Top 10 European countries that pay the most for online advertising

Valerie Charoux
Sep 10
4 min read

Advertising news – Here are the Top 10 European countries with the highest percentage of enterprises that paid for online advertising in 2024, as well as the preferred methods of online advertising by companies, according to Eurostat.

What is the average percentage of companies in Europe that pay for online advertising in 2024?

In 2024, almost a third of companies in Europe paid for online advertising in 2024, with an average of 32.59%. However, there are 10 countries where companies have a higher than average online ad spending as per the ranking below.

What are the preferred methods of online advertising by European companies in 2024?

Most companies in Europe that pay for online advertising place ads based on:

1 - Contextual advertising

These are ads based on the content of the webpages viewed to maximize the effectiveness of their ads.

2 - Geo-targeting

These are ads based on an internet user's geographic location such as the country, region, city and zip code that provide useful information for targeting suitable advertisements, such as restaurants nearby.

3 - Other methods of targeted advertising

These include static internet ads on subject-specific websites, or online newspapers, magazines or blogs for a specific audience.

4 – The least preferred method of online advertising by companies is Behavioral targeting

These are ads based on information about a user's past browsing activities recorded by cookies.

Here are the Top 10 European countries with the highest percentage of enterprises that pay for online advertising:

1 – Malta

Malta ranks 1^st country in Europe with enterprises that pay for online advertising, with a share of 60.41% of companies that used online advertising in 2024.

The main types of online advertising by companies in Malta are:

1) Contextual advertising, with 75%

2) Geo-targeting, with 60.30%

3) Other methods of targeted advertising, with 57.82%

4) Behavioral targeting, with 48.44%

2 – Finland

Finland ranks 2nd country in Europe with enterprises that pay for online advertising, with a share of 49.76% of companies that used online advertising in 2024.

The main types of online advertising by companies in Finland are:

1) Contextual advertising, with 76.53%

2) Behavioral targeting, with 52.80%

3) Geo-targeting, with 50.37%

4) Other methods of targeted advertising, with 37.24%

3 – Cyprus

Cyprus ranks 3rd country in Europe with enterprises that pay for online advertising, with a share of 49.44% of companies that used online advertising in 2024.

The main types of online advertising by companies in Cyprus are:

1) Geo-targeting, with 88.07%

2) Contextual advertising, with 77.70%

3) Behavioral targeting, with 58.07%

4) Other methods of targeted advertising, with 15.16%

4 – Norway

Norway ranks 4th country in Europe with enterprises that pay for online advertising, with a share of 46.75% of companies that used online advertising in 2024.

The main types of online advertising by companies in Norway are:

1) Contextual advertising, with 80.90%

2) Geo-targeting, with 68.00%

3) Behavioral targeting, with 47.88%

4) Other methods of targeted advertising, with 47.23%

5 – Greece

Greece ranks 5th country in Europe with enterprises that pay for online advertising, with a share of 43.85% of companies that used online advertising in 2024.

The main types of online advertising by companies in Greece are:

1) Contextual advertising, with 80.02%

2) Geo-targeting, with 52.22%

3) Other methods of targeted advertising, with 56.21%

4) Behavioral targeting, with 46.12%

6 – Lithuania

Lithuania ranks 6th country in Europe with enterprises that pay for online advertising, with a share of 42.21% of companies that used online advertising in 2024.

The main types of online advertising by companies in Lithuania are:

1) Contextual advertising, with 74.45%

2) Other methods of targeted advertising, with 66.96%

3) Geo-targeting, with 49.17%

4) Behavioral targeting, with 43.23%

7 – Ireland

Ireland ranks 7th country in Europe with enterprises that pay for online advertising, with a share of 42.10% of companies that used online advertising in 2024.

The main types of online advertising by companies in Ireland are:

1) Contextual advertising, with 56.02%

2) Geo-targeting, with 31.71%

3) Other methods of targeted advertising, with 23.77%

4) Behavioral targeting, with 21.72%

8 – Netherlands

The Netherlands ranks 8th country in Europe with enterprises that pay for online advertising, with a share of 41.50% of companies that used online advertising in 2024.

The main types of online advertising by companies in the Netherlands are:

1) Contextual advertising, with 77.39%

2) Geo-targeting, with 53.82%

3) Other methods of targeted advertising, with 52.41%

4) Behavioral targeting, with 48.90%

9 – Germany

Germany ranks 9th country in Europe with enterprises that pay for online advertising, with a share of 38.50% of companies that used online advertising in 2024.

The main types of online advertising by companies in Germany are:

1) Contextual advertising, with 78.26%

2) Geo-targeting, with 40.36%

3) Other methods of targeted advertising, with 40.05%

4) Behavioral targeting, with 37.09%

10 – Slovakia

Slovakia ranks 10th country in Europe with enterprises that pay for online advertising, with a share of 34.34% of companies that used online advertising in 2024.

The main types of online advertising by companies in Slovakia are:

1) Contextual advertising, with 73.89%

2) Other methods of targeted advertising, with 53.02%

3) Behavioral targeting, with 45.61%

4) Geo-targeting, with 35.97%