In 2022, search advertising spending amounted to 185.35 billion U.S. dollars worldwide. The expenditure was forecast to increase by approximately six percent annually until 2028, reaching close to 261 billion U.S. dollars.

Search Advertising
Search advertising, or search engine advertising (SEA), refers to the placement of ads on search result pages above or next to organic search results. As these ads target local and keyword-related factors, they have a higher conversion probability, making them a popular tool for online marketers. In the past few years, search advertising has become one of the leading forms of digital advertising worldwide, seeing annual growth in spending. In 2019, global search ad spend stood at nearly 106.5 billion U.S. dollars, trailing only behind display ad expenditures. As consumers are increasingly using their phones for search requests, spending on mobile search advertising is set to increase in the following years.

Leading segment drivers
The United States is the world’s leading market for search advertising, as well as the segment’s top spender. In 2019, over 55 billion U.S. dollars were spent on search advertising, and according to the latest forecasts, spending will surpass 86 billion U.S. dollars by 2023. In return, revenue from search ads is expected to grow by roughly ten percent in 2020. Looking at the placement of ads and the allocation of search advertising budgets, Google stands out as the primary recipient. In 2018, advertisers reported allocating around 60 percent of their search advertising budgets towards the U.S. tech giant.

The ad spending is forecast to experience significant growth in all segments in 2028. As part of the positive trend, the indicator achieves the maximum value across all two different segments by the end of the comparison period. Notably, the segment Social Media Advertising Mobile stands out with the highest value of 212.68 billion U.S. dollars. Find further statistics on other topics such as a comparison of the ad spending in the United States and a comparison of the ad spending in Germany. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

It was calculated that the digital advertising spending worldwide amounted to 549.51 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. The source projected that by 2027, the spending would reach 870.85 billion dollars.

Advertising spending - additional information

Advertising can utilize almost any form of media to meet its needs. Media including print, television, radio, cinema, outdoor, mobile and digital have all been targeted by advertisers. Global advertising spending has been constantly increasing (with the exception of 2020) since 2010, and is forecast to round up to nearly 856 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Due to advances in technology and consumer preferences, not all media are as heavily invested in as others. As of 2022, the internet was considered the most important medium for advertisers, accounting for 62 percent of total media ad spend in 2022. Internet expenditures are projected to record a growth of 8.4 percent in 2023.

Digital advertising spending worldwide – which includes both desktop and laptop computers as well as mobile devices – stood at an estimated 522.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. This figure is forecast to constantly increase in the coming years, reaching a total of 835.82 billion U.S. dollars by 2026. Mobile internet advertising is a heavily invested sub-sector of the digital advertising industry. Mobile internet advertising spending is forecast to increase from 276 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 to nearly 495 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Following this pattern, mobile advertising spending in the U.S. is also forecast to grow in the coming years. Mobile ad spending in the U.S. is projected to gain nearly 25 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

In 2024, global advertising spending will reach an estimated 917 billion U.S. dollars, up from 845 billion dollars a year earlier. That represents a year-over-year (YoY) growth of approximately 8.5 percent. The annual value was projected to continue to expand, surpassing 1.17 trillion dollars by 2028. World's top advertising channels According to another source's forecasts, the internet alone attracted seven out of 10 ad dollars worldwide in 2024, solidifying digital channels' relevance for the industry. The rest of the top three global ad media included TV and outdoor displays, which collectively accounted for little more than 20 percent of the market. However, the out-of-home (OOH) segment was expected to be the world's fastest-growing ad medium that year, and the only one with a double-digit increase rate. Leading countries and media companies In 2023, Alphabet concentrated around one-quarter of global ad revenues. Meta, Amazon, Alibaba, and TikTok followed , revealing that five big techs held most of the world's ad revenues. Meanwhile, the United States came in first on the ranking of economies by ad spending in 2024. It stood far ahead of the second place, China, and both left the United Kingdom and Japan nearly tied for the third place.

In 2022, search advertising spending is expected to amount to 164.6 billion U.S. dollars worldwide. This amount is projected to grow to about 190.5 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2024. Display advertising, which reached 244 billion U.S. dollars, accounted for the largest ad spend share in 2021.

Digital ads in selected countries worldwide

In 2022, the United States is forecast to spend nearly 233 billion U.S. dollars on digital ads, which was more than that of China, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany combined. The United Kingdom was the leading European country in terms of digital ad expenditure. In the first half of 2021, the UK spent roughly 5.5 billion GBP on search advertising, specifically.

Digital ads in the United States

In 2019, retail-related products and services made up about 22 percent of all digital ads in the United States, meaning the retail industry accounted for the largest share of the total digital ad spend that year. Other significant industries on the list included automotive, financial services, and computing products & consumer electronics.

It was calculated that the total advertising expenditure in North America in 2021 amounted to about 297.5 billion U.S. dollars. However, the spending increased by nearly 19 percent that year, after decreasing by just above one percent in the previous year due to the impact of the coronavirus. Advertising spending in the United States The United States is the largest advertising market in the world, with ad spending amounting to 250 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. Looking at breakdowns of expenditures by medium, in 2021 and 2025, approximately 153 billion U.S. dollars were directed towards internet ads in 2021, which is estimated to increase even further in 2025. This was followed by over 72 billion U.S. dollars spent on ads on TV in 2021 and is expected to increase by roughly 10 billion in 2025. Advertising spending in Canada The advertising market in Canada is also following the global growth trend. Media spending in Canada has been steadily growing since 2012, reaching 11.8 billion U.S. dollars in net ad spend in 2019. Unsurprisingly, in 2020, when the global advertising market was affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Canadain market also suffered. That year ad spend in the country fell to 10 billion U.S. dollars. Nonetheless, once the industry returns to normal, data on specific media expenditures in Canada suggest that the rise of the digital channels is evident in the country, as the advertising dollars are being directed towards the internet, while traditional media such as magazines and newspapers will be seeing less and less investments in the near future.

In 2021, U.S. ad revenue reached close to 304 billion U.S. dollars. Over the past decade, excluding 2020 when the advertising market was reorganized due to the coronavirus outbreak, advertising revenue in the United States has been constantly growing. In 2021, the ad market in the country saw positive growth of 22.7 percent, showing recovery from the impact of the pandemic. Which media are important for U.S. advertisers?    Industry figures indicate the clear significance of internet advertising, and within that the predominance of search. TV advertising has been dethroned by increased internet advertising and is calculated to account for close to 21.4 percent of ad total media ad revenues in 2022. U.S. CMOs are investing less in offline media in favor of digital formats. Traditional media are facing continuous reductions in marketing budgets, while digital media remain the focus of marketers. Magazines and newspapers are experiencing the most serious declines in ad spending, with growth rates below five and 10 percent respectively.

In 2018, kids advertising spending amounted to 4.2 billion U.S. dollars worldwide. Expenditure is forecast to reach 4.6 billion U.S. dollars by 2021, out of which an estimated 1.7 billion is projected to stem from digital advertising formats.

Advertising to children
With the widespread adoption of television, advertising to children has become commonplace around the world. Children represent a huge market to advertisers, and while many youngsters have no money to spend themselves, their preferences largely influence their parents’ shopping decisions. In a 2019 survey, 72 percent of parents to kids aged three to 13 from Mexico stated that advertising was the main reason their child picked a specific brand or product, indicating the immense impact of commercial appeals to children.

Kids advertising is moving online – but at what cost?
Ad spend targeted towards children continues to grow, and while traditional advertising still accounts for the lion’s share of expenditure, there has been a noticeable trend towards digital in recent years. This relocation reflects the changing consumer behavior of kids who are gradually shifting their screen time from TVs to digital devices. However, without parental supervision, children are at risk of being exposed to inappropriate digital media and advertising content such as alcohol promotion. This particular problem has been visible in the television industry for years, and in 2018, over 300 million non-compliant alcohol advertising impressions were registered on U.S. cable TV programs alone. As young audiences are more impressionable and cannot always identify ads as such, the rise of advertising platforms calls for stricter regulations in terms of the language and images used. Just as in traditional media formats, digital advertising to children should be legal, decent, and truthful, while also ensuring data protection and privacy relating to children’s personal information.

According to market estimates, total media advertising spending the United States in 2020 would amount to 225.8 billion U.S. dollars. By 2024, the figure is expected to grow to 322 billion dollars.. Advertising spending in the U.S. – additional information

Advertising can utilize almost any form of media to meet its needs, including print, television, radio, cinema, outdoor, mobile and online. If there is a space where consumers are going to look at, advertisers will buy it up. The United States, in particular, is the largest advertising market in the world. China is to be the second leading market according to the ranking, yet its ad expenditures are estimated to represent less than half of the amount calculated for the U.S. Television is the main medium for advertisers in the U.S., as it has accounted for about 40 percent of all advertising spending in the country since 2010. However, with the rise of digital platforms, not all mediums are as heavily invested in as others. Particularly traditional mediums such as radio, magazines and newspapers all suffered a decrease in ad spending, with newspapers suffering the most. Newspaper ad spent is forecast to decline from nearly 15 percent in 2010 to about 5.5 percent in 2020. Despite being a leader in the advertising industry as of 2015, television’s share of advertising spending is also projected to decrease in the coming years. Digital is forecast to become the main media for advertisers in the U.S., accounting for 37 percent of all advertising spending in the country in 2017. In terms of revenue, digital advertising in the U.S. is forecast to generate more than 210 billion U.S. dollars by 2022, with search advertising accounting for the largest portion of this amount. Banner ads and social media advertising also belong to digital formats important for advertisers in the U.S. Within the digital market, mobile advertising is also a heavily invested in sub-sector of the advertising industry. In 2020, this spending on mobile ads in the country reached 98.3 billion U.S. dollars. Search advertising and display advertising account for the majority of mobile advertising spending.

During a 2023 survey, 67 percent of responding marketers from across the world stated they often or sometimes used Facebook ads in their work. According to the results of this survey, Facebook was the most used ad platform. Instagram ranked second, with 52 percent of respondents saying they often or sometimes used ads on this platform.

The internet is projected to strengthen its position as the most invested-in advertising medium worldwide in 2022. Nearly 62 percent of all global ad investments are expected to be devoted to digital promotion that year, while television is forecast to receive around 23 percent of total advertising expenditures.

Traditional media struggles to maintain its relevance

While the advertising industry has focused its efforts on traditional media formats for decades, if not centuries, the recent changes in consumer behavior have fundamentally altered the business. Audiences are spending more time online than ever, which has led television to forfeit its spot as the top advertising medium in the world. Other traditional channels such as radio and print are also struggling to remain relevant in today’s digitalized world. Given the rapidly rising global online penetration rates, this battle for relevance and advertising funds is unlikely to be won any time soon.

Digital advertising is thriving

Digital advertising channels and technologies claim larger slices of the global advertising pie each year. In 2021, digital ad spend amounted to an estimated 521 billion U.S. dollars worldwide, and according to the latest data, this figure will have surpassed 756 billion by 2024. One vital driver of digital ad spend growth is the mobile revolution. Smartphone adoption and mobile usage have rapidly accelerated in recent years, and seeing that consumers in many parts of the world spend more time browsing the web on their smartphones than on desktop computers, marketers are quick to follow suit. Mobile internet ad spend is expected to grow from 341 billion in 2021 to nearly 495 billion by 2024, showing how dynamic and adaptive today’s advertising landscape is.

In 2021, digital advertising spending increased after a year of a slowdown the market endured when the world was hit by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. All three formats presented reported two-digital growth rates. Display grew most, with nearly a 35 percent growth rate, followed by paid search with 33 percent and digital classifieds with roughly 20 percent. For 2022, the source projected further growth, but the rates would not be nearly as high. The future of digital advertising Global marketers seem to agree that digital campaigns are very important to their overall promotional efforts. Regardless of which business type they represented, be it direct brand or a traditional business with or without an e-commerce component, the vast majority of global industry professionals considered digital media and formats as being crucial to their work. With this in mind, projections show that display advertising on social media will lead over online video, with expenditures on social close to double the amount devoted to video in 2020. After display, search is expected to take the second spot, with global ad spend surpassing 114 billion U.S. dollars that year. Classified has been and will remain the smallest format in terms of advertising investments.

In 2025, advertising and marketing spending worldwide will reach an estimated 1.87 trillion U.S. dollars, up from almost 1.78 trillion dollars a year earlier. For comparison, Australia's gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to approximately 1.8 trillion dollars in 2024, setting it as the world's 14th largest economy that year.

In 2022, revenues of the advertising, public relations (PR), and related services sector in the United States reached nearly 171 billion U.S. dollars, up from little more than 153 billion dollars a year earlier – an annual growth of almost 11.5 percent. For comparison, the U.S. ad, PR & media buying sector's expenses increased by 12.5 percent to about 107 billion dollars in 2022.

Ad audiences and where to find them TV remained the leading offline advertising touchpoint in the U.S. as of December 2023. Almost half of surveyed consumers included the silver screen among the non-digital media where they came across ads throughout the four weeks preceding the data collection. However, the internet quasi ubiquity was undeniable: social media was the online channel with the highest reach in the U.S., mentioned by 44 percent of respondents. Video portals like YouTube and video streaming platforms like Netflix tied for second, each selected by 37 percent.

What Americans want from online ads: less nuisance, more fun During the same December 2023 study, about 40 percent of U.S. consumers reported feeling annoyed by digital ads. Some 35 percent also disliked receiving online ads based on their search history. A digital format that intends to be less invasive and more conversational is that of influencer marketing. According to that survey, the most popular digital influencer categories in the U.S. were, by far comedy and music, chosen by 42 and 39 percent of responding adults, respectively.

In 2021, global social media advertising spending stood at around 116 billion U.S. dollars. The source projected that this figure would more than double and exceed an all-time high of 262 billion by 2028.

Where to advertise in a sea of social media platforms?

While there are many regional differences when it comes to social media usage and accessibility, some platforms reign supreme among users and advertisers alike. As of 2022, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram were the most popular social networks worldwide. Thanks to their massive audiences, these Meta-owned properties also ranked among the leading social media platforms for marketers. What makes advertising via these channels so appealing is not only the prospect of boosting brand awareness and generating leads but also the possibility to strengthen brands’ relationships with consumers via direct communication.

Spotlight on influencer marketing

In addition to posting photos and videos on their social media accounts and interacting with followers, companies can also enlist the help of content creators to drive visibility and potentially unlock new audiences. Over the past few years, the global influencer marketing market value has expanded rapidly and is now sized at an estimated 16.4 billion U.S. dollars. Instagram remains the primary playground for this creator-driven form of online marketing, though apps like TikTok are also becoming more appealing to brands from around the world.

The source projected that advertising spending will continuously grow in almost all world regions between 2025 and 2026. In the United States and Canada, the figure will increase by around 4.8 percent in that period, standing just below 359 billion U.S. dollars by the latter year. Meanwhile, Latin America will experience an expansion of approximately 8.5 percent, whereas ad spending in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) was predicted to stale.

In 2025, media owners' global advertising revenue will amount to an estimated 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars, up from approximately 1.04 trillion dollars a year earlier – an annual growth of 7.7 percent. The figure was projected to continue to expand, reaching nearly 1.4 trillion dollars by 2029. The world's largest ad markets According to another source, the United States and Canada collectively account for most of the global ad spend, followed by the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa leg far behind: In 2024, these four regions' ad expenditures combined barely surpassed three-quarters of APAC's. On a country level, the U.S., China, and the United Kingdom were the world's leading markets by estimated ad spend in 2024. Japan, Germany, and Canada rounded up the top six. The relevance of online advertising Most of the global ad revenues have come from the internet, which continues to boost the industry's total gains year after year. It was projected that, in 2024, digital's share in the world's ad spend would surpass two-thirds in almost all regions, except for Latin America. The performance of emerging online ad economies will likely push this concentration. A source estimated that Peru, Argentina, Chile, India, and Colombia ranked among the fastest-growing digital ad markets in 2023, with estimated increase rates of at least 16 percent.

The global advertising market experienced some fairly turbulent times between 2000 and 2010, seeing growth rates as high as 11.2 percent as well as lows reaching -9.5 percent during that time period. However, since 2011 the situation has stabilized, and advertising spending growth remained on average at roughly five percent. Yet 2020 brought the coronavirus outbreak and with it a high drop in ad spend of about four percent (though previous forecasts expected a nine percent drop). According to projections, by 2024 the industry will see expenditure growth return to around 7.6 percent. Global advertising in 2022 Not surprisingly, the internet will be the largest advertising medium in 2024, accounting for a little over 65 percent of global ad expenditures that year. Television, which has been the undisputed favorite among advertisers, will be overtaken by digital media. Between 2022 and 2024 TV is forecast to gain only around seven billion U.S. dollars, while mobile internet is expected to gain 147 billion dollars in the same period. Most of major media are projected to have small gains in investments during the measured period, while newspapers and magazines are projected to lose by roughly three and two billion respectively.
All in all, North America will still be the most prominent region, with the U.S. poised to hold the crown for the largest advertising market in 2024. Canada and Mexico will take the second and third spots within the region, but on a global scale are not predicted to rank anywhere close to the top three markets. As a matter of fact, Asian countries, China and Japan will close the top three, making Asia the second leading region in terms of ad expenditures.

In 2021, digital video advertising was expected to attract 80.1 billion U.S. dollars in spending worldwide and the source projected that the expenditure would increase to 120 billion by 2024. In the U.S., the spending is forecast to increase from 11.24 to 12.66 billion in the same period.

In 2020, the amount spend on advertisement per user worldwide increased around 3.5 U.S. dollars to 28.3 U.S dollars. According to the Statista Digital Market Outlook advertising spending per user in estimated to increase to almost 40 U.S dollars by 2025.