Understand how your CPM compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The story in the data is clear: Design CPMs sat well above the market most of the year, moved in sharp waves, and then broke pattern with an abrupt December drop. Across all countries, median CPM for the Design industry averaged about $35.23 during the period, vs. a $20.04 global benchmark across all industries — roughly 76% higher. Peaks clustered in March, June, and again in late summer/early fall, with softer pockets in July and October before a strong November and an atypical plunge to $7.71 in December.
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 Design across all countries compared to the global benchmark.
Design CPMs opened at $31.52 in December 2024 and climbed into early 2025, hitting $36.75 in January and $35.17 in February before surging to $42.10 in March. After a dip to $33.38 in April and a steadier May ($34.60), the metric spiked to its annual high in June at $46.38. A July cooldown followed ($29.07), then a late-summer rally: $43.18 in August and $43.61 in September. October eased to $31.58, November rebounded to $42.93, and December fell sharply to $7.71 — the period low.
Volatility was pronounced. The average absolute month-to-month move was 10.5 CPM points; excluding December’s break, it was still 8.2 points. By contrast, the global benchmark moved by just 1.3 points on average.
Seasonality showed a mid-year premium rather than a classic Q4 crescendo. The Design category was elevated early (March strength), heated up through Q2 into a June high, softened in July, and rallied across late summer into September. Q4 looked mixed: October eased, November rebounded, and December diverged from typical holiday inflation with a steep drop. The rhythm suggests pronounced tactical shifts across the mid-year and a choppier profile than broader market dynamics.
Against the global benchmark, Design CPMs sat above market nearly every month:
Trend-wise, the global benchmark rose steadily from January to November (+41%), reflecting the usual Q4 climb. Design’s path was choppier: up +17% from January to November, with larger amplitude and far greater month-to-month movement (about 8–10 points vs. the market’s 1–2 points).
This CPM analysis of Facebook Ads benchmarks shows that Design industry ad costs across all countries were consistently above global averages, with mid-year highs and atypical year-end volatility. Understanding Facebook Ads CPM benchmarks for the Design industry across all countries helps teams evaluate industry ad performance, compare country-specific ad costs to the global pattern, and place CPM trends alongside broader metrics like CTR performance and CPC trends.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Mille (CPM) is the cost advertisers pay for 1,000 impressions of their Facebook ad. In the Design 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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All data is sourced from over $3B in Facebook ad spend, collected across thousands of ad accounts that use Superads daily to analyze and improve their campaigns. Every data point is fully anonymized and aggregated—no individual advertiser is ever exposed.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
CPMs are heavily influenced by competition, seasonality (e.g., Q4 costs more), audience size, and ad quality. Smaller audiences and lower relevance scores often lead to higher CPMs.
Different campaign objectives, bidding strategies, and even time of day can change your CPM. For example, conversion campaigns usually have higher CPMs than traffic ones. Also, broad targeting tends to drive lower CPMs.
In most industries, CPMs range from $5 to $18 depending on the region and objective. Retail and e-comm campaigns often sit at the higher end. Our live data above shows a breakdown by country and industry.
Both matter, but audience quality (intent + match with your offer) usually has more impact than pure size. However, extremely tight audiences often lead to expensive CPMs due to limited delivery opportunities.
Depends on your goal. For awareness, CPM is more relevant. For performance campaigns, CPC and CPA matter more. But all are connected—inefficient CPMs can inflate your entire funnel.
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
Average cost per purchase benchmarks across industries
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