Digital economy growth in North Macedonia

North Macedonia is experiencing growth in its digital sectors. The national e-services portal, uslugi.gov.mk, reached a record 27,345 requests in September, bringing the cumulative total of requests to over 400,000. The Ministry of Digital Transformation attributed this to expanded services and simplified procedures.

Simultaneously, the e-commerce sector saw online transactions reach 530.3 million euros in the first half of 2026, a 14.1% annual increase. Data from the National Bank of North Macedonia, analyzed by the Association of E-commerce of Macedonia (AETM), shows the total number of online transactions rose by 10.1% to 15.3 million. Domestic e-merchants accounted for 302.4 million euros of the total value, while Macedonian cardholders spent 227.9 million euros with foreign e-merchants. Notably, transactions by foreign cardholders at Macedonian online stores rose 23.8% year-on-year to 30.9 million euros.

Despite this growth, challenges persist. While the average transaction value rose 3.7% to 34.6 euros, a significant portion of consumers—68% of merchants report more than half of orders are paid via cash on delivery—continue to prefer cash due to concerns regarding product quality and digital skills. AETM President Nina Angelovska Stankov noted that the sector faces hurdles in directing more spending toward domestic companies through improved logistics and digital payment integration.