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Advertising in the Nordics - statistics & facts

The advertising industry in the Nordics has experienced continuous growth and dynamic changes. In 2021, media advertising spending in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland saw double-digit growth following the pandemic-related slump of 2020. Another shared trend that has been visible throughout the region for quite some time is the advance of digital advertising. The internet has accounted for the lion’s share of ad investments and revenues in the Nordic countries for several years, setting the tone for the entire European advertising landscape to follow.

Online advertising is sweeping the Nordics

Online advertising has made big leaps in recent years. Most Nordic countries boast internet penetration rates of over 90 percent, and as consumers spend more time with online media than ever before, advertisers shift their funds and focus toward digital channels. In 2021, online ad spend in Finland reached an all-time high of 637 million euros, nearly tripling since 2011. Internet ad revenue in Denmark has seen a similar increase in the last 10 years, peaking at 8.61 billion Danish kroner in 2020. So which channels drive ad spend and revenue? In Sweden, display was the largest contributor to online ad revenues in 2021, whereas Norwegian industry players placed their bets on Google and Facebook.

Audiovisual ad formats no longer attract the big bucks

When it comes to investments in audiovisual media formats, a downward trend in television advertising activities can be noticed across the entire region. But while TV ad revenue in Norway only began to fall in 2018, it has declined in Denmark for almost a decade now. The opposite is true for investments in radio advertising, which started to plummet in Norway much earlier than in Denmark. Not only that, but data also showed parallel spikes in radio advertising spending in Sweden and Norway in 2021, which can be explained by the uptick in travel and commuting activity as well as the overall recovery of the industry.

Print & out of home (OOH) advertising

Print media has fought an uphill battle for the better part of a decade, and a downward trend in readership and advertising funds also shows in the Nordics. Between 2011 and 2021, newspaper ad spend in Sweden fell by over 60 percent. A continuous decline in ad investments and revenue can also be seen for magazines and most other print media in the region. One advertising platform that had experienced ongoing growth before the pandemic was out-of-home (OOH). In 2019, OOH advertising revenue in Norway peaked at 778 million Norwegian kroner, up from 481 million a decade prior. Now that travel bans and other pandemic-related restrictions have mostly been lifted, spending on outdoor media is on track to match pre-pandemic levels.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 6, 2023

Key insights

Advertising spending in Sweden
46.4bn SEK
Advertising spending in Norway
23.5bn NOK
Advertising spending in Finland
1.28bn EUR
Get more insights

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