Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install Benchmarks in South Africa

Introduction

South Africa’s cost-per-app-install (CPI) opened 2025 at notably low levels, spiked hard in February, and then reset to its quarter-to-date floor in March. Across the same window, the global benchmark climbed in February and settled higher than January by March, creating a clear divergence: local costs were far lower but moved more sharply month to month. 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

For all industries in South Africa, median CPI averaged 3.79 across January–March 2025, ranging from a low of 1.26 in March to a high of 7.57 in February. The period began at 2.55 in January, climbed nearly threefold to 7.57 in February (+197% month over month), then fell to 1.26 in March (−83%). That left Q1 ending 51% below where it started, with a wide range of 6.31 over the three months. The average absolute monthly swing was roughly 5.7, signaling choppy conditions despite the low overall level.

Globally, median CPI averaged 9.22 over the same months (January 7.10, February 11.63, March 8.92). The world trend rose into February and eased in March, but still finished the quarter about 26% higher than January. The average monthly swing globally was about 3.6, indicating steadier movement than South Africa even as global costs remained much higher in absolute terms.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Within South Africa’s Q1 view, February stands out as the cost spike, bracketed by softer January and a March trough. In the broader global context across 2025, CPI followed a more defined seasonal arc: a low in January (7.10), a build into Q2 with a pronounced high in June (23.76), and then moderation through Q3–Q4, easing to 10.43 by December. That global rhythm suggests that Q1 is typically lighter, Q2 carries the year’s highest costs, and late-year CPIs cool after mid-year peaks—useful backdrop when reading South Africa’s sharp February jump and March reset.

South Africa vs. Global

South Africa’s CPI sat well below Facebook Ads benchmarks globally throughout Q1:

• January: 2.55 vs. 7.10 globally (about 64% lower)
• February: 7.57 vs. 11.63 (about 35% lower)
• March: 1.26 vs. 8.92 (about 86% lower)

On average, South Africa trailed the global CPI by roughly 59% across the quarter, with the narrowest gap in February and the widest gap in March. In terms of stability, South Africa’s month-to-month swings were about 1.6x larger than the global swings during the same period. Directionally, the global series rose net +26% from January to March, while South Africa declined −51%, underscoring a more whipsaw local pattern at materially lower cost levels.

Closing

Overall, Facebook Ads cost-per-app-install benchmarks for all industries in South Africa show very low CPIs relative to the global average, punctuated by a February spike and a March low. Against broader CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance conversations, these CPI dynamics illustrate country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance that are well below global pricing while moving more abruptly month to month. Understanding CPI benchmarks for all industries in South Africa helps advertisers evaluate app install efficiency and compare performance to global patterns.