Dutch among Europe's top online shoppers

In 2011, approximately 7 in 10 Dutch people aged 16-75 years shopped online. Online shopping continues to rise in the Netherlands, placing its citizens among the top online shoppers in the European Union.

In 2011, 69 percent of 16-75 year-olds in the Netherlands bought goods or services for personal use online, according to Statistics Netherlands. This places it just behind the United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark in its proportion of online shoppers, while Romania and Bulgaria are at the bottom of the list. In the EU as a whole, on average just over four in ten people aged 16-75 years shopped online.

Online shopping has increased steadily in the Netherlands over the past few years. The proportion of 16-75 year-olds who shop online has increased by more than 20% since 2006, and online shopping has become more popular among all age groups over this period.

For example, the share of 16-25 year-olds shopping online increased from 57 to 80 percent. However, the age group that showed the highest relative growth was the 65-75 year-olds, among whom the share of online shoppers has increased nearly fourfold since 2006.

Travel tickets and holiday accommodation are the most popular items purchased by the Dutch online, with almost 60 percent of online shoppers purchasing these products in 2011. Clothing and sports items, tickets for events, and books are also popular items.

Nearly all sorts of goods and services have shown a growth in online purchases in the period between 2006 and 2011.