Ad Blocking in Germany 2018: Sizing Up Europe’s Largest, Most Privacy-Conscious Market

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report presents our latest estimates and forecasts of ad blocking usage in Germany between 2015 and 2019, including demographic and device breakouts. It also looks at the main trends shaping those numbers. Germany registers higher levels of ad blocking than any other country in Europe. While the market is approaching maturity, there’s still potential for growth, as the practice spreads beyond early-adopter cohorts to teens and seniors. How many people in Germany are using ad blockers? Germany posts higher rates of ad blocking than any other country in Western Europe. Ad block penetration is also far higher than in the US. We estimate that 21.4 million people in Germany will use an ad blocker at least monthly in 2018. How prevalent is ad blocking in Germany among 18- to-24 year olds? Digitally savvy younger adults in Germany, as elsewhere, are the most likely cohort to block ads. We estimate that 54.0% of 18- to 24-year-olds in Germany and 44.0% of those ages