European digital advertising
IAB Europe measures digital ad spend in 30 national markets every year.
€131bn
European digital ad spend in 2025, up 10.5% (an increase of €12.5bn). Adjusted for inflation, growth was 9.4%.
€35.5bn
Spent on social media advertising in Europe in 2025, up 19.2%. Social video grew 25.7%, the fastest of any format.
€34.0bn
Spent on video advertising in 2025, up 19.6%. Video is now more than half of display investment in Europe.
+8.8%
Growth of paid search in 2025, below the market average. Display grew 12.5%.
€118.9bn
The 2024 total, when the market first passed €100bn, with 16% growth in constant currency.
Online shoppers and payment habits
Who buys online, and how they want to pay, changes a lot between European countries.
77%
Internet users in the EU who bought goods or services online in 2024. Ten years earlier it was 59%.
96%
The highest share, in Ireland, followed by the Netherlands (94%) and Denmark (91%).
57%
The lowest share, in Bulgaria, followed by Italy and Romania (60% each).
85.6%
Share of online stores in Greece that offer cash on delivery. Bulgaria 80.3%, Slovakia 80.1%, Poland 60.7%.
<10%
Share of online stores offering cash on delivery in Scandinavian and Western European markets.
Platforms and affiliate marketing
Figures from Meta’s latest quarterly results and the main US affiliate industry study.
$59.4bn
Meta’s advertising revenue in Q2 2026, up 27% year on year.
+14% / +12%
Growth in Meta’s ad impressions and in average price per ad in Q2 2026, year on year.
3.60bn
People using at least one Meta app daily, on average in June 2026.
$13.6bn
US affiliate marketing spend in 2024, up from $9.1bn in 2021. The study links $113bn of e-commerce sales, or 9.4% of US e-commerce, to affiliate marketing.
How we read these numbers
This is our interpretation, not part of the sources.
- Social keeps getting more expensiveIf price per ad rises faster than results, margins shrink. Creative testing and conversion rate matter more every quarter.
- One European plan doesn’t fit allCountries differ in how many people shop online and how they pay. Funnels and payout models need to follow local habits.
- Cash on delivery is regionalIt is common in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe and rare in the North and West. That decides where COD offers make sense.
- Compliance protects the budgetA banned account or a withdrawn offer costs more than a slower, cleaner launch.
Sources
- IAB Europe, AdEx Benchmark 2025 report, press release, 7 July 2026
- IAB Europe, AdEx Benchmark 2024 report, press release, 21 May 2025
- Eurostat, “77% of internet users in the EU bought online in 2024”, news release, 20 February 2025
- ECDB, “Cash on Delivery Is Most Used in Middle and Central Europe”, 3 June 2025
- Meta Platforms, “Meta Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results”, 29 July 2026
- Performance Marketing Association, U.S. Performance Marketing Industry Study 2025
Sources checked in October 2026. Figures are quoted as published by each source and may be revised later. US figures from the PMA study cover the United States only.