Among the analyzed countries, the average number of ads displayed to a person per day varies from tens to almost 1,600 ads every day.
A new global study conducted by Eskimi, a creative and media technology platform, has found that internet users in the United Arab Emirates are exposed to nearly 850 digital advertisements each day. This figure places the UAE 12th among countries with the highest daily ad exposure, highlighting the region’s growing prominence in the digital advertising landscape.
Eskimi’s research, which analysed ad statistics from websites and apps across 188 countries, paints a revealing picture of the modern digital environment. While 850 ads per day might seem excessive, some countries see significantly higher numbers. Nauru, a small Pacific island nation, tops the global list with users encountering nearly 1,600 ads daily. Iceland follows closely behind, with over 1,500.
Vytautas Paukstys, CEO of Eskimi, said: “Try imagining the ads you’ve seen today. Let me guess – you remember none or a very few. We are exposed to thousands of ads daily, but become resistant to them. In many instances, we do not even need ad-blockers, as our brains do just that. With this comes a challenge for businesses – how to cut through this block and get noticed.”
The study reveals that app-based ads are far more prevalent than website ads in most countries, with UAE users experiencing app ads at triple the rate of web-based ones. Several factors contribute to these disparities, including device types, internet speeds, and overall connectivity. Countries with faster, more stable internet connections are able to load more complex and dynamic ad formats, increasing the overall volume.
Paukstys also explained that ad saturation is driven not just by population size or infrastructure but by advertiser competition. In smaller countries like Nauru, limited user bases lead to an unusually high number of impressions per person. Conversely, densely populated and popular advertising markets experience increased competition, filling available ad space more consistently.
Online habits further influence exposure levels. Citing the 2025 Global Digital Report by Meltwater and We Are Social, the study notes vast differences in average online time. South Africans, for instance, spend nearly ten hours online daily, compared to just four hours in Japan — a factor that directly impacts the volume of ads viewed.
According to Paukstys, insights like these can help marketers develop more effective advertising strategies. Rather than simply pushing a high volume of static ads, he advises businesses to invest in engaging formats and creative content that can stand out in cluttered environments.
“Being exposed to hundreds of ads is very different from truly seeing them,” he said. “To break through ad fatigue, advertisers need to step up their game by returning to creativity and evaluating the actual impact of their campaigns.”
With attention becoming a new currency in the digital ad space, many advertisers are turning to advanced AI tools and analytics to go beyond impressions and clicks, focusing instead on genuine user engagement and campaign effectiveness.
Paukstys offered several practical recommendations for marketers in highly saturated ad markets. He emphasised the importance of innovation through modern demand-side platforms, the value of localisation to better connect with audiences, and a renewed focus on creativity to make campaigns stand out.
The study’s findings are based on anonymised ad data from Eskimi and other industry sources, compiled in May 2025. Researchers calculated average daily ad exposures by analysing ad request volumes in relation to the number of internet users in each country. They also broke down ad placements by type, comparing ratios of app versus website ads to better understand user experiences across different digital environments.