Examining the Relationship Between E-Commerce and Economic Growth from a Regional Perspective: A Systematic Literature Review

The rapid expansion of digitalization has positioned e-commerce as an increasingly important component of economic activity, with potential implications for productivity, transaction costs, market access, and economic growth. Despite the growing body of empirical research, spatial differences in the relationship between e-commerce and economic growth have not yet been comprehensively synthesized in the literature. To address this gap, this study presents a systematic literature review of 101 peer-reviewed articles published between 2004 and 2026, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The findings indicate that research in this field has expanded rapidly since 2020 and that regional-level studies are overwhelmingly concentrated in China. National-level studies generally report positive associations between e-commerce and productivity improvements, trade expansion, and digital transformation. In contrast, regional-level studies primarily focus on rural development, regional inequalities, and place-based policy interventions. Across both geographical scales, the reviewed literature suggests that reported e-commerce–growth relationships vary with digital infrastructure, human capital, institutional capacity, market accessibility, and policy context. By explicitly distinguishing between national- and regional-level evidence, this review highlights the spatial and methodological contexts associated with heterogeneous economic outcomes. The study also identifies key research gaps and discusses how inclusive digital development conceptually aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 9, and 10.