Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install Benchmarks in India

Introduction

India’s cost per app install ran dramatically below the global Facebook Ads benchmarks for most of the past ten months, punctuated by two sharp cost shocks in January and—more intensely—June. The period opened at $0.19 in November 2024 and closed at $0.20 in August 2025, essentially flat end-to-end, yet the path in between swung from sub-$0.50 months to a June peak of $43.21. By contrast, the global benchmark moved within a tighter band and trended modestly higher into late summer.

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 India compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

For India (all industries), median monthly CPI over the window was $0.40, with an average of $6.16—an average heavily lifted by June’s spike. The low was December 2024 at $0.13; the high was June 2025 at $43.21. The narrative runs as follows: ultralow CPIs in late 2024 ($0.19 in November, $0.13 in December) gave way to a January jump to $9.05, eased to $4.75 in February, then dropped back below $0.50 in March and stayed near that zone through May ($0.49 in March, $0.21 in April, $0.30 in May). A dramatic surge arrived in June ($43.21), quickly unwinding to $3.03 in July and returning to $0.20 in August.

Volatility in India averaged $11.54 in absolute month-to-month change, magnified by the June shock; excluding the May–June and June–July pivots, average monthly movement was a quieter $2.97. The global series over the same months averaged $14.62 with a median of $12.74, ranging from a low of $7.22 (January) to a high of $27.90 (June), and an average monthly move of $7.45.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Seasonality diverged from typical Q4 pressure: India’s Q4 2024 was the cheapest stretch of the year, while Q1 2025 produced a brief price swell (January) before costs receded through March–May. The most intense activity arrived in late Q2, with June standing out as an outlier both locally and against global patterns. Q3 saw normalization—July eased, and August effectively reset to the ultralow levels where the period began.

Globally, costs were steadier: a gentle climb from January through April, a June high point, and firm pricing through August. In short, India’s CPI story is one of long stretches of very low country-specific ad costs interrupted by two pronounced spikes.

Country vs. Global

Relative to the global benchmark, India mostly priced far below market: November and December 2024 were ~99% lower than global levels, and April–May 2025 sat 98–99% below. Two exceptions flipped the script: January ran about 25% above the global CPI ($9.05 vs. $7.22), and June peaked roughly 55% above ($43.21 vs. $27.90). From start to finish, India was nearly flat (+6%), while the global benchmark rose about 13% across the same window—steadier globally, choppier in India.

At its widest gap, India trailed global CPI by roughly 99%; at its narrowest, India was above market. The median experience underscores this asymmetry: $0.40 in India versus $12.74 globally.

Closing

In sum, Facebook Ads cost-per-app-install benchmarks for all industries in India show ultra-low typical CPIs with rare but outsized spikes, contrasting with steadier global pricing. Understanding these CPI trends within country-specific ad costs helps frame industry ad performance in India against the broader global benchmark.