Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install Benchmarks for Public Administration

Introduction

Cost per app install moved through a clear two-act story: a soft open, a sharp midyear spike, and a late-year cool-down with a January rebound. The year began at $7.10 per install in January 2025, surged to a June peak near $23.76, then reset to the mid-teens through fall before dipping in December and lifting back to $15.39 in January 2026. Across the period, the average settled at roughly $13.60, with sizable month-to-month swings and June standing out as the cost high-water mark.

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 Public Administration in all countries compared to the global benchmark. The sector-level series for this cut is not separately available here, so the global benchmark serves as the directional proxy for app install costs across Public Administration.

Section 1: The story in the data

The period opened at $7.10 (January 2025) and closed at $15.39 (January 2026), a gain of roughly 117% from start to end. The median costs averaged about $13.60, ranging from a low of $7.10 in January to a high of $23.76 in June — a $16.66 spread that defined the year’s risk envelope.

Volatility was pronounced. Average absolute monthly movement came in around $4.50, roughly one-third of the mean cost. The steepest jump occurred from May to June (+$11.43), followed immediately by the sharpest drop from June to July (−$12.99), underscoring how quickly pricing pressure built and then released midyear. After July’s retrenchment to $10.77, costs climbed back to $15.61 in August and hovered in the mid‑to‑high teens through October ($16.39). November eased to $14.57, December dipped further to $10.43, and January 2026 rebounded to $15.39. Six of the thirteen months sat above the annual mean, concentrated between late Q3 and early Q4 plus the January 2026 rebound.

Section 2: Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The rhythm followed a familiar arc: a soft Q1, an assertive Q2 crescendo, steadier late Q3–Q4 levels, and a year-end dip. Q1 2025 averaged about $9.22, with February briefly lifting costs before March pulled back. Q2 averaged roughly $16.53, powered by the June spike. Q3 landed near $14.18, with July’s reset giving way to a firmer August and September. Q4 averaged approximately $13.80, peaking in October and easing into the holidays, as December marked one of the period’s softest months. The new year re-established mid‑teens costs, suggesting that the late‑year softness was temporary rather than a structural reset.

Section 3: Country vs. Global

Because the country selection aggregates all countries and the Public Administration time series is not broken out separately in this file, the sector view maps to the global benchmark for this period. As a result, the relative gap between Public Administration and global cannot be quantified here. What is visible is the market-level pattern: a steady rise overall (+117% from January to January), a midyear inflection with outsized moves, and narrower, sub‑$1 changes at the turn from Q3 to Q4, before holiday softening and a January lift.

Closing

Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per app install in the Public Administration industry across all countries highlights a year defined by a midyear surge, late‑year softness, and a January rebound. This CPI view complements broader CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance work by grounding country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance in clear, data-led context.