Understand how your CPM compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The headline: CPMs in the United Arab Emirates ran consistently below the global benchmark across this 13‑month window, but the local rhythm was choppier — punctuated by sharp lifts and deep troughs. 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 the United Arab Emirates compared to the global benchmark.
United Arab Emirates CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) averaged roughly $15.8 over the period (Jul‑2025 to Jul‑2026), starting at $15.31 in July 2025 and finishing at $11.26 in July 2026 — a net decline of about 26% from start to finish. The monthly high landed at $23.52 in November 2025; the low fell to $8.92 in May 2026. Month‑to‑month moves were substantial: the single largest rise was from August to September 2025 (+$11.34), and the steepest drops occurred from November to December 2025 (−$8.45) and February to March 2026 (−$11.62). Average absolute monthly movement was about $4.47, signaling a pattern of pronounced swings rather than steady drift.
By contrast, the global (baseline) CPM averaged about $20.6 over the same months, with a narrower average monthly change (~$1.92). That makes UAE CPM volatility roughly 2.3× the global average in absolute terms.
A clear seasonal rhythm emerges for the UAE data: a concentrated high‑pressure window in late Q3 and Q4 2025 (September–November) where CPMs lifted into the low‑to‑mid $20s, followed by a December softening and a rebound into January–February 2026. After that rebound the market dropped sharply in March–May 2026, producing the deepest trough in May. June and July 2026 show a modest recovery but remain below the prior year’s mid‑summer level. Typically the most intense local competition and highest CPMs were clustered around autumn and the turn of the year, while spring months registered unusually low price points.
Across the period the United Arab Emirates trailed the global benchmark: the UAE average ($15.8) was about $4.8 lower than the global average ($20.6), or roughly 23% below global CPMs. Month‑by‑month the gap swung widely — there were months when UAE was above market (September 2025: ~+20% vs global; January 2026: ~+17%) but more often the UAE was well below global levels. The narrowest gap occurred in November 2025 (UAE ≈3% below global). The widest gap appeared in May 2026, where UAE CPMs were roughly 61% below the global benchmark. Overall, UAE pricing showed more volatility and deeper seasonal troughs than the baseline trend.
Understanding CPM analysis and country-specific ad costs in the United Arab Emirates — and how they diverge from global Facebook Ads benchmarks — provides a data-grounded view of industry ad performance for All industries in the United Arab Emirates.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Mille (CPM) is the cost advertisers pay for 1,000 impressions of their Facebook ad. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting United Arab Emirates, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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All data is sourced from over $3B in Facebook ad spend, collected across thousands of ad accounts that use Superads daily to analyze and improve their campaigns. Every data point is fully anonymized and aggregated—no individual advertiser is ever exposed.
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Ramadan + Eid (Mar–Apr), End of November–December (UAE National Day, Christmas, New Year), Dubai Shopping Festival (mid-Dec through Jan)
CPMs may rise sharply during Ramadan and Eid, especially in e‑commerce, gifting, F&B, and beauty sectors. UAE National Day campaigns could lead to high local bidding activity in travel, banking, and luxury retail. Dubai Shopping Festival drives elevated CPMs from mid-December to mid-January. Islamic holidays shift each year, affecting year-over-year comparisons.
CPMs are heavily influenced by competition, seasonality (e.g., Q4 costs more), audience size, and ad quality. Smaller audiences and lower relevance scores often lead to higher CPMs.
Different campaign objectives, bidding strategies, and even time of day can change your CPM. For example, conversion campaigns usually have higher CPMs than traffic ones. Also, broad targeting tends to drive lower CPMs.
In most industries, CPMs range from $5 to $18 depending on the region and objective. Retail and e-comm campaigns often sit at the higher end. Our live data above shows a breakdown by country and industry.
Both matter, but audience quality (intent + match with your offer) usually has more impact than pure size. However, extremely tight audiences often lead to expensive CPMs due to limited delivery opportunities.
Depends on your goal. For awareness, CPM is more relevant. For performance campaigns, CPC and CPA matter more. But all are connected—inefficient CPMs can inflate your entire funnel.
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Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
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Cost per lead across different markets
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