J. G. Navarro
Research expert covering advertising and marketing with a focus on South America
Advertising in Europe – statistics & facts
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Size may matter, but so does resourcefulness. While in the Americas, the advertising industry's leading champion is also the region's largest economy (the United States), on the other side of the Atlantic, the largest economy (Germany) still ranks at a distant second compared to Europe's creative powerhouse: the United Kingdom. Germany's ad spending was forecast to barely surpass 35 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, or little more than two-thirds of the UK's ad market size. France rounds out the top three out with almost 20 billion dollars. Altogether, European annual ad revenues rose by five percent to an estimated 165 billion dollars in 2024. Of its leading countries, the UK was the only one projected to experience an even higher increase rate in 2025, followed by Spain and Germany as the fastest-growing ad markets in Europe.
The UK's ad expenditure rose three times more than the continent's average in 2023, reaching almost 37 billion British pounds. Digitization fueled that expansion, with online search alone receiving nearly twice as many investments as all offline channels combined. Famous for its inventiveness and harboring one of the world's largest ad holdings, WPP, the British ad industry's relevance extrapolates regional boundaries and influences business and creative decisions across the planet.
Germany's ad spend may have grown below the regional average, but it kept the country's solid second place with roughly 34 billion euros in 2024. Known for its reliance on offline channels, the German ad market may reflect more its larger consumer market base than its creative power, especially in an ever-more multimedia world. The French ad market has attracted fewer dollars (or euros) per year than Germany yet its impact on the global industry remains strong thanks, among other elements, to being home to two of the world's largest creative holdings: Publicis and Havas. In 2024, France's ad revenues increased more than the European average to over 18 billion euros.
Within that subsegment, online retail media has become more than a trend. Between 2021 and 2025, digital retail media ad spending in Europe grew nearly 140 percent, surpassing an estimated 17 billion euros, a value projected to increase by another 80 percent over the next three years. Amazon accounts for around half of the revenues, indicating that brands want European consumers' attention where many of them have already been shopping.
Effective European ad markets: classics and dark horses
A 2024 effectiveness ranking – which assesses agencies, brands, campaigns, and entire countries' ad output based on their performance at award shows – places the British market hundreds of points ahead of its regional contenders. Ukraine, with its media effort to conjure soft power amidst the conflict with Russia, ranked second. Romania, a flourishing creative market, placed third, followed by Germany.The UK's ad expenditure rose three times more than the continent's average in 2023, reaching almost 37 billion British pounds. Digitization fueled that expansion, with online search alone receiving nearly twice as many investments as all offline channels combined. Famous for its inventiveness and harboring one of the world's largest ad holdings, WPP, the British ad industry's relevance extrapolates regional boundaries and influences business and creative decisions across the planet.
Germany's ad spend may have grown below the regional average, but it kept the country's solid second place with roughly 34 billion euros in 2024. Known for its reliance on offline channels, the German ad market may reflect more its larger consumer market base than its creative power, especially in an ever-more multimedia world. The French ad market has attracted fewer dollars (or euros) per year than Germany yet its impact on the global industry remains strong thanks, among other elements, to being home to two of the world's largest creative holdings: Publicis and Havas. In 2024, France's ad revenues increased more than the European average to over 18 billion euros.
Online boosts ad revenues, and retail media boosts online channels
The good news is Europe's ad revenues are forecast to continue to expand. The not so good news is that the projected increase rate between 2025 and 2026 falls behind three percent, reinforcing a stalling third place on a global level, hundreds of billions of dollars below the United States and Canada or the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Historically, Europe's digital ad spend annual growth rates have been significantly higher, often reaching double-digit levels.Within that subsegment, online retail media has become more than a trend. Between 2021 and 2025, digital retail media ad spending in Europe grew nearly 140 percent, surpassing an estimated 17 billion euros, a value projected to increase by another 80 percent over the next three years. Amazon accounts for around half of the revenues, indicating that brands want European consumers' attention where many of them have already been shopping.
