Facebook Ads CPM Benchmarks in South Africa

Introduction

South Africa showed a much lower but choppier CPM profile versus the global benchmark across the 12 months observed. 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

Cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) in South Africa began the period at 4.46 and finished almost unchanged at 4.46 (June 2025 → May 2026), masking a roller-coaster year in between. The South African median CPM averaged roughly 3.68 over the period, with a low of 0.50 in October 2025 and a high near 8.19 in February 2026. By contrast, the global baseline averaged about 20.66, ranging from ~18.8 to ~24.2 across the same months.

Measured against the global benchmark, South Africa ran materially lower month-to-month — about 82% below the global average on a simple yearly comparison. The gap narrowed to its smallest point in December 2025 / February 2026 when South African CPMs were around 40–42% of global levels (roughly 8.1 vs ~20). At the other extreme, October 2025 shows the widest gap: South African CPMs were roughly 97–98% below the global baseline.

Volatility in South Africa was notable. Average absolute month-to-month change was about 2.29 CPM points; standard deviation was ~2.67 with a coefficient of variation near 73%, signaling large relative swings given the low mean. The global series, by comparison, moved in a narrower band (about 18.8–24.2), showing less proportional volatility.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The rhythm across the year had distinct phases. Early summer months (Jun → Oct) moved downward into a trough: June’s mid-single-digit CPMs fell to the sub-1.0 low in October. A sharp lift arrived in November and carried into December, when CPMs climbed to just over 8 — a holiday-season lift in absolute terms though still below global holiday CPMs. January softened, then February produced another peak (the highest single month at ~8.19). March produced a rapid correction into the low-to-mid single digits, with April sliding to ~1.32 before another rebound in May to ~4.46.

This pattern reads as alternating troughs and rebounds rather than a smooth seasonal curve: a soft autumn, a pronounced year-end lift into December, a winter peak in February, and a spring correction through March–April.

Country vs. Global

Relative phrasing highlights that South Africa’s CPMs ran consistently below market-level benchmarks — on average about 80–85% lower, with monthly variance between roughly 59% below (narrowest) and up to 98% below (widest). Globally, CPMs climbed modestly across the period and stayed within a tighter band; South Africa’s series was more volatile in proportional terms and showed sharper spikes and collapses even though absolute values remained lower.

For professionals tracking Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPM analysis in South Africa presents a clear contrast to global CPM behavior: lower absolute cost but greater relative turbulence across months. The data also underscores how country-specific ad costs can diverge from global patterns, even while broader seasonal forces (Q4 lift, Q1 softness, early-year rebounds) remain visible.

Understanding cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) benchmarks for all industries in South Africa helps advertisers evaluate industry ad performance and compare country-specific ad costs to global Facebook Ads benchmarks and related CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance narratives for All industries in South Africa.