Digital advertising spending in the UK 2008-2023

In 2023, digital advertising spending in the United Kingdom (UK) amounted to 29.6 billion British pounds. This figure marked a boost of 11 percent compared to the previous year while also representing the highest online ad expenditure to date.

Digital advertising is thriving in the UK

According to the latest reports, total advertising spending in the UK stood at roughly 24 billion British pounds in 2021. Investments in digital channels and formats accounted for the lion's share of that sum, outperforming spending on TV, radio, and all other traditional media formats by a landslide. Advertisers have long realized the immense potential that the internet can have for marketing purposes, as the demand for digital content has never been higher. Millions of people across the UK browse the web for information and inspiration each day, looking for new brands to follow or products to try. In 2021, search remained the top digital ad format in the UK and many other regional markets, drawing an estimated 5.5 billion British pounds in investments in the first half of the year alone.

The UK sets the tone for digital advertising in Europe

The United Kingdom is the largest digital ad market in Europe. In 2021, the UK's digital ad spend was higher than that of the four next largest markets combined. But not only advertisers in the UK have come to embrace their digital future. Data showed that total digital advertising spending in Europe jumped from 70.5 to 92 billion euros in 2021. While the UK was undoubtedly the engine that fueled parts of this growth, smaller digital ad markets also pulled their weight. In Poland, for example, more than 40 percent of all advertising expenses were allocated towards digital in 2021, up by an estimated 10 percent. By comparison, the share stood at 15 percent just a decade earlier.