumped in 2020, fell back in 2022 and was 7.07% in 2024 and 7.02% in 2025. Japan's 2025 figure is not published yet.

E-commerce share by calendar year: Canada (retail sales, unadjusted annual totals) and Japan (goods BtoC, METI), percent
  • Canada
  • Japan

  • 2017

    • Canada2.57%
    • Japan5.79%

  • 2018

    • Canada2.87%
    • Japan6.22%

  • 2019

    • Canada3.47%
    • Japan6.76%

  • 2020

    • Canada6.13%
    • Japan8.08%

  • 2021

    • Canada6.46%
    • Japan8.78%

  • 2022

    • Canada5.45%
    • Japan9.13%

  • 2023

    • Canada5.69%
    • Japan9.38%

  • 2024

    • Canada7.07%
    • Japan9.78%

  • 2025

    • Canada7.02%
E-commerce share by calendar year, Canada and Japan, percent
YearCanada: e-commerce ÷ retail salesJapan: 物販系 EC化率
20172.57%5.79%
20182.87%6.22%
20193.47%6.76%
20206.13%8.08%
20216.46%8.78%
20225.45%9.13%
20235.69%9.38%
20247.07%9.78%
20257.02%Not yet published

Same data as the chart. Canada: computed from Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-03 by summing the 12 unadjusted months of each year. Japan: METI report figure 1-2, as published.

Canada: monthly e-commerce share of retail sales

The seasonally adjusted share moved between 5.47% and 7.67% over the last 36 months. Unadjusted figures peak in November and December, when holiday shopping moves online. Newest month first.

Retail e-commerce sales, total retail sales (C$ million) and e-commerce share, Canada, August 2023 to July 2026
MonthE-commerce, SATotal retail, SAShare, SAE-commerce, unadjustedTotal retail, unadjustedShare, unadjusted
July 20265,494B73,6977.46%5,085B77,8176.53%
June 20265,693A74,2467.67%5,707A78,4767.27%
May 20265,188B73,7807.03%5,243B79,9276.56%
April 20265,188B73,0187.10%4,985B73,3386.80%
March 20265,259B72,7267.23%4,886B70,0686.97%
February 20265,043C72,0547.00%4,052C59,7166.79%
January 20265,097C71,6517.11%4,522C61,5847.34%
December 20255,053B70,7097.15%6,569B74,5148.82%
November 20254,827B70,9856.80%6,151B72,8468.44%
October 20254,930B70,1137.03%4,934B73,1026.75%
September 20254,829C70,0596.89%4,683C69,5626.73%
August 20254,900B70,7806.92%4,561B73,0476.24%
July 20255,184C70,1357.39%4,758C74,1356.42%
June 20254,823B70,5796.83%4,744B73,1756.48%
May 20254,874B69,6137.00%5,047B76,8326.57%
April 20255,044B70,4137.16%4,881B71,1826.86%
March 20254,844B70,2706.89%4,510B67,4006.69%
February 20254,951B69,4007.13%3,986B57,3126.95%
January 20254,980B70,5747.06%4,414B60,5267.29%
December 20245,043B70,8917.11%6,503B73,0238.91%
November 20245,052B69,0707.31%6,433B71,8548.95%
October 20245,045B69,0427.31%5,019B71,7586.99%
September 20244,967B68,3217.27%4,813B66,6457.22%
August 20244,740B67,6047.01%4,399B70,8176.21%
July 20244,937B67,7877.28%4,456B70,8646.29%
June 20244,637B66,4426.98%4,566B69,4626.57%
May 20244,580B66,8826.85%4,761B73,9506.44%
April 20244,699B67,2486.99%4,511B67,5776.68%
March 20244,718C66,6557.08%4,383C64,0476.84%
February 20244,626C67,1616.89%3,712C57,4016.47%
January 20244,528B67,0906.75%4,016B56,7957.07%
December 20233,628B66,3275.47%4,684B69,1106.78%
November 20233,861B66,4415.81%4,935B69,2437.13%
October 20233,824B66,6695.74%3,799B67,6755.61%
September 20233,860B66,7325.78%3,763B67,1795.60%
August 20233,819B65,9295.79%3,563B69,4875.13%

SA = seasonally adjusted. Dollar values as published by Statistics Canada (table 20-10-0056-03), rounded to C$ million; shares computed by ITL as e-commerce ÷ total retail sales. Letters after e-commerce values are Statistics Canada quality grades: A excellent, B very good, C good. Table scrolls horizontally on small screens.

Japan: goods e-commerce market and EC化率

Japan's business-to-consumer e-commerce market totalled ¥26.12 trillion in 2024 (up 5.1%): goods ¥15.22 trillion, services ¥8.23 trillion and digital content ¥2.68 trillion. METI calculates the EC化率 for goods only.

Japan goods (物販系) business-to-consumer e-commerce market size and EC化率, 2014–2024
YearGoods BtoC e-commerce (¥ trillion)EC化率
202415.229.78%
202314.689.38%
202214.009.13%
202113.298.78%
202012.238.08%
201910.056.76%
20189.306.22%
20178.605.79%
20168.005.43%
20157.244.75%
20146.804.37%

Source: METI, 令和6年度 電子商取引に関する市場調査 報告書, figure 1-2. ¥ trillion converted from METI's 億円 (¥100 million) values.

Methodology and why the numbers differ

Canada: what is counted
Statistics Canada's Monthly Retail Trade Survey collects sales and e-commerce sales from a sample of retailers. Since the 2023 redesign, internet retailers are no longer classified separately: retailers selling online, by mail or in stores are classified by the goods they sell, and their online sales are counted as retail e-commerce. Only retailers based in Canada are covered, so purchases from foreign-based sites are excluded, and travel bookings, tickets and financial transactions are outside retail sales.
Canada: how the share is calculated
Table 20-10-0056-03 publishes e-commerce and total retail sales in dollars but not the share. ITL divides retail e-commerce sales by total retail sales (Canada, NAICS 44-45) for each month, separately for seasonally adjusted and unadjusted values; annual shares divide the sum of the 12 unadjusted months. For July 2026 this gives 7.46% seasonally adjusted, which Statistics Canada's release rounds to 7.5%.
Japan: what is counted
METI's annual Market Research on Electronic Commerce estimates the value of consumer e-commerce by Japan-based businesses. The EC化率 is calculated only for goods (物販系): METI divides goods e-commerce by an estimate of all consumer spending on goods in each category, derived from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey and household final consumption expenditure in the national accounts. Services (travel, dining, finance) and digital content are excluded from the ratio.
Why the two shares are not directly comparable
The numerators and denominators differ. Canada's denominator is sales reported by retailers, which includes items such as gasoline stations and motor vehicle dealers; Japan's is an estimate of household spending on goods. Canada's figure is a survey of retailers; Japan's market size is a model-based estimate. Read the comparison as a broad indication that a larger share of goods spending goes online in Japan, not as an exact gap.
Revisions and breaks
Statistics Canada revises recent months with each release, so earlier months on this page may change. The seasonally adjusted share rises from 5.47% in December 2023 to 6.75% in January 2024; the table carries no footnote on this, so treat changes across that month with care. Other websites often quote the archived table 20-10-0072-01 (Retail e-commerce sales), which stopped at December 2022 and used an earlier classification, or private estimates that include services and foreign retailers. Those are the main reasons published Canadian e-commerce shares disagree.

Sources

Every figure on this page was taken from one of these publications. Titles are given as published.

  1. Table 20-10-0056-03 Monthly retail trade e-commerce sales (x 1,000)

    Statistics Canada · Data table · Released

  2. The Daily — Retail trade, July 2026

    Statistics Canada · Release · Released

  3. Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS): survey description

    Statistics Canada · Survey methodology · Released

  4. 令和6年度 電子商取引に関する市場調査 報告書

    Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan · Report (PDF) · Released

  5. 令和6年度電子商取引に関する市場調査の結果を取りまとめました

    Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan · Release · Released

Canadian data: Source: Statistics Canada, reproduced and distributed on an "as is" basis with the permission of Statistics Canada under the Statistics Canada Open Licence. Shares are ITL calculations. This page is not endorsed by Statistics Canada. Statistics Canada Open Licence

Japanese data: Source: METI, 令和6年度 電子商取引に関する市場調査 (used under METI's terms of use). ¥ trillion values converted by ITL. METI terms of use (Japanese)

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of retail sales in Canada is online?

Retail e-commerce was 7.5% of total retail sales in Canada in July 2026 on a seasonally adjusted basis (C$5.49 billion of C$73.70 billion), according to Statistics Canada's release of September 24, 2026. For calendar 2025 as a whole the share was 7.02%.

What is Japan's e-commerce penetration rate (EC化率)?

METI reports Japan's goods (物販系) EC化率 at 9.78% for 2024, up 0.40 points from 9.38% in 2023. Goods e-commerce was ¥15.22 trillion. The figure for 2025 will appear in METI's next annual survey, usually published in late summer.

Is e-commerce a bigger share of retail in Japan or in Canada?

On the published measures, Japan's is higher: 9.78% of goods sales in 2024 versus 7.07% of Canadian retail sales in the same year. The definitions differ (Canada divides by retailers' sales, Japan by estimated household spending on goods), so treat the gap as approximate.

Why do other sites report a different Canadian e-commerce share?

Most differences come from mixing seasonally adjusted and unadjusted figures (the unadjusted share jumps in November and December), quoting the archived table 20-10-0072-01, which ended in December 2022, or using private estimates that include services and purchases from foreign retailers. This page uses the current Statistics Canada table and shows both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted shares.

How often is this tracker updated, and can I reuse the data?

Canadian figures are updated after each monthly Statistics Canada retail trade release (next: October 23, 2026); Japanese figures once a year when METI publishes its survey. Last updated October 14, 2026. You are welcome to quote the figures with a link to this page; please also credit Statistics Canada and METI as the original sources.

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Writing about e-commerce in Canada or Japan? Copy a citation or a link below, and credit Statistics Canada and METI as the original sources.

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Innovation Trigger Lab. (October 14, 2026). Canada vs Japan e-commerce share tracker [Data set]. Data from Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-03 and METI, Market Research on Electronic Commerce. https://www.itl-inc.ca/en/research/canada-japan-ecommerce-share

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