The World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) released its annual STATS report. According to its data, global retail sales for the industry remained static in 2024 at $163.9 billion. This is a significant milestone as it suggests the “post-pandemic slump may be bottoming out” as growth picks back up for 2025.
Globally, 21 markets in 2024 were billion-dollar markets. The top ten markets for the channel accounted for 78% of global sales in 2024 and included:
- US
- Germany
- China
- Korea
- Malaysia
- Japan
- Brazil
- Mexico
- France
- Taiwan
Global sales were essentially flat in 2024, but the percentage of WFDSA markets experiencing growth has begun an upward trend, rising from 23% in 2022 to 45% in 2024.
Mexico, Taiwan, Brazil and Malaysia showed strong current growth and sustained momentum over the past three years, and China’s recent growth suggests a rebound for the country compared to previous downturns. The US, Korea and Japan had weak long-term performance and France posted flat sales in 2024, even as the US once again came in as the number one direct selling market. The Asia-Pacific reflected strong progress, but Argentina, China, Colombia, Malaysia, Russia and the UK were described by the WFDSA as the “biggest movers,” while Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Thailand experienced sales declines.
The number of independent contractors within the direct selling industry remained mostly stable at 104.3 million, of which 72.1% are female. Almost half of direct sellers globally now fall within the age range of 35-54, while 55-64 make up 18.1%. Only 10.3% were over 65 and only 6.9% were between the ages of 18-24. These numbers are striking and signal sluggish adoption by younger generations of the direct selling model. While it may seem inconsequential now, given the strong engagement by middle-aged consumers, this could be a sizeable issue in the coming years without course correction. The WFDSA speculated that these lower adoption rates by younger age groups could reflect the possibility that influencer-driven purchasing behavior has considerably affected the appeal of the direct selling industry to Gen Z.
Global tariffs negatively impacted some markets, including Canada, and global macroeconomic trends point to uncertainty in 2026. Consumer spending has remained steady in most parts of the world, however, and while there is uncertainty due to continued tariffs, AI-driven layoffs and corporate cutbacks, the WFDSA report suggested cautious optimism for the direct selling industry for 2025 sales and beyond.
“In 2024, the report shows cautious optimism about the present and future of the industry,” said Shaila Manyam, WFDSA Executive Director. “In a year marked by significant changes – including over 50% of the world’s population going to the polls to elect new leaders, economic shifts and social change and unprecedented technological advances – direct selling showed signs of moving past the effects of the pandemic.”
