Digital advertising in the UAE - statistics & facts

Digital advertising has grown to become one of the most important forms of marketing worldwide, especially after the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a huge jump in online consumption, enabling the industry to reach more audiences than ever. By 2024, the global digital advertising spending was forecasted to grow by 11 percent. The growth of mobile technology in the MENA region has helped with the increased use of digital advertising.  Online advertisement spending in the MENA region was expected to grow by around 20 percent by 2024 with a significant share of spending targeting the GCC. Saudi Arabia had the highest spending on digital advertising in the MENA in 2021, followed by the UAE.

An overview on the advertising climate in the UAE

  UAE is considered an attractive market for marketers and advertisers looking to increase their brand awareness due to its large working population and high internet usage rates. Largely attributed to the fact that it is home to many headquarters of internet giants and digital agencies, Dubai is considered the main entry into the advertising market within the pan-Arabic region. The UAE was ranked the fourth most attractive country worldwide for digital agency professionals. The UAE’s advertising spending is mainly driven by OOH and digital advertising. Expo 2020 was among the top advertising boosters in the country in 2021, with the digital advertising spending growth rate for that year reaching a whopping 100 percent in that year.

Digital advertising challenges

     While digital advertising presents vast opportunities for retailers, it is not without its challenges. Changing online privacy regulations and the planned roll out of third-party cookies are two major challenges facing the industry worldwide. Third-party cookies are deeply embedded in the digital advertising ecosystem, and finding a suitable replacement is difficult. Beyond replacing the targeting capabilities of cookies, the emerging solutions are shaping the market by decompartmentalizing buying platforms and environments, enabling centralized campaign management, and moving the entire industry toward a more people-centric advertising model. Another challenge faced by the industry is ad fraud. The EMEA region had the highest digital ad fraud or sophisticated invalid traffic rate compared to other regions. Social media advertising is also susceptible to fraud. Over 60 percent of Instagram influencers involved in fraud had between 100,000 to one million followers in the UAE.
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, Feb 20, 2024

Key insights

Total ad spending in UAE in 2024
1.66bn USD
Most creative advertising market in MENA
UAE
Most effective advertising market in MENA
UAE
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Digital advertising market size in the Middle East and North Africa in 2020, by country (in billion Saudi Arabian riyal)

Online Advertising

Digital advertising market size MENA 2020, by country

Digital advertising revenue in Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2020 (in billion Saudi Arabian riyal)

Online Advertising

Digital advertising revenue Saudi Arabia 2015-2020

Digital advertising revenue in Saudi Arabia in 2020, by type (in billion Saudi Arabian riyal)

Online Advertising

Digital advertising revenue Saudi Arabia 2020, by type

Recommended statistics

Overview

5

Overview

Internet usage UAE

4

Internet usage UAE

Key indicators

5

Key indicators

Social media advertising

4

Social media advertising

Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Meredith Alda
Meredith Alda
Sales Manager– Contact (United States)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)
Email
eu.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Group Director - LATAM– Contact (Latin America)
Email
latam@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Menu