Native Advertising Statistics: 34 Verified Data Points on Spend, Share, and Engagement for 2026

This briefing compiles verified statistics on native advertising: how much advertisers spend, how large native’s share of display has become, and how native performance compares with standard display. It separates spend forecasts from analysts and vendors from independent engagement studies, and it flags where “native,” “sponsored content,” and “in-feed” are defined differently across sources. Every figure below is attributed to a named publisher and year; nothing is estimated.

Definitions: why the numbers do not always line up

The term “native advertising” is not standardized across data providers, which is the single largest reason figures differ. EMARKETER defines native digital display to include sponsored content, content-recommendation widgets, in-feed social units (for example Facebook, X, Yahoo News), and in-feed video, while excluding in-stream video such as YouTube pre-roll. The IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report does not break out a standalone “native” line item and folds most in-feed native into its social and display categories. Vendor studies from Sharethrough, Outbrain, and Taboola typically measure content-recommendation and in-feed formats only. When reading any native statistic, confirm whether social in-feed inventory is included, because it drives the majority of reported native spend.

Executive Summary

• Native accounted for 62.7% of total US display ad spending in 2019, up from 54.2% in 2017, according to EMARKETER (published April 2019). Source: EMARKETER.
• US advertisers spent $43.90 billion on native display ads in 2019, $8.66 billion more than in 2018, per EMARKETER (April 2019). Source: EMARKETER.
• Native made up 95.6% of US social digital display ad spend in 2019 but only 30.8% of non-social display spend, per EMARKETER (April 2019), showing native’s dominance is concentrated on social platforms. Source: EMARKETER.
• Total US internet ad revenue reached $258.6 billion in full-year 2024, up 14.9% year over year, per the IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report (April 2025). Source: IAB/PwC.
• US social media ad revenue, which contains most in-feed native inventory, was $88.7 billion in 2024, up 36.7% year over year, per IAB/PwC (April 2025). Source: IAB/PwC.
• Consumers looked at native ads 53% more frequently than display ads in the Sharethrough and IPG Media Lab eye-tracking study (published 2015; underlying research 2013). Source: Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab.
• Native ads registered 18% higher lift in purchase intent than banner ads in the same Sharethrough/IPG study. Source: Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab.
• Taboola reported full-year 2024 revenue of $1,766.2 million, up from $1,439.7 million in 2023, and states its platform reaches roughly 600 million daily active users. Source: Taboola FY2024 results.

Key Findings

• Native’s share of US display spend rose from 54.2% in 2017 to 62.7% in 2019, per EMARKETER (April 2019). Source: EMARKETER.
• US native display ad spending reached $43.90 billion in 2019, per EMARKETER (April 2019). Source: EMARKETER.
• US native display spending was $22.09 billion in 2017, growing 36.2% that year, per EMARKETER (as reported by MediaPost, 2017). Source: EMARKETER via MediaPost.
• Native made up 95.6% of US social display spend versus 30.8% of non-social display in 2019, per EMARKETER (April 2019). Source: EMARKETER.
• Non-social native’s share of non-social display rose from 19.1% in 2017 to 30.8% in 2019, per EMARKETER (April 2019). Source: EMARKETER.
• Total US internet ad revenue hit $258.6 billion in 2024, up 14.9%, per IAB/PwC (April 2025). Source: IAB/PwC.
• US display ad revenue was $74.3 billion in 2024 (28.7% of total digital), up 12.4%, per IAB/PwC (April 2025). Source: IAB/PwC.
• US social ad revenue was $88.7 billion in 2024 (34.3% of total digital), up 36.7%, per IAB/PwC (April 2025). Source: IAB/PwC.
• US digital video ad revenue was $62.1 billion in 2024 (24% of total), up 19.2%, per IAB/PwC (April 2025). Source: IAB/PwC.
• Consumers looked at native ads 53% more frequently than display in the Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab study (2015). Source: Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab.
• 32% of respondents said they would share a native ad with a friend or family member, versus 19% for display, per Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab (2015). Source: Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab.
• Native ads produced a 9% lift in brand affinity over banner ads in the Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab study (2015). Source: Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab.
• Taboola’s platform reaches approximately 600 million daily active users and is used by roughly 18,000 advertisers, per Taboola FY2024 disclosures. Source: Taboola FY2024 results.
• Taboola full-year 2024 revenue was $1,766.2 million, up from $1,439.7 million in 2023, a gain of about 22.7%, per Taboola FY2024 results. Source: Taboola.
• Outbrain’s FY2024 10-K states its platform reaches roughly 2.2 billion consumers globally across about 10,000 media environments. Source: Outbrain FY2024 10-K.

Market Size and Spend Forecasts

Spend figures come from two source types that should not be blended: analyst forecasts (EMARKETER) and revenue disclosures from public companies (IAB/PwC aggregate, plus Taboola and Outbrain filings). The most recent standalone “native display” dollar and share figures publicly available without a subscription come from EMARKETER’s 2017 to 2019 releases; more recent EMARKETER native segment forecasts exist but sit behind its subscription paywall, so they are excluded here rather than estimated.

US native display ad spending reached $43.90 billion in 2019, per EMARKETER (April 2019). Source: EMARKETER. Native accounted for 62.7% of all US display spend that year, up from 54.2% in 2017, per the same EMARKETER release. Source: EMARKETER. In 2017, US native display spend was $22.09 billion and grew 36.2% year over year, per EMARKETER as reported by MediaPost. Source: EMARKETER via MediaPost. These figures include in-feed social native, which is the dominant driver; treat the “roughly two-thirds of display” framing as a social-inclusive measure. This means native’s share is far lower once social platforms are removed: only 30.8% of non-social US display was native in 2019, per EMARKETER (April 2019). Source: EMARKETER.

Native’s Share of Display

Native’s share of display depends entirely on whether social in-feed inventory is counted. The headline “two-thirds of display” figure is real but social-driven. Native was 95.6% of US social display spend in 2019 versus 30.8% of non-social display, per EMARKETER (April 2019). Source: EMARKETER. Because most social display inventory is in-feed native by construction, the aggregate share is high; the more decision-relevant number for open-web buyers is the non-social share, which was under a third in 2019. The gap between these two figures is the most commonly misread statistic in this category.

Sources: EMARKETER, “Driven by Social, Native Accounts for Nearly Two-Thirds of Display Ad Spend” (April 2019); EMARKETER via MediaPost (2017 native display projection). 2017 social/non-social split for native share of social display was not published in the sourced material.

Engagement, CTR, and Effectiveness vs Display

Engagement claims come mostly from vendor-commissioned or vendor-published studies, so they should be read as directional and favorable to native by design. The strongest independently co-run study is the Sharethrough and IPG Media Lab experiment, which used eye-tracking and survey methods. In that study, consumers looked at native ads 53% more frequently than display ads, and 25% more consumers looked at in-feed native placements than at display units. Source: Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab (2015). Native ads registered an 18% higher lift in purchase intent and a 9% lift in brand affinity versus banner ads in the same study. Source: Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab. On sharing, 32% of respondents said they would share the native ad with a friend or family member, versus 19% for display. Source: Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab. The study surveyed 4,770 consumers and ran eye-tracking on 200 consumers. This study is now roughly a decade old; treat it as historical evidence of the native-versus-banner attention gap rather than a current benchmark, and note the potential vendor-favorable bias since Sharethrough is a native-advertising vendor.

Source: Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab native ad effectiveness study, sample 4,770 surveyed plus 200 eye-tracked (published 2015).

Platforms: Content-Recommendation and In-Feed Vendors

Two public companies anchor the open-web native and content-recommendation segment: Taboola and Outbrain. Their filings provide the most defensible platform-scale numbers because they are audited or SEC-filed. Taboola reported full-year 2024 revenue of $1,766.2 million, up from $1,439.7 million in 2023, per Taboola’s FY2024 results. Source: Taboola. Taboola states its platform reaches roughly 600 million daily active users and is used by approximately 18,000 advertisers. Source: Taboola FY2024 disclosures. Outbrain’s FY2024 Form 10-K states its platform reaches roughly 2.2 billion consumers globally across about 10,000 media environments. Source: Outbrain FY2024 10-K. These reach figures use different denominators (daily active users versus total consumers reached) and are not directly comparable. In 2025 Taboola launched a performance platform named Realize, and Outbrain acquired Teads, both moves that broaden these firms beyond classic content-recommendation native.

Sources: Taboola FY2024 results (revenue, DAU, advertiser count); Outbrain FY2024 Form 10-K (reach, media environments). Reach metrics use different definitions and are not comparable.

Broader Digital Ad Context

Native spend rides on top of overall digital growth, so the total-market figures give scale. US internet ad revenue reached $258.6 billion in 2024, up 14.9%, per IAB/PwC (April 2025). Source: IAB/PwC. Search led with $102.9 billion (39.8% share, up 15.9%), social followed at $88.7 billion (34.3%, up 36.7%), display was $74.3 billion (28.7%, up 12.4%), and digital video was $62.1 billion (24%, up 19.2%), all per IAB/PwC (April 2025). Source: IAB/PwC. Because most in-feed native lives inside the social and display buckets, the 36.7% social growth rate is the best available proxy for the health of in-feed native demand in 2024.

Source: IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report, Full-Year 2024 (published April 2025). Format shares sum to more than 100% because categories overlap in IAB methodology (for example, video and social both contain overlapping inventory).

Original Synthesis

These are derived insights combining the cited public datasets. Each states its formula, inputs, and limits.

1. The social-versus-open-web native gap

Formula: native share of social display (95.6%) minus native share of non-social display (30.8%), both 2019 EMARKETER figures. The gap is 64.8 percentage points. Inputs: EMARKETER April 2019 release. Insight: native is effectively the default format on social platforms but remains a minority format on the open web. Limitation: 2019 data; the absolute gap may have shifted, though the structural pattern (social is native-by-construction) persists.

2. In-feed native demand proxy from IAB growth rates

Formula: compare 2024 YoY growth of social (36.7%) against display (12.4%) from IAB/PwC. Social grew about 3x faster than display. Inputs: IAB/PwC 2024. Insight: since in-feed native concentrates in social, the format’s demand engine grew far faster than banner-heavy display in 2024. Limitation: IAB does not isolate native, so this is a directional proxy, not a native-specific growth rate.

3. Native display spend CAGR, 2017 to 2019

Formula: ($43.90B / $22.09B)^(1/2) – 1 using EMARKETER’s 2017 and 2019 native display figures. Result: about 41% compound annual growth over that two-year window. Inputs: EMARKETER 2017 and 2019 releases. Insight: native display roughly doubled in two years during its expansion phase. Limitation: this window predates 2020; it should not be projected forward to 2026, and both endpoints are social-inclusive.

Charts to build

• Chart 1: “Native share of US display, social vs non-social (2019).” Data: 95.6% social, 30.8% non-social. Source: EMARKETER. Insight: native dominance is a social-platform phenomenon. Citation-worthy because it corrects the common “two-thirds of display” oversimplification.
• Chart 2: “US native display spend and share, 2017 vs 2019.” Data: $22.09B/54.2% and $43.90B/62.7%. Source: EMARKETER. Insight: rapid share and dollar gains. Citation-worthy as a clean growth visual.
• Chart 3: “US internet ad revenue by format, 2024.” Data: search, social, display, video shares. Source: IAB/PwC. Insight: search and social dominate, with social growing fastest. Citation-worthy as an authoritative annual benchmark.
• Chart 4: “Native vs banner: attention and lift.” Data: 53% attention, +18% purchase intent, 32% vs 19% share intent. Source: Sharethrough/IPG. Insight: native’s engagement edge. Citation-worthy but must be labeled 2015/vendor-run.
• Chart 5: “Open-web native platform scale, FY2024.” Data: Taboola $1,766.2M revenue and ~600M DAU; Outbrain ~2.2B reach. Source: Taboola FY2024, Outbrain 10-K. Insight: the open-web native duopoly’s scale.

Inline chart: US internet ad revenue by format, 2024 ($B)

Source: IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report, Full-Year 2024 (April 2025).

Methodology

Source-selection criteria: primary and audited disclosures first (IAB/PwC industry report, Taboola FY2024 results, Outbrain FY2024 10-K), then established analyst forecasts (EMARKETER), then co-run vendor/academic studies (Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab). Inclusion rule: a figure was included only if a named publisher, a year, and a real URL could be attached to it. Exclusion rule: any figure that could not be verified to a named source, or that sat behind a subscription paywall without a public secondary citation, was dropped rather than estimated; this is why current (2023 to 2025) EMARKETER native-segment dollar figures are not quoted. Conflict handling: where “native” definitions differed, both the social-inclusive and non-social figures are shown side by side. Derived estimates: the three synthesis items use only arithmetic on cited figures, with formulas stated. Limitations: several native-specific spend figures are from 2017 to 2019 because those are the most recent publicly quotable EMARKETER native-display numbers; the Sharethrough/IPG study dates to 2013 to 2015. Date of last update: 2026-07-01.

Source Quality

Tier 1 (primary/official/audited): IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report; Outbrain FY2024 Form 10-K (SEC filing); Taboola FY2024 financial results.

Tier 2 (established market research and analysts): EMARKETER native display forecasts and share data; Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab effectiveness study (co-run vendor and agency research lab).

Tier 3 (reputable trade journalism relaying primary data): MediaPost (relaying EMARKETER’s 2017 native projection); TV Technology and Mi3/Nasdaq (relaying IAB/PwC and Taboola figures).

Most Quotable Statistics

• Native accounted for 62.7% of US display ad spend in 2019, up from 54.2% in 2017 (EMARKETER).
• Native was 95.6% of social display but only 30.8% of non-social display in 2019 (EMARKETER).
• US internet ad revenue hit $258.6 billion in 2024, up 14.9%; social grew fastest at 36.7% (IAB/PwC).
• Consumers looked at native ads 53% more than display, and 32% would share a native ad versus 19% for display (Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab).
• Taboola posted $1,766.2 million in 2024 revenue and reaches roughly 600 million daily active users (Taboola FY2024).

Data Limitations

• “Native” is defined differently by each source; social-inclusive and open-web figures are not interchangeable.
• The most recent publicly quotable native-display dollar figures are from 2017 to 2019 (EMARKETER); newer segment dollars sit behind a paywall and were excluded.
• The Sharethrough/IPG effectiveness study dates to 2013 to 2015 and is vendor co-run, so its lift figures are historical and directional.
• Taboola and Outbrain reach metrics use different denominators (daily active users vs total consumers) and are not comparable.
• IAB format shares overlap and sum above 100%, so they cannot be added to isolate native.

Recommended Dataset Fields

For a downloadable CSV: metric_name, value, unit, geography, year, source_publisher, source_type (primary/analyst/vendor), definition_scope (social_inclusive/non_social/all_display), url, retrieved_date, notes_or_flags.

Press Summary

Native advertising’s headline “roughly two-thirds of display” share is real but almost entirely social-driven: EMARKETER data show native was 95.6% of US social display spend in 2019 yet only 30.8% of non-social display, and native display spend reached $43.90 billion that year, up from $22.09 billion in 2017. The broader market kept expanding through 2024, when US internet ad revenue hit $258.6 billion (up 14.9%), with social, the home of most in-feed native, growing fastest at 36.7% (IAB/PwC). On performance, the most-cited independent evidence remains the Sharethrough and IPG Media Lab study, in which consumers looked at native ads 53% more than display and 32% said they would share a native ad versus 19% for display, though that research dates to 2013 to 2015. On the open web, Taboola reported $1,766.2 million in 2024 revenue and roughly 600 million daily active users, while Outbrain’s 10-K claims reach of about 2.2 billion consumers. The key caveat for any headline: confirm whether “native” includes social in-feed inventory before comparing figures.

Suggested Headlines

• Native Is Two-Thirds of Display, but Only Because of Social: The Data Behind the Number
• US Internet Ad Revenue Hit $258.6 Billion in 2024, and Social-Native Grew Fastest
• The Native-vs-Banner Attention Gap: What the Evidence Actually Shows
• Inside the Open-Web Native Duopoly: Taboola and Outbrain by the Numbers
• Why Native Advertising Statistics Rarely Agree: A Definitions Guide

FAQ

What share of US display ad spend is native?

Native accounted for 62.7% of US display ad spending in 2019, up from 54.2% in 2017, per EMARKETER (April 2019).

How much did US advertisers spend on native display?

US native display ad spending reached $43.90 billion in 2019, $8.66 billion more than 2018, per EMARKETER (April 2019).

Is native mostly a social phenomenon?

Yes; native was 95.6% of US social display spend but only 30.8% of non-social display in 2019, per EMARKETER (April 2019).

How large is the overall US digital ad market?

US internet ad revenue was $258.6 billion in full-year 2024, up 14.9% year over year, per IAB/PwC (April 2025).

Which format grew fastest in 2024?

Social ad revenue grew 36.7% to $88.7 billion in 2024, the fastest major format, per IAB/PwC (April 2025).

Do native ads get more attention than display ads?

Consumers looked at native ads 53% more frequently than display ads in the Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab study (2015).

Do native ads lift purchase intent?

Native ads showed an 18% higher lift in purchase intent than banner ads in the Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab study (2015).

Are consumers more likely to share native ads?

32% of respondents said they would share a native ad, versus 19% for display, per Sharethrough/IPG Media Lab (2015).

How big is Taboola?

Taboola reported $1,766.2 million in full-year 2024 revenue and reaches roughly 600 million daily active users, per Taboola FY2024 results.

How much reach does Outbrain claim?

Outbrain’s FY2024 10-K states its platform reaches roughly 2.2 billion consumers across about 10,000 media environments.

About this research

This asset was compiled by CO Consulting, a research-driven growth-consulting firm, using primary filings, the IAB/PwC industry report, EMARKETER forecasts, and co-run effectiveness studies. If your team needs a native-advertising benchmarking model tailored to your channel mix, you can book a consultation.

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