Compare CPM benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type.
October 2025 - September 2026
Benchmark observations based on the selected data
The headline: CPMs in the United Arab Emirates ran consistently below the global benchmark across this 13‑month window, but the local rhythm was choppier — punctuated by sharp lifts and deep troughs. 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 the United Arab Emirates compared to the global benchmark.
United Arab Emirates CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) averaged roughly $15.8 over the period (Jul‑2025 to Jul‑2026), starting at $15.31 in July 2025 and finishing at $11.26 in July 2026 — a net decline of about 26% from start to finish. The monthly high landed at $23.52 in November 2025; the low fell to $8.92 in May 2026. Month‑to‑month moves were substantial: the single largest rise was from August to September 2025 (+$11.34), and the steepest drops occurred from November to December 2025 (−$8.45) and February to March 2026 (−$11.62). Average absolute monthly movement was about $4.47, signaling a pattern of pronounced swings rather than steady drift.
By contrast, the global (baseline) CPM averaged about $20.6 over the same months, with a narrower average monthly change (~$1.92). That makes UAE CPM volatility roughly 2.3× the global average in absolute terms.
A clear seasonal rhythm emerges for the UAE data: a concentrated high‑pressure window in late Q3 and Q4 2025 (September–November) where CPMs lifted into the low‑to‑mid $20s, followed by a December softening and a rebound into January–February 2026. After that rebound the market dropped sharply in March–May 2026, producing the deepest trough in May. June and July 2026 show a modest recovery but remain below the prior year’s mid‑summer level. Typically the most intense local competition and highest CPMs were clustered around autumn and the turn of the year, while spring months registered unusually low price points.
Across the period the United Arab Emirates trailed the global benchmark: the UAE average ($15.8) was about $4.8 lower than the global average ($20.6), or roughly 23% below global CPMs. Month‑by‑month the gap swung widely — there were months when UAE was above market (September 2025: ~+20% vs global; January 2026: ~+17%) but more often the UAE was well below global levels. The narrowest gap occurred in November 2025 (UAE ≈3% below global). The widest gap appeared in May 2026, where UAE CPMs were roughly 61% below the global benchmark. Overall, UAE pricing showed more volatility and deeper seasonal troughs than the baseline trend.
Understanding CPM analysis and country-specific ad costs in the United Arab Emirates — and how they diverge from global Facebook Ads benchmarks — provides a data-grounded view of industry ad performance for All industries in the United Arab Emirates.
Facebook advertising cost benchmarks
Cost Per Mille (CPM) is the cost advertisers pay for 1,000 impressions of their Facebook ad. Ad costs vary across industries because of competition, audience demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting United Arab Emirates, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. Campaign objectives affect costs because Facebook optimizes delivery for different goals. The data shows median values across multiple campaigns. Results can vary with ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
A small share of campaigns has extremely high CPM values. Those outliers can inflate an average. The median is the midpoint across campaigns, so it better represents a typical result.
The data shows industry median benchmarks. Costs can vary with targeting, creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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The dataset includes over $3B in Facebook ad spend from thousands of ad accounts that use Superads to analyze and improve campaigns. Every data point is anonymized and aggregated. It does not expose an individual advertiser.
The dataset updates as new ad data is available.
Ramadan + Eid (Mar–Apr), End of November–December (UAE National Day, Christmas, New Year), Dubai Shopping Festival (mid-Dec through Jan)
CPMs may rise during Ramadan and Eid, especially in e-commerce, gifting, F&B, and beauty. UAE National Day campaigns may increase local bidding in travel, banking, and luxury retail. Dubai Shopping Festival raises CPMs from mid-December to mid-January. Islamic holidays shift each year, affecting year-over-year comparisons.
Competition, seasonality, audience size, and ad quality affect CPM. Q4 can cost more. Smaller audiences and lower relevance scores often lead to higher CPMs.
Campaign objectives, bidding strategies, and time of day can change CPM. Conversion campaigns usually have higher CPMs than traffic campaigns, while broad targeting tends to 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.
Audience size and targeting both matter. Audience quality, including intent and fit with your offer, usually has more impact than size. Extremely tight audiences can raise CPM because delivery opportunities are limited.
Use CPM for awareness campaigns and CPC or CPA for performance campaigns. A high CPM can increase costs across the funnel.
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