Distribution of ad spend worldwide 2022-2026, by medium

The source forecast that, in 2025, digital channels would attract nearly 61 percent of the global advertising expenditure, while TV would account for less than 22 percent. According to the projections, print and out-of-home (OOH) media will tie in third place, each with a 5.7-percent share.

Shifts in advertising spending

Another source forecast that, in 2024, the sectors with the fastest-growing ad spending worldwide would include politics, non-profit, and financial services, with politics alone standing with a projected increase of more than 500 percent by 2024 – presumably due to the presidential election in the United States. These changes, however, will not be the same everywhere. South Asia was projected to be the only world region recording a double-digit ad expenditure growth rate in 2024. The U.S. and Canada would follow with a combined 7.6 percent increase.

Ad spend in the media sector

Retail media stood first among channels with the highest annual change in advertising spending worldwide, surpassing 21 percent in 2024. Connected TV (CTV) and social media followed. In the U.S. alone, the ad spending per internet user of the social media advertising market was projected to continuously increase between 2024 and 2028, surpassing an estimated 265 U.S. dollars per user in the latter year.