The Use of Ad-Blocking Around the World

The past 15 years have been tough on publishers around the world. First the internet came around and sent circulation figures tumbling. Then mobile devices changed the way people consume news content once again. And now that publishers and advertisers have adapted to the new realities, ad-blocking software comes around to steal their lunch once again.

According to the Digital News Report 2016, published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, at least one in five online consumers uses ad-blocking software across most major markets. And the ad-blocking trend is here to stay: usage of ad-blocking tools is by far the most prevalent among young consumers, indicating that the proportion of people blocking ads from their online experience will likely rise in the future.