Jumia’s China bet drives 82% surge in international sales

Jumia’s international sales, largely driven by China, grew 82% in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to its financial results, as the e-commerce giant strengthens its 2027 profitability strategy. 

After more than a decade of losses, Jumia has shifted its business model from chasing Africa’s aspirational middle class to repositioning itself for Africa’s lower-middle-income consumers, where 85% of the population lives on less than $5.50 a day, according to the World Bank.

The company is rebuilding its business around affordability and mass-market volume, using Chinese supply chains as the engine, with a simple bet: cheaper goods move faster, generate more orders, improve unit economics, and create a clearer path to profitability than premium brands.

That shift is now visible in the numbers. As of September 2025, Jumia had about 24,000 China-based sellers on its marketplace and roughly 2.2 million China-sourced items in warehouses across Africa. Of its more than 25,000 international merchants, Chinese partners dominate. In Q3 2025 alone, items sold from China grew 55% year-on-year.

By Q4 2025, items sold from international sellers grew 82% year-over-year, driven by expanded direct sourcing capabilities. Jumia strengthened this pipeline by opening a new office in Yiwu, China.

Overall, Jumia’s 2025 revenue grew 13% to $188.9 million, while gross merchandise value (GMV) jumped 13.59% to $818.6 million. However, despite topline growth, operating losses only declined marginally by 4.24%, underlining how fragile its path to profitability remains.

“We closed 2025 with clear momentum across the platform, delivering strong GMV and revenue growth, improving customer engagement, and continued progress on our path to profitability,” Francis Dufay, Jumia Group chief executive officer, said in 2025’s full-year results.

This growth is reflected in orders, which grew 32% year-over-year, and quarterly active customers ordering physical goods, which rose by 26% year-over-year in Q4, 2025. Nigeria continues to play a leading role, with orders up 33% and GMV up 50% year-over-year.

For 2026, Jumia says it will focus on scaling usage across its existing markets and deepening customer engagement by improving availability, affordability, and reliability.

“A more stable macro environment and local currencies provide a supportive backdrop for both consumers and vendors,” Dufay said. “We remain focused on unlocking operating leverage, optimising our cost structure, and refining our market footprint.”

The profitability push is also reshaping Jumia’s geography. The company exited Algeria in February 2026, following earlier exits from South Africa and Tunisia in 2024. It is now operational in only eight countries.

Jumia expects to break even and achieve positive cash flow in Q4 2026, with full-year profitability targeted for 2027, a goal now increasingly tied to how effectively it can turn Chinese supply chains into African consumer volume.