Ad blockers are used by a substantial share of internet users, but the measured rate depends on the definition, device, geography, and data collection method. In Q3 2024, 31.3% of internet users aged 16 and older worldwide used tools to block advertising for at least some online activities, according to the Digital 2025 Global Overview Report. Other studies measure installed services, observed blocked traffic, or device-specific usage, producing different results.
Table of contents
- Global adoption and country snapshots
- Country-by-country penetration
- Regional and device-level blocking
- Ad blocking by website category
- Survey adoption and local trends
- What users will tolerate
Global adoption and country snapshots
The headline global figure is 31.3% of internet users aged 16 and older using ad-blocking tools for at least some online activities in Q3 2024. This is a user-reported adoption measure, so it should not be treated as the same thing as the percentage of page views or traffic on which advertising was technically blocked. The source is the Digital 2025 Global Overview Report.
The highest country figures in the same Q3 2024 dataset were concentrated across several regions. Indonesia recorded 39.7%, China 38.4%, Hungary 37.6%, Croatia 36.9%, Serbia 36.8%, and Vietnam 36.0% among internet users aged 16 and older. Greece reached 34.6%, while Israel stood at 34.1% and Portugal at 33.9%.
These figures describe the share of internet users reporting ad-blocker use, not the share of all residents or all devices. They also describe use for at least some online activities, which allows a person to block ads in one context while leaving them enabled elsewhere.
Country-by-country penetration
The following country snapshots use the same Q3 2024 population and age definition. They are useful for comparing markets, but they should not be mixed directly with traffic-based measurements later in this article.
| Country | Ad blocker usage among internet users aged 16+ |
|---|---|
| Indonesia | 39.7% |
| China | 38.4% |
| Hungary | 37.6% |
| Croatia | 36.9% |
| Serbia | 36.8% |
| Vietnam | 36.0% |
| Greece | 34.6% |
| Israel | 34.1% |
| Portugal | 33.9% |
| Taiwan | 33.7% |
| Russia | 33.3% |
| Norway | 33.1% |
| New Zealand | 32.8% |
| Germany | 32.7% |
| Spain | 32.7% |
| United States | 32.7% |
| Turkey | 32.5% |
| Canada | 32.4% |
| Austria | 32.3% |
| Sweden | 32.2% |
| Poland | 32.1% |
| South Africa | 32.1% |
| Malaysia | 32.0% |
Taiwan’s rate was 33.7%, followed by Russia at 33.3%, Norway at 33.1%, and New Zealand at 32.8%. Germany, Spain, and the United States each recorded 32.7%. Turkey was at 32.5%, Canada at 32.4%, and Austria at 32.3%.
Sweden recorded 32.2%, while Poland and South Africa each recorded 32.1%. Malaysia recorded 32.0%. The narrow spread among many of these countries is a reminder that rankings can look different when the measurement changes from self-reported user adoption to observed traffic.
Regional and device-level blocking
Adblock Analytics reports a different type of statistic: the percentage of measured traffic associated with ad blocking. Its regional figures are dated September 29, 2026 and cover desktop, tablet, and mobile traffic. The Global Insights for Adblock Usage figures should therefore be read as measured-traffic rates, not as a survey of people.
Asia-Pacific had the highest listed all-device measured-traffic rate at 33.05%. Central and Eastern Europe followed at 29.15%. North America recorded 18.74%, while Western Europe recorded 7.00%. The measured rate was 6.57% in the Middle East and Africa and 5.68% in Latin America.
| Region | Ad blocking in measured traffic |
|---|---|
| Asia-Pacific | 33.05% |
| Central and Eastern Europe | 29.15% |
| North America | 18.74% |
| Western Europe | 7.00% |
| Middle East and Africa | 6.57% |
| Latin America | 5.68% |
Device differences are also substantial. Desktop ad blocking reached 43.62% of measured traffic in Asia-Pacific and 51.91% in Central and Eastern Europe. Across all measured regions, desktop ad blocking was 18.64%, compared with 9.35% for mobile. North American mobile ad blocking was 20.15%.
These numbers show why a site owner can encounter different ad-blocking conditions across templates and devices. A desktop audience may produce a higher blocking rate than a mobile audience, while regional traffic can shift the overall result in either direction. The figures are not forecasts and do not establish a universal rate for every site.
Ad blocking by website category
The same September 29, 2026 measured-traffic source reports large differences between website categories. Beauty and Fitness websites had a 42.86% measured ad-blocking rate, the highest listed category. Business and Industrial websites recorded 29.75%, while Computers and Electronics recorded 23.00%.
Adult websites had a 20.58% rate. Internet and Telecom websites had 21.30%, and Health websites had 22.83%. Autos and Vehicles recorded 10.35%, while Finance recorded 9.19%.
| Website category | Measured ad blocking |
|---|---|
| Beauty and Fitness | 42.86% |
| Business and Industrial | 29.75% |
| Health | 22.83% |
| Internet and Telecom | 21.30% |
| Adult | 20.58% |
| Computers and Electronics | 23.00% |
| Autos and Vehicles | 10.35% |
| Finance | 9.19% |
| Games | 7.10% |
| Books and Literature | 7.32% |
| Arts and Entertainment | 6.11% |
| Food and Drink | 5.26% |
The remaining listed categories were Games at 7.10%, Books and Literature at 7.32%, Arts and Entertainment at 6.11%, and Food and Drink at 5.26%. Because these are category-level measured rates, they should be used as directional context rather than assumed to represent every publisher in a category.
Survey adoption and local trends
YouGov’s 48-market research, covering January 2023 through January 2024, separates browser and phone behavior. Across the dataset, 25% of consumers had installed an ad blocker or anti-tracking service on a web browser. The corresponding figure for a mobile phone was 11%, and 9% had installed these services on both a browser and a phone. Forty percent reported using neither ad blocking nor anti-tracking services. The figures come from 48 market research – Two in five consumers don’t use ad blockers.
The same research found that 41% of consumers in the United States used neither ad blocking nor anti-tracking services. The figure was 53% in Great Britain and 49% in India. These results are not directly comparable with the 31.3% worldwide ad-blocker usage figure because the survey question includes anti-tracking services and reports installation by device.
Poland provides a separate local trend. IAB Polska measured ad-blocker use at 45% of adult internet users in 2023, up from 42% in 2017. It also reported that 88% of Polish ad-blocking users allowed some forms of marketing communication. The source is Raport IAB Polska: Zjawisko blokowania reklam. Edycja III. Allowing some marketing communication is important: blocking is not necessarily an all-or-nothing rejection of every commercial message.
What users will tolerate
Older British research helps describe how people react when a site asks them to disable an ad blocker. IAB UK’s latest reported wave dates to 2016. Among British adults who had downloaded an ad blocker, 64% had received a website request to turn it off. Among British ad-blocker users, 54% said they would switch it off when doing so was the only way to access content. For British users aged 18–24, that figure was 73%.
At the same time, 20% of British people who had downloaded an ad blocker said they no longer used it. These findings are historical rather than current estimates, and they should not be presented as a 2026 adoption rate. They remain useful for understanding the conditions under which users may accept a site’s request. The source is IAB UK reveals latest ad blocking behaviour.
The Coalition for Better Ads gives two ad-density thresholds from cumulative research through 2025. Mobile pages with more than 30% ad density are classified as below its mobile Better Ads Standard. For desktop pages, more than 50% ad density is classified as below the desktop Better Ads Standard. These are standards classifications, not measurements of how many people use ad blockers. They are documented in The Research - Coalition for Better Ads.
AudienceProject’s Q2 2020 U.S. survey reported ad-blocker use on 40% of computers, 12% of tablets, and 17% of mobile devices. This older device comparison comes from AudienceProject Insights 2020: Attitude towards advertising and use of ad blocking. Its measurement period should remain attached to the figures because device usage and blocking tools can change over time.
For SEO and publishing decisions, the practical reading is measurement-specific: survey adoption describes people, installed-service data describes declared setup, and measured-traffic data describes observed blocking. Country, device, website category, and date all materially affect the result. Comparing like with like preserves that context; combining unlike measures into one supposed global rate does not.