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Number of Ad Block Users Worldwide (2024)

by Fabio Duarte
June 25, 2024

Ad block tools are becoming increasingly commonplace, with the number of users continuing to increase year-over-year.

Below, we’ll take a look at the latest data surrounding the growing number of users:

Contents

Top Ad Block User Stats (Editor’s Choice)

  • There are approximately 912 million ad block users
  • Mobile ad blocking makes up around 55% of all ad blocking
  • Approximately 2 in 5 internet users use ad blockers
  • Indonesia has the highest proportion of internet users using ad blocks (40.6%)
  • The main reason for using ad blocks is the number of adverts encountered

How Many People Use Ad Blockers?

Recent data shows that almost 1 billion people worldwide use ad blockers.

Mobile ad block users make up around 54.4% (496 million) while desktop ad block users account for 45.6% (416 million).

Since 2012 (44 million users), the number of ad block users has increased by nearly 21x.

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Here’s a breakdown of ad block users over time split by desktop and mobile:

Quarter, Year Number of Ad Block Users Desktop Ad Block Users Mobile Ad Block Users
Q1 2012 44 million 44 million -
Q1 2014 240 million 142 million 99 million
Q1 2016 558 million 276 million 282 million
Q1 2018 691 million 295 million 396 million
Q1 2020 764 million 236 million 527 million
Q4 2021 820 million 290 million 530 million
Q2 2022 716 million 320 million 395 million
Q4 2022 850 million 436 million 414 million
Q2 2023 912 million 416 million 496 million

Despite an overall increase in the number of people with ad blockers, the proportion of internet users using ad block tools has dipped since 2021.

DataReportal found that approximately 1 in 3 (32.5%) internet users use ad blockers. That figure has fallen 4.5% from Q3 2021’s 37%, although a change in methodology may be a contributing factor.

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Here’s a closer look at how the proportion of internet users using ad blockers has changed over time:

*Change in the methodology used
Quarter, Year Proportion of Internet Users Using Ad Blockers Change Over Previous Quarter
Q3 2021 37% -
Q4 2021 36.2% -2.2%
Q1 2022 36.4% +0.6%
Q2 2022 35.9% -1.4%
Q3 2022 35.7% -0.6%
Q4 2022* 32.6% N/A
Q1 2023* 32.8% +0.6%
Q2 2023* 32.8% -
Q3 2023* 32.5% -0.9%

Sources: Korea Copyright Commission, Korea Copyright Commission (2), Korea Copyright Commission (3), Data Reportal

Ad Blockers by Region

The proportion of internet users using ad block tools varies greatly by region.

According to Data Reportal, Indonesia has the highest proportion with around 2 in 5 (40.6%) of their internet users using ad blockers.

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At the other end of the spectrum, just 16.9% of Japan’s internet users use ad blockers.

Nonetheless, each of the top three countries by the proportion of internet users using ad blockers is situated in Asia (Indonesia, China, and Vietnam).

Here’s a breakdown of the data in full:

Country Region Proportion of Internet Users Using Ad Block Tools
Q3 2023 Q3 2022
Indonesia Asia 40.6% 41.8%
China Asia 38.5% 43.2%
Vietnam Asia 38.1% 41.3%
Croatia Europe 37.2% -
Greece Europe 37% 37.7%
Taiwan Asia 36.8% 38%
South Africa Africa 36.3% 33.1%
Israel Asia 36.1% 36.3%
Portugal Europe 36% 36.8%
Hungary Europe 35.7% -
Hong Kong Asia 35.3% 34%
Poland Europe 34.8% 36.2%
Sweden Europe 34.4% 33.3%
Canada North America 33.6% 35.8%
Spain Europe 33.6% 36%
Singapore Asia 33.4% 30.9%
Germany Europe 33.1% 35.2%
Malaysia Asia 33.1% 36%
Turkey Europe/Asia 32.8% 32.5%
Global - 32.5% 35.7%
Brazil South America 32.5% 32.2%
Austria Europe 32.4% 36.1%
Norway Europe 32.4% 33%
Bulgaria Europe 32.3% -
Egypt Africa 31.8% 36.5%
France Europe 31.8% 34.3%
USA North America 31.8% 33.6%
Australia Oceania 31.5% 34.2%
New Zealand Oceania 31% 34.5%
Netherlands Europe 30.9% 33.2%
Switzerland Europe 30.6% 35.3%
Russia Europe/Asia 30.4% 34.1%
Belgium Europe 30% 30.6%
India Asia 30% 38.7%
Romania Europe 29.3% 29.7%
Kenya Africa 29% 26.9%
Saudi Arabia Asia 28.1% 32.9%
UK Europe 28.1% 28.9%
Czechia Europe 28% 28.4%
Italy Europe 27.9% 28.9%
Ireland Europe 27.8% 28.7%
Thailand Asia 27.4% 29.5%
UAE Asia 27.1% 34.5%
Denmark Europe 26.6% 28.4%
Argentina South America 26.5% 25.5%
Nigeria Africa 26% 17%
Philippines Asia 25% 29.2%
Colombia South America 24.7% 24.9%
Chile South America 24% 25.9%
Ghana Africa 24% 11.7%
Mexico North America 22% 24.3%
South Korea Asia 20.7% 20.4%
Morocco Africa 19.3% 34.9%
Japan Asia 16.9% 15.8%

And here’s a look at US ad blocking penetration since 2021:

Year US Ad Blocking Penetration
2021 34.2%
2022 33.6%
2023 31.8%

Source: Data Reportal

Ad Block Users Demographics

Split by gender, males are more likely to use ad block tools than females.

25 to 34-year-old males are the most likely subsection to use ad block tools (36.9%).

By contrast, 45 to 54-year-olds are the least likely (25.1%).

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Here’s the proportion of internet users using ad block tools split by gender and age:

Age Bracket Proportion of Internet Users Using Ad Block Tools
Female Male
16 to 24-year-olds 30% 36.1%
25 to 34-year-olds 31.8% 36.9%
35 to 44-year-olds 29.6% 36.5%
45 to 54-year-olds 25.1% 33.6%
55 to 64-year-olds 25.4% 31.8%

Source: Data Reportal

Reasons for Using Ad Blockers

The most common reason (62.9%) for using ad blockers is to avoid the amount of ads.

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More than half of ad block users do so because ads get in the way (54.4%).

Here is the list of reasons for using as blockers in full:

Reasons for Using Ad Blockers Proportion of Internet Users Who Agree
There are too many ads 62.9%
Ads get in the way 54.4%
To protect my privacy 40.4%
Ads aren’t relevant to me 39.7%
To stop inappropriate content from being shown 37.5%
To improve device performance 31.3%
To stop companies collecting data around me 25.6%

Approximately 2 in 5 (40%) people are annoyed by advertising on the internet.

However, 31% of people don’t mind advertising if they get free content as a result.

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Here’s a full list of attitudes towards online advertising:

Attitude Towards Online Advertising Proportion of Who Agree
I am often annoyed by advertising on the internet 40%
It annoys me when I receive online ads based on my search history 35%
I don’t mind advertising if I get free content in return 31%
I use ad blockers when browsing the internet 27%
I have bought products because celebrities or influencers advertised them 21%
I am excited about using the metaverse (immersive virtual world) 19%
I don’t mind when companies use my personal data for advertising 14%
I often have difficulty distinguishing advertising from content 12%
None of the above 12%

Sources: Data Reportal, Statista

Conclusion

The number of internet users using ad blockers has seen a sharp rise over the last decade and shows little sign of slowing down.

For more related content, take a look at 6 Top Advertising Trends to Watch and Future of Advertising.