Understand how your CPM compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The United Arab Emirates showed a choppy but ultimately higher-cost CPM year, moving largely in step with global Facebook Ads benchmarks but with sharper swings. Median CPM started 2025 at 20.48, sank through a spring trough, then vaulted to a late Q3 peak before cooling in December and rebounding hard in January 2026. Across the 13-month window, UAE CPM averaged 19.20, slightly below the 19.81 global median, yet the market finished well above where it began, while the global benchmark ended lower.
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.
The pattern was U-shaped in the middle of the year. Q1 2025 held steady-to-firm (19.81 average), Q2 marked the softest stretch (13.97 average) with the June low, and Q3 rebuilt momentum (19.25 average) culminating in September’s peak. Q4 stayed elevated, typical of rising demand late in the year, but December pulled back sharply before a January bounce. This rhythm broadly echoes global CPM analysis—firmer late in the year with Q1/Q2 softness—yet the United Arab Emirates moved with more amplitude, especially around the September spike and December correction.
Relative to the global benchmark, the United Arab Emirates averaged about 3% lower CPM overall (19.20 vs. 19.81), but the profile was more volatile (4.13 vs. 1.63 points average monthly change). The market ran above global levels in five months—January and March 2025, September and October 2025, and January 2026—near parity in February, and below in the remaining months.
While the global trajectory rose into November (+25.22) and then slid to a January low (15.74), the United Arab Emirates traced a choppier arc, bottoming in June before lifting to a higher late-year plateau and ending substantially above start-of-year levels.
This CPM analysis of Facebook Ads benchmarks for all industries in the United Arab Emirates highlights a market that ran near global medians on average but with stronger peaks and deeper troughs. Understanding country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance helps contextualize CPM trends in the United Arab Emirates against global patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Mille (CPM) is the cost advertisers pay for 1,000 impressions of their Facebook ad. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting United Arab Emirates, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. 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.
Ramadan + Eid (Mar–Apr), End of November–December (UAE National Day, Christmas, New Year), Dubai Shopping Festival (mid-Dec through Jan)
CPMs may rise sharply during Ramadan and Eid, especially in e‑commerce, gifting, F&B, and beauty sectors. UAE National Day campaigns could lead to high local bidding activity in travel, banking, and luxury retail. Dubai Shopping Festival drives elevated CPMs from mid-December to mid-January. Islamic holidays shift each year, affecting year-over-year comparisons.
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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