Online shopping in Cyprus: what the latest numbers really say

Where the numbers come from

Every year, every EU country runs the same survey on how people use the internet. In Cyprus it is done by the Statistical Service (Cystat) and the results go to Eurostat, the EU's statistics office. That means we can compare Cyprus with Greece and the rest of the EU like for like. The latest full year is 2025, published between December 2025 and spring 2026.

One thing to watch: some figures are a share of all people aged 16 to 74, and some are a share of internet users only. I say which one each time, because they give different numbers.

How many people in Cyprus shop online

According to Eurostat's dataset Internet purchases by individuals, 58.2% of all people aged 16 to 74 in Cyprus bought or ordered goods or services online in the three months before the 2025 survey. In 2024 it was 60.3%. For the EU the figure went the other way, from 60.2% to 62.4%. Greece jumped from 54.2% to 62.9%.

Look at the longer picture and the story is still very positive. In 2020 the Cyprus figure was 31.1%. It nearly doubled in five years. One dip after a big climb does not mean people are leaving online shopping. But it does mean Cyprus is no longer ahead of the EU average, as it was with the 2024 data.

Over a full year the gap is bigger. 63.4% of people in Cyprus bought online in the 12 months before the 2025 survey, against 73.6% in the EU and 68.0% in Greece.

Cystat's own 2025 summary report counts only internet users and gives the same trend: 62.0% of internet users bought online in the three months, down from 63.6% in 2024.

You may also have seen a much higher number. In June 2025 Cyprus Mail reported a survey by the Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation (OCECPR) where 76% of Cypriots said they shop online. It asked a different question, about postal services, not a fixed three-month window, so it is not comparable. It did find something useful: the average person made 2.0 online purchases a month in 2025, up from 1.2 in 2022.

Who buys online

Age is the biggest divide. Among internet users in the Cystat survey, 74.4% of people aged 16 to 24 and 73.6% of those aged 25 to 54 bought online in the three months. For ages 55 to 74 the figure falls to 29.3%. Education matters too: 79.3% of internet users with a university-level education bought online, against 31.1% of those with a low level of education.

For the first time, Cystat also asked people aged 75 to 89. Only 14.4% of those who used the internet bought anything online.

What they buy

Clothes lead the way. Using 2024 data, CBN reported from Eurostat's Digitalisation in Europe that 85% of online shoppers in Cyprus bought clothes, shoes or accessories, the highest share in the EU, where the average was 70%.

Among services, Cystat's 2025 report puts event tickets first: 58.6% of people who ordered online bought tickets for concerts, cinema, sport or fairs. Accommodation (53.2%) and transport (50.3%) follow. 43.5% subscribed to a film, series or sports streaming service.

Where they buy from

This is the number every Cypriot shop owner should know. Eurostat's dataset on the origin of online sellers shows that in 2023, 80.8% of online buyers in Cyprus bought from sellers in other EU countries. The EU average was 32.8% and Greece was 27.8%. 47.2% of Cypriot online buyers also bought from outside the EU, against 20.1% across the EU.

86.6% did buy from Cypriot sellers too. So local shops are in the basket. They are just competing with foreign shops in almost every order.

The good news: fewer problems

Cyprus Mail reported in March 2026 that only 15.68% of online shoppers in Cyprus had a problem in 2025, against 35.4% across the EU. Across the EU the most common problems were slow delivery, websites that were hard to use and wrong or damaged goods.

What this means for businesses in Cyprus and Greece

In 14 years at Bionic I watched customers move online in waves, and the biggest one came in 2020, during the lockdowns. These numbers match what I saw: younger customers are already online, and they compare you with shops in Athens, Germany and further away before they buy.

So here is what I would do with this data:

• Compete on what foreign shops cannot do. Fast local delivery, click and collect, a phone number that someone answers, and easy returns in Greek. Say these things clearly on product pages, not only in the footer.
• Make your site easy to use. A hard-to-use website is one of the top problems shoppers report. Test your checkout on a phone, with a real card, at least once a month.
• Do not forget the over-55s. Fewer of them buy online, but they often research online and buy by phone or in store. Show opening hours, stock and a WhatsApp or phone option.
• In Greece the market is growing fast. If you sell from Cyprus to Greece, or the other way, the 2025 jump in Greek online buying is a reason to look at shipping and local SEO in both markets.

Questions people ask

Want help with this? Book a free 30-minute call.

Sources

1. Internet purchases by individuals (2020 onwards), Eurostat, updated April 2026
2. Internet purchases - origin of sellers (2020-2023), Eurostat, updated April 2026
3. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Usage Survey in Households and by Individuals 2025: Summary Results, Statistical Service of Cyprus, December 2025
4. Cyprus online shoppers among least likely in EU to face problems, Cyprus Mail, March 2026
5. Survey finds 76 per cent of Cypriots shop online, hitting all-time-high, Cyprus Mail, June 2025
6. EU report reveals Cyprus has highest share of online clothes shoppers and social media users, Cyprus Business Now, May 2025