Facebook Ads CPM Benchmarks in South Africa

Introduction

South Africa’s cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) profile tells a story of much lower absolute costs but far greater month-to-month drama than the global benchmark. Over a 12‑month span South Africa ran well below the global CPM medians, punctuated by sharp spikes in late Q4 and early Q1 and steep troughs in October and June. This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for All industries in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

South Africa’s median CPM averaged roughly $3.33 over July 2025–June 2026, starting at $1.65 in July 2025 and finishing at $0.68 in June 2026 (a net decline of about 59% from start to finish). The local high was $8.19 in February 2026; the low was $0.50 in October 2025. By contrast the global (baseline) medians over the same months averaged about $20.93, with a range from ~$18.81 to ~$24.26.

Monthly movement was pronounced: November–February produced the largest clustered lift (Nov $4.50 → Dec $7.68 → Jan $6.33 → Feb $8.19), then CPMs retraced into March and April before another surge in May and a collapse into June. Volatility is notable — the standard deviation of South Africa’s series is about $2.8 (coefficient of variation ≈ 82%), compared with a baseline standard deviation near $1.9 (CV ≈ 9%). Average absolute month‑to‑month change was roughly $2.30, underscoring how choppy the market was in absolute terms relative to its low baseline.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The rhythm shows a late‑year to early‑year cluster of higher CPMs: Nov→Dec→Jan→Feb registered the most sustained lift across the year. Conversely, October and June were the softest months, each sitting near the series floor. March and April offered temporary normalization before May’s brief uptick and June’s sharp drop. These swings create a pattern where short windows show meaningful cost pressure interspersed with extended low-cost periods.

Country vs. Global

Relative to the global CPM benchmark, South Africa ran materially lower every month. On average South African CPMs were about 84% below the global medians (SA ≈ $3.33 vs global ≈ $20.93). The gap narrowed in the high months — December–February — where South Africa’s CPMs were roughly 40–60% below global levels (February was the narrowest gap, about 59% below). At the widest gaps (October, August, June) South Africa’s CPMs were roughly 95–97% below the global medians. In short, South Africa showed far lower absolute CPMs but far greater relative volatility than the baseline.

Understanding Facebook Ads CPM benchmarks and broader CPM analysis for All industries in South Africa puts those country-specific ad costs into context alongside global industry ad performance and CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance narratives.