Ad Blocker Usage and Demographic Statistics
Written by Backlinko Team
The first ad blocking extension was introduced to the market in 2002. The number of devices using ad blockers hit a milestone of 20 million in 2009.
Today, 31.5% of internet users worldwide report using an ad blocker. And the technology has expanded beyond the desktop. Ad-blocking software for mobile devices and tablets is now widely available.
Read on to discover all of the most important statistics about ad blocker usage. Here’s a breakdown of what we’ll cover:
- Ad Blocking Stats (Top Picks)
- Ad Blocker Usage Worldwide
- Ad Blocking by Country
- Worldwide Ad Blocker Usage Demographics
- Reasons for Using Ad Blockers
- Ad Blocker User Penetration in the US
- Ad Blocker Usage by Device in the US
- Ad Blocker Usage Demographics in the US
- Reasons for Using Ad Blockers in the US
- Ad Blocker User Penetration in the UK
- Ad Blocker Usage by Device in the UK
- Ad Blocker Usage Demographics in the UK
- Reasons for Using Ad Blockers in the UK
Ad Blocking Stats (Top Picks)
- An estimated 912 million internet users use ad blocking across desktop and mobile.
- 31.5% of internet users worldwide (16-64 years old) use ad blocking tools at least sometimes.
- 32.2% of American internet users block ads.
- In 2024, ad blocking solutions were forecasted to cost publishers $54 billion in lost advertising revenue, which equals around 8% of total digital ad spend.
Ad Blocker Usage Worldwide
Globally, 31.5% of internet users use ad blockers at least sometimes when online as of Q1 2024, GWI data shows.
According to another source (Blockthrough), there were an estimated 912 million ad-blocking users worldwide in Q2 2023 (416 million on desktop and 496 million on mobile).
Here’s a table with the number of active ad blocking users over time since Q1 2012:
| Date | Ad Blocking Users Worldwide |
|---|---|
| Q1 2012 | 44 million |
| Q1 2014 | 240 million |
| Q1 2016 | 558 million |
| Q1 2018 | 691 million |
| Q1 2020 | 764 million |
| Q4 2021 | 820 million |
| Q2 2022 | 716 million |
| Q4 2022 | 850 million |
| Q2 2023 | 912 million |
Source: DataReportal, Blockthrough
Ad Blocking by Country
GWI found that ad blockers are generally used by at least 30% of the global population. 28 out of 53 analyzed countries showed ad blocker penetration of 30% or higher.
Among the countries studied, only 2 (Japan, Ghana) had ad blocker penetration of less than 20%.
Here’s a list of all 53 countries that GWI analyzed, ranked by the percentage of ad blocker usage among internet users aged 16-64:
| Country | Usage rate |
|---|---|
| Indonesia | 40.0% |
| Vietnam | 39.1% |
| China | 37.6% |
| Hungary | 37.3% |
| Greece | 36.2% |
| Portugal | 35.4% |
| South Africa | 35.2% |
| Croatia | 35.0% |
| Poland | 34.3% |
| Israel | 33.8% |
| Taiwan | 33.8% |
| Norway | 33.4% |
| Russia | 33.2% |
| Malaysia | 33.0% |
| Spain | 32.5% |
| Sweden | 32.5% |
| Austria | 32.2% |
| USA | 32.2% |
| Canada | 32.0% |
| Germany | 32.0% |
| Brazil | 31.9% |
| Kenya | 31.6% |
| Egypt | 31.3% |
| France | 31.0% |
| Switzerland | 30.9% |
| Singapore | 30.7% |
| New Zealand | 30.4% |
| Bulgaria | 30.1% |
| Netherlands | 29.9% |
| Czechia | 29.8% |
| Australia | 29.7% |
| Hong Kong | 29.7% |
| Romania | 29.5% |
| Turkey | 28.6% |
| UK | 28.6% |
| Belgium | 28.5% |
| UAE | 28.0% |
| India | 27.6% |
| Morocco | 27.6% |
| Ireland | 27.0% |
| Italy | 26.8% |
| Saudi Arabia | 26.8% |
| Denmark | 25.9% |
| Argentina | 25.4% |
| Philippines | 25.3% |
| Chile | 24.8% |
| Nigeria | 24.6% |
| Thailand | 23.7% |
| Colombia | 22.8% |
| Mexico | 22.5% |
| South Korea | 21.3% |
| Japan | 15.8% |
| Ghana | 10.6% |
Source: DataReportal
Worldwide Ad Blocker Usage Demographics
The use of ad blockers is more prevalent among men than women. Men are the bigger users of ad blockers across every age group. Ad blockers are most popular among men aged 25-34, 36.2% of whom use ad blocking software (compared to 31.6% of women).
For both male and female users, ad blockers are more popular among those 44 and under.
Here’s a table showing the use of ad blocking by age and gender:
| Age group | Percentage of Internet Users Who Use Ad Blockers (Female, Male) |
|---|---|
| 16-24 | 28.2%, 35.0% |
| 25-34 | 31.6%, 36.2% |
| 35-44 | 31.1%, 33.5% |
| 45-54 | 25.5%, 32.6% |
| 55-64 | 23.7%, 31.7% |
Source: DataReportal
Reasons for Using Ad Blockers
Globally, the most commonly reported reasons for using ad blockers include excessive amounts of ads (63.2%), obstructive ads (53.4%), and privacy concerns (40.3%).
Here’s a list of the primary reasons given for using ad blocking tools:
| Reason | Share |
|---|---|
| “There are too many ads” | 63.2% |
| “Ads get in the way” | 53.4% |
| “To protect my privacy” | 40.3% |
| “Ads are irrelevant to me” | 39.4% |
| “To stop inappropriate content being shown” | 36.5% |
| “To improve device performance” | 30.6 |
| “To stop collecting data about me” | 25.2% |
Source: DataReportal
Ad Blocker User Penetration in the US
As of Q1 2024, GWI estimates that 32.2% of Americans use ad blockers. But there are other estimates too.
For example, Blockthrough estimates desktop ad blocker penetration in the US at 27% on desktops and 22% on other devices (mobile, tablet, CTV).
According to Tinuiti data, 31% of US adult consumers claim to use ad blockers to ensure their privacy (as of March 2023).
Sources: DataReportal, Blockthrough, eMarketer
Ad Blocker Usage by Device in the US
Ad blockers in the US are predominantly used on computers. An AudienceProject survey found that 37% of respondents blocked ads while using a desktop computer.
By comparison, only 15% of respondents said that they used blockers on mobile devices.
Tablets have the lowest rate of ad blocker usage in the US. 10% of internet users in the US say that they block ads while browsing on a tablet.
Here’s a table showing ad blocker usage in the US by device type (as of 2020):
| Device | Usage rate |
|---|---|
| Computer | 37% |
| Mobile | 15% |
| Tablet | 10% |
Similarly, Blockthrough data shows that Americans are more likely to use ad blockers on desktops than other devices like mobile, tablet, CTV (27% vs. 22%).
Source: AudienceProject, Blockthrough
Ad Blocker Usage Demographics in the US
According to Tinuiti survey data (responses collected between February 2023 and April 2023), baby boomers are more likely to use an ad blocker than Gen Z consumers (32% vs. 27%).
Based on data from AudienceProject, ad blockers in the US are predominantly used by men. 49% of male respondents in the US reported the use of ad blockers. Interestingly, the disparity between male and female users is far more pronounced in the US than it is globally. Just 33% of US women use ad blockers.
By age group, ad blockers in the US are most popular with internet users aged 15-25. Meanwhile, the lowest usage of ad blockers is seen among the 36-45 age group, with 38% of respondents in this demographic using blocking software.
Here’s a table showing the US ad blocker penetration rate by age group (as of 2020):
| Age group | Usage rate |
|---|---|
| 15-25 | 45% |
| 26-35 | 42% |
| 36-45 | 38% |
| 46-55 | 42% |
| 56+ | 39% |
Another data source (eMarketer) provides a significantly different outlook. According to the eMarketer figures, US men and women use ad blockers equally, with 27.2% of each group using blocking software.
Usage in the 18-24 age group is the most common, with 41% of US internet users utilizing ad blockers. Usage of ad blockers in the US is least common for people older than 65: 15.6% of those in the oldest age bracket use ad blocking tools.
Here’s a complete breakdown of ad blocking usage by age group in the US (per eMarketer’s 2021 data):
| Age group | Usage rate |
|---|---|
| 0-11 | 5.3% |
| 12-17 | 35% |
| 18-24 | 41% |
| 25-34 | 36.8% |
| 35-44 | 29.9% |
| 45-54 | 29.8% |
| 55-64 | 24.8% |
| 65+ | 15.6% |
Sources: Marketing Dive, AudienceProject, eMarketer
Reasons for Using Ad Blockers in the US
Among Americans, the most popular reason for using ad blockers is that “websites are more manageable without banners”. 71% of AudienceProject respondents agreed with this statement.
Other commonly reported reasons for using ad blockers include privacy concerns and avoidance of irrelevant ad messages.
Here’s a list of common reasons why Americans use ad blockers (as of 2020):
| Reason | Share rate |
|---|---|
| “Websites are more manageable without banners” | 71% |
| “I want to avoid offensive or irrelevant images/messages” | 46% |
| “I don’t want my behavior to be tracked” | 44% |
| “Websites load faster without ads” | 41% |
| “I want to limit my data usage” | 19% |
Source: AudienceProject
Ad Blocker User Penetration in the UK
36% of internet users in the UK use ad blockers. The share of UK users utilizing ad blockers has been on a steady decline since 2016 when almost half (47%) of those surveyed admitted to blocking ads.
Here’s a table showing the ad blocker usage rate in the UK since 2016:
| Year | Ad Blocker Usage Rate |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 47% |
| 2018 | 41% |
| 2020 | 36% |
Source: AudienceProject
Ad Blocker Usage by Device in the UK
29% of British residents report using ad blockers on computers.
Mobile usage of ad blocking software among UK internet users stands at 12%, while 9% of users report blocking ads on tablets.
Here’s a complete overview of ad blocker usage by device type in the UK (as of 2020):
| Device | Usage rate |
|---|---|
| Computer | 29% |
| Mobile | 12% |
| Tablet | 9% |
Source: AudienceProject
Ad Blocker Usage Demographics in the UK
42% of male internet users in the UK report using ad blockers, compared to 29% of female users.
By age group, usage of ad blockers is most common among younger people in the UK. A 41% share of survey respondents aged 15-25 stated that they use ad blocking tools.
Here’s a table with the usage rate of ad blockers by age group in the UK (as of 2020):
| Age group | Usage rate |
|---|---|
| 15-25 | 41% |
| 26-35 | 40% |
| 36-45 | 34% |
| 46-55 | 33% |
| 56+ | 33% |
Source: AudienceProject
Reasons for Using Ad Blockers in the UK
As in the US, viewing websites without banners is the primary reason for using ad blockers in the UK. Avoiding irrelevant or offensive images and/or messages is the second most popular reason provided.
Here’s a table with the most commonly reported reasons for the use of ad blockers in the UK (as of 2020):
| Reason | Share rate |
|---|---|
| “Websites are more manageable without banners” | 70% |
| “I want to avoid offensive or irrelevant images/messages” | 50% |
| “I don’t want my behavior to be tracked” | 39% |
| “Websites load faster without ads” | 35% |
| “I want to limit my data usage” | 14% |
Source: AudienceProject
Conclusion
That’s it for my ad blockers roundup.
Ad blockers are still used by a minority of internet users overall. But usage has definitely become a more mainstream practice, presenting a major challenge for advertisers.
A growing number of websites restrict access to users who have installed blocking software. But detection rates remain pretty low. It will be interesting to see how the ads industry evolves.