22 Remarkable Alibaba Statistics [Updated for 2024]

Jack Ma and 17 others founded Alibaba, a multinational conglomerate that specializes in ecommerce, internet, retail, and technology, from his small apartment in China. 

One day this former English teacher grew bored and decided he could do more than spend his days explaining the difference between present simple and present continuous to bored teenagers. 

Jokes aside, Jack Ma created the Alibaba Group to help small Chinese entrepreneurs generate more customers and increase international traffic and sales. Since its humble beginnings, the Alibaba conglomerate has turned into a worldwide leader in mobile and online commerce. 

In FY 2020 , Alibaba statistics confirmed that the company amassed profits of $54,2 billion. Currently, it operates in more than 200 countries, representing the world’s largest market space online. Its sales surpassed Amazon’s, Walmart’s, and eBay’s combined sales in 2015. 

Let’s check out some of the most interesting, essential, and freshest Alibaba stats, starting with:

Mind-blowing Alibaba Facts [Editor’s Choice]

• The Alibaba Group has set a milestone to serve 2 billion global consumers, to empower and inspire 10 million businesses and create 100 million jobs in 2036. 
• Alibaba made its Cloud Service DingTalk, International Medical Expert Communication Platform, free to help doctors from all over the world stay in touch and communicate with China’s finest experts on COVID-19.
• Alibaba market value is rising, as the percentage of profits generated just from commerce in China was 66% in Q2 2021.
• By September 2021, Alibaba had over 1.24 billion annual active consumers.
• Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, has recently stepped down as the company CEO, having amassed a $41.8 billion fortune.
• Alibaba’s number of official employees was 258,578 in Q3 2021.
• Ma sparked controversy by supporting and advocating for a 12-hour, 6-day a week workload.

Alibaba Revenue Breakdown Statistics

1. Alibaba made $72 billion in the fiscal year of 2020.

(Alibaba Group) 

This frequently quoted statistic refers to Alibaba’s fiscal year of 2020, which covers 12 months ending March 2020.

But what about the calendar year?

Well, the sum of the year’s quarters reveals that Alibaba revenue in 2020 reached a stunning $94.6 billion.

2. In Q3 2021, Alibaba’s year-on-year growth was 29%.

(Alibaba Group) 

At the end of September 2021, Alibaba’s revenue was $31.18 billion. This Alibaba growth rate stat proves there was a staggering increase in the Alibaba Group revenue profits in just twelve months’ time. 

3. Cloud Computing Alibaba Division brought $3.1 billion in revenue in Q3 of 2021.

(Alibaba Group) 

This Alibaba stat cannot be complete without additional information about growth. Namely, as the cloud computing sector was still in its early phases, the revenue wasn’t nearly as satisfying. 

However, in September 2021, the growth of this sector was 33% year-over-year!

But that’s not all:

During the same period, the profits of the Digital Media & Entertainment department grew by 14% YoY. This financial growth was generated because of the increased local language content demand and consumption. 

4. Alibaba’s e-revenue for 2020 was $41.7 billion. 

(Forbes) 

This Alibaba annual revenue stat shows that from 2018 to 2020, Alibaba enjoyed a tremendous e-growth of 79.9%. This is often compared with Amazon’s 2020 e-revenue of $350.2 billion and e-growth from 2018 to 2020 of 50.4%.

5. Alibaba’s subscription revenues were expected to grow by 60.4% from 2018 to 2020. 

(Forbes) 

This research also noted an 80.3% growth in Amazon’s subscription revenues. This comparison sets the ratio of Amazon’s to Alibaba’s subscription profits from 6.6x to 7.7x between 2016 and 2018. The researchers predict that Alibaba’s subscription revenues should follow up this trend and reach 8.7x in 2020. 

6. The latest available info shows that the Alibaba Group held 55.9% of the Chinese ecommerce market (2019). 

(eMarketer) 

This explains that Alibaba’s market share in China was bigger than 50% two years ago. It’s the dominant ecommerce merchant in China by a country mile.

7. In Q2 2021, the percentage of profits that Alibaba generated just from commerce in China was 66%. 

(Statista)

Alibaba sales statistics show that domestic commerce accounted for a huge percentage of Alibaba’s profits. When it comes to international online sales, they made up only about 5% of Alibaba’s total sales.

8. In the fiscal year ending March 2021, the Alibaba conglomerate invested around 57 billion yuan in promo and advertising campaigns and activities.

(Statista)

This stat shows that the Alibaba Group firmly believes a suitable and appealing marketing campaign is essential on the road to success. So, it’s more than willing to spend big bucks on its business image. 

9. Alibaba works towards generating $1.4 trillion in gross merchandise volume (GMV) by the end of 2024. 

(MarketWatch) 

What’s more, the Chinese ecommerce giant is working towards getting one billion active consumers and boost profits during its five-year general income growth plan. This is going to be a huge leap compared to five years ago when Alibaba sales totaled around 76 million yuan. 

10. In FY 2021, Alibaba’s international ecommerce profits reached 48.85 billion yuan. 

(Statista)

This staggering figure reveals that international online trade is going great for Alibaba: this figure translates to around $7.65 billion. The statistic shows the profits generated by Tmall Global and AliExpress for cross-border imports and exports, and Lazada for the Southeast Asia market. 

Alibaba Number of Employees and Consumer Statistics

11. In Q3 2021, Alibaba’s number of official employees was 258,578. 

(Alibaba Group) 

As Alibaba consolidated Sun Art in 2020, its number of employees grew from 122,399 to 252,084 within a single quarter. This does not make it China’s biggest employer, but the company certainly puts food on the table for many Chinese families. 

12. According to the most recent available data, 30% of Alibaba’s senior management were women. 

(Statista) 

Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, takes pride in this statistic, saying that the future of online trade will be female. What’s more, 45% of the entire management and staff were younger than 30. 

13. By the end of September 2021, Alibaba had over 1.24 billion annual active consumers.

(Alibaba Group) 

Alibaba gained around 62 million annual active consumers for the twelve months ended June 2021. Alibaba’s growth is amazing: its number of clients gained last year stacks up with the entire population of the UK.

14. In June 2021, the number of active mobile monthly users reached 939 million. 

(Statista) 

Compared to June 2020, that number increased by 65 million people. With growth like this, it is not impossible that Alibaba will reach a billion consumers in a few years.

15. Taobao Deals surpassed 100 million within the twelve months ended 2020, statistics about Alibaba reveal. 

(Alibaba Group) 

During the same period, mobile monthly active users of Taobao Deals also surpassed 100 million. This 2020 Alibaba statistic reveals that many people trust Alibaba.com when it comes to online shopping.

16. The typical Taobao user makes 538 transactions per year.

(South China Morning Post) 

This stat shows that shopaholics do not thrift when it comes to Taobao spending sprees. 

17. Taobao had more than 30 million consumers who were 50 and older (2018 info). 

(Business Insider)

This Alibaba customer care statistic proves that there is a large portion of middle-aged online consumers. Ecommerce is spreading and becoming popular among all age groups, which is great news for Alibaba’s future.

What’s more:

Researchers expect that China will have over 250 million citizens older than 60. It should come as no surprise that Taobao sees this as a great opportunity to attract and target this demographic.

18. In 2018, Taobao decided to hire people who are 60 or older. 

(Business Insider)

One of the conditions, apart from the age limit, was that the applicants have at least one year of online shopping experience. The salary Alibaba was offering was pretty high as well ─ up to $64,000 a year. 

Alibaba Orders Statistics

19. In 2020, Alibaba’s Singles’ Day profit was $74.1 billion. 

(Statista) 

However, in 2020, there was a 26% increase in Alibaba’s annual sales from the year before. Alibaba.com continues to turn large profits to this day on a holiday the Chinese originally referred to as a joke. 

20. Alibaba’s GMV on Singles’ Day in 2021 reached $84.54 billion.

(Statista) 

This eye-popping figure is not the result of one-day sales like in the previous years. In 2021, Single’s Day, also known as the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, lasted for eleven days. That makes this staggering figure easier to understand!

Controversial Alibaba Statistics and Facts

21. Jack Ma supported a 72-hour workweek in 2019. 

(MarketWatch) 

This news sparked a lot of controversy, as most people consider working 12 hours a day as a form of exploitation. In addition, following this business model only helps big brands and companies cash in more money, while employees are paid very little for their overtime work and efforts. 

22. In 2017, Alibaba withdrew $700 million worth of counterfeit goods. 

(Jing Daily) 

These are some worrying Alibaba numbers. The company is leading an impossible battle with stores and shops that want to sell fake merchandise on its website. Four years ago, 1,606 people were arrested and 1,328 shops were closed.

Wrap up

Ultimately, the future is bright for the Alibaba Group. Their merchants, faithful buyers, family-like business culture and workers, and third-party service providers work together towards the same goal ─ the growth of sales and prosperity of Alibaba’s ecommerce business. 

All things considered: 

The conglomerate will continue to thrive and develop thanks to its innovative ecommerce strategies, enterprising spirit, and constant focus on answering customers’ needs and demands, Alibaba statistics predict. 

FAQ

Q: How many customers does Alibaba have?

In September 2021, Alibaba reached approximately 1.24 billion active consumers. In the last quarter, the Alibaba conglomerate gained 62 million active consumers.

Q: How many products does Alibaba have?

In 2014, Alibaba had more than 2.8 million supplier online storefronts, Alibaba’s annual report says. The company offered about 5,900 product categories.

Alibaba.com has 40 major product categories and hundreds and hundreds of millions of products on offer. This ecommerce giant sells apparel, electronics, furniture, food and beverages, trucks, and automobiles. 

For instance, if you’re looking for a gift for a loved one, Alibaba can offer you 8,192,465 items. If you need a new home appliance, you can choose from 19,039,688 products. 

Here is the list with Alibaba’s number of products for certain categories: 

• Security & Protection- 6,664,595
• Luggage, Bags & Cases – 7,752,108
• Sports & Entertainment- 7,010, 615
• Beauty & Personal Care- 20,219,118
• Home & Garden- 17,874,897
• Tools & Hardware– 2,064,999 

Q: How much does Alibaba make a year?

Alibaba had revenue of $72 billion in FY 2020. In the last nine months of the calendar year of 2020, Alibaba Group’s net worth was about $23.8 billion. What’s more, Alibaba’s revenues are forecast to grow to $109 billion in 2021.

Q: How many packages does Alibaba ship per day?

While Alibaba processed over 12 million packages per day in 2018, Alibaba statistics for 2020 show that the company’s cloud system processed 538,000 transactions per second at the peak of its Global Shopping Festival.

Alibaba trade statistics predict that the company will need to take on the challenge of shipping billions of packages a day in the future. So, it’s trying to come up with a strategy to make this incredible feat viable and possible in the years to come. Alibaba aims to create logistics that would provide 24 hour delivery for the Chinese market and 72 hour delivery for the rest of the world. 

Resources: 

• Trefis 
• Forbes
• Statista 
• MarketWatch
• Marketplace Pulse 
• South China Morning Post
• Business Insider 
• MarketWatch
• Jing Daily
• Statista 
• Alibaba Group
• Alibaba Group
• Alibaba Group
• eMarketer
• Statista
• Statista
• Statista