Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks in Germany

Introduction

Germany’s Cost Per Lead sits well above the global Facebook Ads benchmarks and moves with noticeably sharper swings. Across all industries, CPL in Germany averaged about 85.9 over the last 13 months versus a global average near 41. While the global line climbed modestly through most of 2025, Germany’s path was choppier: an early-year surge, a mid-summer trough, a pronounced November spike, and a reset into January 2026. 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 Germany compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

Germany started 2025 at 73.2 in January, then vaulted to 133.9 in February (+83% month over month), its annual high. From there, CPL cooled to 102.8 in March and settled into the 78–93 range through early summer. August marked the low at 44.0, less than one-third below February’s peak and the tightest month versus the global benchmark. A rebound followed: 90.3 in September, 83.7 in October, and a second surge to 127.4 in November before easing to 67.1 in December and 57.8 in January 2026. From January 2025 to January 2026, CPL fell 21%.

For the 13-month period, Germany’s CPL averaged 85.9, with a range from 44.0 (August) to 133.9 (February). The market’s month-to-month volatility averaged roughly 28.8 points, far above the global benchmark’s 3.5-point average shift. Put simply, Germany’s lead-gen costs were higher and moved in larger steps than the market overall.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The rhythm in Germany shows a pronounced Q1 spike peaking in February, followed by a gradual spring normalization. Summer softened steadily, culminating in the August low, then lead costs rebounded into early fall. Q4 brought a familiar compression in the auction: November produced the second-highest CPL of the year before easing in December. The new year began with a further cooldown in January 2026, landing near the lower end of the annual range.

This pattern aligns with common seasonal forces—early-year recalibration, mid-year softness, and Q4 intensity—though Germany’s amplitude was larger. The August dip and the November surge bookend the widest swings of the cycle.

Country vs. Global

Compared to the global benchmark, Germany ran consistently above market: 85.9 vs. 41.0 on average, or about 110% higher. The gap was narrowest in August when Germany’s CPL (44.0) was only about 1% above the global 43.4. It was widest in February, when Germany’s CPL (133.9) outpaced the global 40.1 by roughly 234%. Range also differed markedly: Germany’s spread was nearly 90 points versus the global range of about 15.

Trendlines diverged through 2025: the global benchmark rose from 35.0 in January to 42.2 in December (+21%), while Germany slipped from 73.2 to 67.1 (−8%), before stepping down again to 57.8 in January 2026. Germany’s CPL remained above market in every month, but with more pronounced surges and retreats.

Closing

Understanding Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead benchmarks for all industries in Germany provides a clear view of country-specific ad costs, CPL trends, and how industry ad performance compares to global patterns. This data-rich snapshot highlights a market that consistently prices above the global average, with sharper seasonal swings and standout peaks in February and November.