The advertising industry in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is significantly smaller than in Western Europe and other global regions. The
in the region, including the Baltic States and the Western Balkans, is estimated at 22 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. That is lower than the
and Germany. The CEE region accounts for roughly 2.2 percent of the
Largest advertising markets in CEE
In terms of advertising spending, the leading CEE markets are Russia, Poland, and Czechia. Russia's expenditure was estimated at roughly 9.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, while Poland's was 2.35 times smaller. Furthermore,
Russia ranked first by agency revenue, with projected earnings of over 12 billion euros in 2024. Poland and Czechia followed, with agencies in these countries generating almost eight and four billion euros, respectively. Looking at the
ranking by internet advertising spending, which excluded Russia, Czechia and Poland recorded the highest figures, followed by Ukraine and Hungary.
Leading advertising channels in CEE
The internet has established itself as the dominant advertising channel in the CEE region, surpassing television.
Online advertising spending is projected to reach approximately 18.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2029. The resilience of digital advertising was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when it was the only channel to experience growth while traditional formats declined.
Television and outdoor advertising, the largest traditional segments, were forecast to grow by 5.8 percent and 27.8 percent between 2024 and 2029, respectively. Print media advertising spending, on the other hand, is in decline.
Major advertisers in CEE countries
The lists of the companies with the largest advertising budgets differs between the markets. However, food retail chains appear among the leading advertisers in most CEE countries. For instance, Lidl ranks among the leading advertisers in Poland in both the
traditional media and
digital segments. Overall, Lidl invested nearly 507 million zloty on ads in traditional media in Poland in the first six months of 2024 and almost three billion Czech koruna on advertising in Czechia in 2023, which was the
highest spending among other companies. Moreover,
Profi, Kaufland, and Carrefour had the most placements in Romanian TV, radio, and print media advertising in January 2024.
Industry outlook
As the industry growth is challenged by rising advertising prices as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine, the
advertising spending in CEE is expected to increase by roughly 100 million U.S. dollars between 2024 and 2026. The
digital advertising's dominance is going to continue, as it is expected to account for over half of the total advertising expenditure in 2024, compared to television's 35-percent share.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
liability for the information given being complete or correct.
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data than referenced in the text.
