Digital advertising in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) - statistics & facts

The digital advertising sector has significantly grown in CEE over the past years. In 2021, online advertising expenditure in the region peaked at over 9.5 billion U.S. dollars, marking an increase of 33 percent compared to the previous year. However, the sector's revenue is expected to decrease over the upcoming period and amount to approximately 7.8 billion U.S. dollars by 2024.

CEE digital advertising market

In 2021, Russia recorded the highest online advertising expenditure at over 6.2 billion euros, followed by Czechia and Poland. Regarding the fastest developing markets, Ukraine recorded a 43 percent increase in digital advertising expenditure during the same year, while the Slovakian market grew by over 30 percent. Czechia, Russia, and Ukraine recorded an over 50 percent online share in the total advertising expenditure among the region's countries. By comparison, online advertisements accounted for only one-tenth of the annual ad spending in Bulgaria in 2020.

Which formats dominate the digital advertising industry in CEE?

Advertisers in CEE spend the largest share of their digital advertising budget on display formats, such as banner and video ads. In 2021, Ukraine was the fastest-growing display advertising market in the region, having increased its expenditure by over 63 percent compared to the previous year. In Hungary, banners were the leading digital advertising format as of 2022, though video was forecast to surpass it by 2025. After display, the second most popular format in CEE was search engine marketing (SEM). For instance, SEM accounted for nearly 32 percent of the Polish online ad spend in 2021, falling only slightly behind display.

The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The war in Ukraine disrupted the work of digital advertising agencies across the country. Nearly six in 10 market players had halted their operations after February 24, 2022, though most have resumed activity since April 2022. Furthermore, the war immediately impacted social media and search advertising in Russia. Marketers could no longer use the Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram because they were banned in the country. Furthermore, Google and Microsoft suspended advertising sales in Russia. In general, economic challenges and uncertainty caused by the war were expected to reduce digital advertising budgets in the CEE region and worldwide.
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, Mar 8, 2023

Key insights

Digital ad spend in CEE
9.5bn USD
Digital ad spend growth in CEE
33%
Share of CEE in global digital ad spend
1.43%
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Internet advertising spending in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) from 2000 to 2024 (in million U.S. dollars)

Online Advertising

Online advertising spending in Central and Eastern Europe 2000-2024

Distribution of digital advertising spending in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in 2022, by country and device

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Digital advertising spending in CEE in 2022, by country and device

Growth in digital advertising spending in Central and Eastern Europe in 2021, by country

Online Advertising

Growth in digital ad spending in the CEE region 2021, by country

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