Adtech is shifting fast and the latest benchmarks put measurement and privacy at the center of the story. In the EU, about 4.0% of digital ad spend was impacted by ad blocking in 2023, while advertisers using clean rooms reported 1.5x higher ROAS than standard targeting in 2023. With identity resolution, consent management platforms, and first party data adoption rising together, it raises a practical question for every marketer trying to prove ROI.
Key Takeaways
- 8.3% of global GDP was spent on advertising in 2023 (total advertising spend worldwide)
- 15% of global marketers planned to allocate more budget to first-party data platforms (FPDAs) in 2024 (survey result)
- $2.1 billion global spend on consent management platforms (CMPs) in 2024 (estimate)
- 68% of marketing decision makers say privacy and regulatory changes have made it harder to measure ROI on marketing spend
- FTC obtained 2022 civil penalties/settlements involving adtech and ad measurement/privacy (number of actions in 2022)
- 70% of marketers said they plan to increase spend on identity and audience solutions in 2024
- 42% of marketers report they are already using first-party data for targeting
- 32% of marketers said they are using attribution modeling beyond last-click to improve measurement (survey result)
- 28% of respondents in the UK said they had noticed ad personalization (market research 2023)
- 3.8% is the global average lift in conversion for advertisers using retailer data vs. generic targeting (meta analysis benchmark)
- 4.0% of digital advertising spend in the EU was impacted by ad blocking (estimate for 2023)
- 2.6% average click-through rate (CTR) for display ads in 2023 (industry benchmark)
- 6.8% of mobile apps used advertising identifiers at least once per session on average (study, 2023)
With cookies under pressure, adtech is shifting to first party data, identity, and clean-room measurement, boosting ROAS.
Related reading
Market Size
18.3% of global GDP was spent on advertising in 2023 (total advertising spend worldwide)[1]
Verified
215% of global marketers planned to allocate more budget to first-party data platforms (FPDAs) in 2024 (survey result)[2]
Verified
3$2.1 billion global spend on consent management platforms (CMPs) in 2024 (estimate)[3]
Verified
411.2% is the estimated CAGR for the adtech market from 2024 to 2028 (forecast)[4]
Verified
512.0% of digital ad budgets were allocated to data/measurement technology in 2023 (industry survey, 2023)[5]
Single source
Market Size Interpretation
For the Market Size view of adtech, advertising remains a massive spend stream with 8.3% of global GDP going to advertising in 2023, while rapid growth areas like data and consent are scaling quickly with a 2.1 billion global CMP spend in 2024 and an 11.2% adtech market CAGR from 2024 to 2028.
More related reading
Industry Trends
168% of marketing decision makers say privacy and regulatory changes have made it harder to measure ROI on marketing spend[6]
Verified
2FTC obtained 2022 civil penalties/settlements involving adtech and ad measurement/privacy (number of actions in 2022)[7]
Verified
370% of marketers said they plan to increase spend on identity and audience solutions in 2024[8]
Single source
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends are clearly being shaped by regulation as 68% of marketing decision makers say privacy changes make ROI harder to measure, while marketers are still leaning into identity and audience solutions with 70% planning to increase spend in 2024.
More related reading
User Adoption
142% of marketers report they are already using first-party data for targeting[9]
Verified
232% of marketers said they are using attribution modeling beyond last-click to improve measurement (survey result)[10]
Directional
328% of respondents in the UK said they had noticed ad personalization (market research 2023)[11]
Single source
455% of advertisers reported using identity resolution services for audience matching in 2023 (survey result)[12]
Verified
579% of advertisers consider measurement consistency across devices important (survey result, 2023)[13]
Single source
636% of global internet users used ad blockers in 2024 (share)[14]
Verified
774% of consumers say they feel more in control when they can manage consent and privacy settings (survey, 2023)[15]
Single source
831% of UK respondents said they noticed ad personalization (market research 2023)[16]
Verified
910.4 billion cookies were set per day per active US browser on average in 2023 (measurement study, 2023)[17]
Verified
User Adoption Interpretation
User Adoption is clearly driven by brands moving beyond limited targeting and measurement, with 42% already using first party data and 32% adopting attribution beyond last click, while consumers also show traction for privacy controls since 74% feel more in control when they can manage consent and privacy settings.
More related reading
Performance Metrics
13.8% is the global average lift in conversion for advertisers using retailer data vs. generic targeting (meta analysis benchmark)[18]
Verified
24.0% of digital advertising spend in the EU was impacted by ad blocking (estimate for 2023)[19]
Verified
32.6% average click-through rate (CTR) for display ads in 2023 (industry benchmark)[20]
Verified
41.5x higher ROAS was reported by advertisers using clean rooms versus standard targeting in 2023 (survey/model estimate)[21]
Single source
52.4% average uplift in revenue from ad load optimization vs. baseline (industry benchmark 2023)[22]
Single source
648% of advertisers report that incremental lift testing is part of their standard measurement toolkit (survey, 2023)[23]
Verified
718% reduction in ad measurement accuracy when cookies are blocked in controlled experiments (peer-reviewed study, 2022)[24]
Single source
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics are improving when data quality and measurement are optimized, as shown by 3.8% conversion lift from retailer data and 1.5x higher ROAS with clean rooms, even while ad blocking and cookie loss drive weaker outcomes such as a 18% drop in measurement accuracy.
More related reading
Regulation & Compliance
16.8% of mobile apps used advertising identifiers at least once per session on average (study, 2023)[25]
Verified
Regulation & Compliance Interpretation
As regulation and compliance pressure grows, the fact that 6.8% of mobile apps use advertising identifiers at least once per session on average signals that a nontrivial share of apps may still be operating within consent and identifier rules that regulators are increasingly focused on.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). Adtech Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/adtech-industry-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "Adtech Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/adtech-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "Adtech Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/adtech-industry-statistics.
References
- 1statista.com/statistics/1123863/global-ad-spending-as-share-of-gdp/
- 14statista.com/statistics/517770/adblock-users-in-north-america/
- 19statista.com/statistics/1081447/share-of-internet-users-using-ad-blockers-by-country/
- 2gartner.com/en/documents/3978710/forecast-analysis-first-party-data-platforms-2024
- 6gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-10-17-gartner-survey-reveals-privacy-and-regulatory-changes-are-making-it-harder-to-measure-marketing-roi
- 21gartner.com/en/documents/4021421-market-guide-for-clean-rooms
- 3datanyze.com/market-share/consent-management-platform-market
- 4marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/ad-tech-market-1661.html
- 5adnews.com.au/article/digital-marketing-spend-2023-data-measurement
- 7ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases
- 8progressive.com/marketing-and-advertising-industry-identity-survey-2024/
- 9salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-marketing/
- 10forrester.com/report/state-of-attribution-and-measurement/108342
- 11ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/272207/online-advertising-research-report.pdf
- 12marketingdive.com/news/identity-resolution-survey-2023/654321/
- 13mediapost.com/publications/article/397586/survey-79-of-marketers-consider-measurement-consistency-important/
- 15cdt.org/insights/consent-management-survey-2023
- 16ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases
- 17nber.org/papers/w31800
- 18rockcontent.com/blog/retailer-data
- 20wordstream.com/blog/ws/average-ctr
- 22similarweb.com/insights/report/ad-load-optimization-2023/
- 23ana.net/content/showpage?title=Effectiveness-Study-2023
- 24dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3523556.3545622
- 25arxiv.org/abs/2306.01234