Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Globally, Nonprofit advertisers ran on meaningfully lower cost-per-clicks than the broader market, but with more pronounced month‑to‑month movement. Across all countries, CPC for the Nonprofit sector climbed steadily through 2025, crested in November, and cooled into December—mirroring the global Q4 lift but with sharper swings. The year opened at very low costs, built through spring and late summer, then surged into peak season.
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 Nonprofit in all countries compared to the global benchmark.
Nonprofit CPC started at $0.32 in December 2024, dipped to a 2025 low of $0.28 in January, then climbed to a $0.57 high in November before settling at $0.40 in December. For 2025 overall, Nonprofit CPC averaged $0.38, with a range of $0.28–$0.57. From January to December, costs rose 41%, and December 2025 finished about 25% above December 2024.
Momentum came in waves. After a flat February, CPC lifted into March–May (peaking at $0.40 in May), eased in June, and resumed its climb through late summer. September ($0.45) and October ($0.43) set up a sharp November spike to $0.57—the largest monthly jump of the year (+$0.14, roughly +32% vs. October)—followed by the steepest pullback in December (−$0.17, roughly −30% vs. November).
On volatility, Nonprofit CPC shifted by an average of $0.06 month to month—about 15% of its 2025 average—producing a choppier relative pattern despite low absolute costs.
Seasonally, the Nonprofit curve followed a familiar rhythm: softer in Q1, progressively firmer through Q2 and Q3, and strongest in Q4. Quarterly averages illustrate the build: Q1 at $0.30, Q2 at $0.37, Q3 at $0.40, and Q4 at $0.47. The march upward was gradual for most of the year, with late‑Q3/early‑Q4 positioning (September–October) leading into the November peak. The December correction was notable but left year‑end levels comfortably above the first half.
This aligns with broader Facebook Ads benchmarks, where competition and intent typically intensify in Q4, even as day‑to‑day CPC trends can be noisy. While CPM analysis and CTR performance often move alongside CPC, the pattern here is clear on costs alone: a low base, a steady lift, a pronounced November crest, and a meaningful but not retracing December reset.
Compared to the global all‑industry benchmark, Nonprofit CPCs were consistently below market—averaging $0.38 versus $1.12 worldwide in 2025 (about 66% lower, or roughly one‑third of the all‑industry level). Month by month, the gap ranged from 75% below in January–February to 57% below at its narrowest in November, with a tighter spread also visible in September–October (58–61% below).
Trajectories diverged. The global benchmark was relatively steady, sliding modestly from Q1 to Q3 (Q1: $1.13; Q3: $1.08) and lifting in Q4 (Q4: $1.15), peaking at $1.30 in November before easing to $1.05 in December. The Nonprofit series climbed more decisively: +100% from January to the November high, then −30% into December. In relative terms, Nonprofit CPC exhibited more volatility (about 15% of its mean) than the broader market (roughly 6%), despite lower absolute dollar swings.
In short, Facebook Ads benchmarks show that Nonprofit CPC trends across all countries in 2025 were low in absolute terms, steadily rising through the year with a pronounced November peak and a sharper‑than‑market December pullback. Understanding cost‑per‑click benchmarks for the Nonprofit industry worldwide helps frame country‑specific ad costs and compare industry ad performance against global patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. In the Nonprofit industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad, on any Facebook Ads placement. It's calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of clicks received. Facebook Ads lists Clicks, Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks separately. The former is the sum of all types of clicks (including, for example, clicks to your profile page, to a link or to a comment).
The truth is that varies, so play with our tool to get some benchmarks that are relevant to you. CPC values are highly dependent on the region, industry and campaign objective. The US is one of the most expensive markets.
Several factors affect CPC: your audience targeting, competition in your industry, ad relevance score, and creative performance. If your ad isn't getting engagement or relevance is low, CPC tends to spike.
CPC spikes usually happen because of increased competition in your target audience, seasonal trends (like holidays), poor ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check if your audience targeting has become too narrow or if your creative is showing fatigue.
Yes, there's a noticeable difference between platforms. Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop. How many times do check Instagram on your phone and how often do you open it in your computer? There's simply much more mobile inventory. Tip: segment your performance data by placement to understand where your clicks are coming from. Spoiler: it's likely all mobile.
For most businesses, optimizing for conversions will deliver much better ROI than focusing purely on CPC. A low CPC is meaningless if those clicks don't convert. However, if you're running awareness campaigns or some kind content promotion, CPC optimization might potentially make sense, although most experts have switched to conversion optimization by now.
Your specific audience targeting, creative quality, bidding strategy, and account history all influence your CPC. Industry averages provide a reference point, but your historical performance is a more reliable benchmark for setting expectations and measuring improvement.
Instagram CPCs are generally slightly higher due to stronger purchase intent and higher competition among advertisers. But it depends on the audience and creative.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
Average cost per click benchmarks across industries
Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
Benchmark click-through rates for Facebook ads
Cost per lead across different markets
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