Facebook Ads CPM Benchmarks in South Africa

Introduction

South Africa’s Facebook Ads CPMs sat dramatically below the global benchmark across the period, but the story isn’t just “cheaper”—it’s also more dynamic. Costs for all industries in South Africa oscillated between brief surges and deep troughs, peaking in March before sliding to the year’s low in October. By contrast, the global CPM baseline moved within a much tighter band. This contrast creates a clear narrative: South Africa’s country-specific ad costs remained structurally lower than the market while showing sharper month-to-month momentum.

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

• Starting point to finish: South Africa opened at a CPM of 2.44 in November 2024 and ended at 0.35 in October 2025—an 86% decline across the window.
• Average, highs, lows: Median monthly CPM averaged 2.53, ranging from a high of 5.07 in March to a low of 0.35 in October (a 4.72-point span).
• Volatility: Month-to-month absolute change averaged 1.31 points, higher than the global benchmark’s 1.20. Given the lower level, that equates to roughly 52% of the local average each month—far choppier than the global pattern.

Key movements:

• December to January marked a steep post-holiday reset (−65%), landing at 1.04.
• A two-month climb followed: +139% in February and +105% in March, culminating in the March peak at 5.07.
• Q2 held elevated costs (3.74–4.46), then a sharp mid-year reset hit in July (−76% vs. June), sliding further to 0.91 in August.
• September rebounded to 1.79 before an 80% drop in October to the period’s low.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The rhythm in South Africa ran counter to a smooth seasonal arc. Q2 2025 was the strongest stretch, averaging 4.10, while Q3 softened markedly to 1.26 (−69% from Q2). Late 2024 (Nov–Dec) clustered near the annual mean at 2.71. The pattern hints at early-year troughs (January softness), a spring run-up into March, mid-year firmness, and then a pronounced late-year reset. Globally, CPMs typically firm into Q4, and the benchmark did lift from September to October by about 10%; South Africa diverged, diving 80% month over month in October.

Country vs. Global

• Level comparison: South Africa’s CPM averaged 2.53 versus the global 19.71—about 87% below market across the period.
• Global range and stability: The global benchmark ran from 17.80 (January) to 24.05 (November) and trended modestly lower from November 2024 to October 2025 (−12%), a much steadier profile than South Africa’s −86% swing.
• Gap dynamics: South Africa trailed global CPMs by 73%–98% each month. The narrowest gap appeared in March (5.07 vs. 19.11; 73% below). The widest gap arrived in October (0.35 vs. 21.26; 98% below). For much of the year—January, July, August, and October—South Africa ran at less than 10% of global CPM levels.

Closing

In sum, Facebook Ads CPM analysis for all industries in South Africa shows structurally low country-specific ad costs with outsized month-to-month swings, especially around mid-year resets and a deep October trough. Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for CPM in South Africa helps marketers place local CPM trends in context against the steadier global baseline and evaluate how CPM performance for all industries in South Africa compares to worldwide patterns.