Worldwide total media ad spending will cross the $1 trillion threshold this year

Advertising will join an elite group of industries that have reached such heights

Worldwide ad spending has nearly doubled since 2016, and the outlook remains bright. Accelerating growth in 2023 and 2024 solidified our confidence that the $1 trillion benchmark will be achieved this year. When our forecasting began in 2011, worldwide ad spending was just $384.46 billion. Although there have been ups and downs since then, momentum is currently about as strong as ever. There will be almost $85 billion in new spending this year; it used to take four years to draw in that much new money.

The ad industry is now in rarified air. Although methodologies and definitions vary, there are likely only 10–20 industries worldwide that have breached the $1 trillion mark in annual sales or revenues. Stalwarts like oil and gas, insurance, commercial real estate, and auto tend to lead those rankings, each in the multitrillion range. Advertising likely won’t break $2 trillion until the late 2030s, but as of 2025, it is one of the all-time giants in the history of commerce.

In 2025, nearly 59% of all ad spending will take place in the US or China, but that still leaves plenty of money for everywhere else. Over $426 billion in spending will take place outside of the world’s two largest economies. The UK’s $53.43 billion ad market is enormous, and the rest of Europe will produce an additional $140 billion. Up-and-coming India will see over $14 billion in spending this year, nearly hitting $20 billion by 2028.

Of the 60 countries we track, at least 42 will see over $1 billion in ad spending.

Read the full report, Worldwide Ad Spending Forecast 2025.