Amazon (AMZN) is the world’s largest e-commerce and cloud business in terms of revenue and market capitalization. The American multinational technology company was founded in July 1994 by Jeff Bezos, initially as an online bookstore.

By 1997, investors were able to buy AMZN shares on the public market for around $18 per share. Investors that were fortunate enough to buy shares on day one are now sitting on a return of more than 110,000%.

Amazon statistics 2022: AMZN stock, revenue, performance, and fun facts

1. Amazon stock is up more than 110,000% from its IPO

Amazon listed on the stock market on May 15, 1997, with an initial public offering (IPO) price of $18.00. Despite a rough 2022 when shares lost half its value, investors who bought Amazon shares on its IPO are up more than 110,000%

2. One Amazon share in 1997 equates to 240 shares today

Amazon’s stock has split four times: once in 1998, twice in 1999 and a 20:1 split in June 2022. What this means is an investor who bought one Amazon stock in 1998 for $18 now holds 240 shares

3. Amazon was the third worst performing mega-cap tech stock in 2022

Shares of Amazon were down 51% in 2022 due to company specific concerns and broader macroeconomic trends. Only Tesla Motors (TSLA) and Meta (META) performed worse than Amazon in 2022, down 68% and 66%, respectively.

4. 2022 net sales were up 9% year-over-year

Amazon saw its full-year 2022 sales rise 9% year-over-year to $514 billion. However, sales would have been higher by 13% from 2021 when excluding unfavorable foreign exchange rates. However, the North American segment recorded a $2.8 billion loss and the international segment recorded an operating loss of $7.7 billion.

5. AWS sales were up 29% in 2022

Amazon’s cloud business, known as Amazon Web Services (AWS), saw its sales increase 29% in 2022 to $80.1 billion. AWS is a very profitable business unit and recorded an operating income of $22.8 billion in 2022.

6. Amazon’s 2022 net income fell by $36.1 billion

Amazon recorded a total net loss of $2.7 billion in 2022, down from a net income of $33.4 billion the year prior. Q4 2022 results were also the least profitable fourth quarter since 2014. The bulk of its loss is due a $12.7 billion valuation loss from its stake in electric delivery vehicle maker Rivian. 

7. AWS holds a market share of 16.3% in the public cloud market

Amazon’s AWS unit is the largest public cloud company with a market share of 16.3% in 2022. Microsoft ranks a somewhat-close second with a 14.5% share while third place Salesforce is far removed with a 4.7% share.

8. Amazon’s market cap collapsed by $1 trillion

While hard to imagine, Amazon’s market capitalization peaked just shy of $1.9 trillion in July 2021 and went on to fall by more than $1 trillion by the end of 2022.

9. Amazon delivered 10 million packages using Rivian

Despite a major write-off, Amazon delivered to date more than 10 million packages using Rivian vehicles. The company expects to operate 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian by 2030.

10. Amazon is poised to operate the world’s first Zero Carbon logistics facility

Amazon said in late 2022 its Same-Day Delivery facility in Sacramento is set to become the world’s first and only logistics facility certified as Zero Carbon by the International Living Future Institute. Amazon expects the facility can deliver packages to nearby customers within hours.

11. Amazon CEO earned 6,474 times more than a typical employee

Here is one Amazon statistic that is drawing criticism. According to As You Sow, Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy was compensated $212,701,169 in fiscal 2021 compared to the median worker pay of $32,855. This means the CEO to worker pay ratio stood at 6,474.

12. Amazon sells more than 12 million products

Amazon offers a variety of goods that makes it essentially a seller of anything and everything. Examples include apparel, automobile supplies, baby products, gourmet food, groceries, health and personal care products, consumer electronics, industrial and scientific supplies, lawn and garden supplies, sporting goods, jewelry and watches, tools, and toys/games.

13. Amazon is the world’s second largest US-based employer

Despite a round of layoffs impacting 18,000 workers in 2023, Amazon is the second largest US-employer, next to Walmart, Inc. (WMT). While difficult to pinpoint a precise and up-to-date number, Amazon employed 1.6 million people globally as of October 2022.

14. Jeff Bezos is Amazon’s largest shareholder, followed by Vanguard Group

Amazon founder, ex-CEO, and current executive chairman Jeff Bezos is the largest shareholder with an approximate 10% stake. The second largest shareholders is Vanguard Group at around 6.5%, followed by BlackRock at 3.6%. Here is an interesting Amazon fact: some analysts are arguing Bezos should return to the helm as CEO!

15. Investments in video content were up 40% in 2022

Amazon invested around $7 billion across Amazon Originals, live sports, and licensed third-party video content in 2022. This represents a 40% year-over-year increase from $5 billion in 2021.

16. Amazon’s market share in groceries is barely 1%

Despite introducing new technology to grocery stores and the acquisition of Whole Foods in 2017, Amazon’s market share in the US grocery category is a mere 1.2%, according to Euromarket.

17. Advertising revenue grew 19% in Q4 2022

Perhaps one of Amazon’s more overlooked segments, advertising revenue in Q4 2022 was up 19% year-over-year at $11.557 billion. While still a small segment in terms of revenue, advertising is one of the company’s fastest-growing business units.

18. Amazon is the third largest digital advertising company

Perhaps another Amazon stat flying under the radar: Amazon is the third-largest digital advertising company in the world, ranking behind Google and Facebook.

19. Amazon charges small businesses 50% of each sale

On average, Amazon charges small businesses on its platform 50% of each sale, according to Marketplace Pulse. This includes warehouse storage fees, packing, delivery, and advertisements. Still, Amazon’s logistics network costs around 30% less than other delivery networks.

20. Amazon Prime members may account for 40% of all sales

Amazon doesn’t disclose how many Prime members exist. The company did say in its 2021 letter to shareholders it boasts 200 million Prime customers. On average, a Prime customer spends $1,000 per year which implies Prime members spend $200 billion annually on Amazon, or roughly 40% of total sales.

21. Amazon sold 500 million items from small business in one weekend

Amazon users purchased nearly 500 million items from small businesses in the US during its Thanksgiving-through-Cyber-Money holiday shopping weekend. The five day period saw these small businesses generate more than $1 billion in sales.

22. Amazon acquired 6 businesses in 2022, up from 5 in 2021

Amazon purchased Strio.AI, GlowRoad, One Medical, iRobot, Cloostermans, and Spirit.ai in 2022 for a total of six acquisitions. This represents an increase in M&A activity from five purchases in 2021 and two in 2020.

23. Amazon drones delivered packages to less than 10 households

Jeff Bezos said in 2013 during a ‘60 Minutes’ interview Amazon drones are four or five years away from delivering small packages to homes. Since then, Amazon drones have made delivery runs to fewer than 10 households. 

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