Digital advertising in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) - statistics & facts

The digital advertising sector has significantly grown in CEE over the past years. In 2023, online advertising expenditure in the region was expected to reach approximately seven billion U.S. dollars, marking an increase from the previous year. In 2022, the regional market size shrank due to the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.

CEE digital advertising market

The highest online advertising expenditure in CEE was recorded in Russia, at over four billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Apart from Russia, the region's major digital advertising markets were Poland and Czechia. Croatia was the fastest-developing market in the region, having increased its digital ad spend by 20 percent in 2022. Among the Baltic states, Lithuania had the highest growth in expenditure on online ads, followed by Estonia.

Which formats dominate the digital advertising industry in CEE?

Advertisers in CEE spend the largest share of their digital advertising budget on display formats, such as banner and video ads, as well as on search ads. In Hungary, banners were the leading digital advertising format until 2021 when they were surpassed by search advertising. Furthermore, search engine marketing (SEM) accounted for the largest share of the Polish online ad budget, even slightly outperforming display ads. The fastest-growing display advertising market in the CEE region was Czechia.

The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The war in Ukraine disrupted the work of digital advertising agencies across the country. Nearly six in 10 market players had halted their operations after February 24, 2022, though most have resumed activity since April 2022. Furthermore, the war immediately impacted social media and search advertising in Russia. Marketers could no longer use the Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram because they were banned in the country. Furthermore, Google and Microsoft suspended advertising sales in Russia. In general, economic challenges and uncertainty caused by the war were expected to reduce digital advertising budgets in the CEE region and worldwide.
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, Jan 10, 2024

Key insights

Digital ad spend in CEE and selected Central Asian countries
9.5bn USD
Digital ad spend growth in CEE
33%
Share of CEE in global digital ad spend
1.43%
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Digital advertising spending in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and selected Central Asian countries from 2000 to 2024 (in million U.S. dollars)

Online Advertising

Online advertising spending in Central and Eastern Europe 2000-2024

Distribution of digital advertising spending in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in 2022, by country and device

Advertising

Digital advertising spending in CEE in 2022, by country and device

Growth in digital advertising spending in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in 2022, by country

Online Advertising

Growth in digital ad spending in the CEE region 2022, by country

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Hungary

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Poland

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Russia

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Digital advertising in Europe
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The shape of the digital advertising industry
The shape of the digital advertising industry
Digital advertising in Western Europe
Digital advertising in Western Europe
Digital advertising in Poland
Digital advertising in Poland

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