How Many People Use Ad Blockers — and What It Means for Marketers in 2026

Digital advertising has never been more expensive.At the same time, ad avoidance has never been more sophisticated.

So how many people use ad blockers in 2026 — and what does that mean for marketing leaders trying to reach Gen Z, gamers, and digitally fluent audiences? The answer is not marginal. It is structural.

Globally, more than half of consumers have installed or used ad-blocking tools. Hundreds of millions actively filter ads from their online experience. And in gaming environments, ad-block usage is even higher.

Ad blocking is no longer a fringe behavior. It is a signal. And marketers who ignore that signal will continue paying more for less attention.

How Many People Use Ad Blockers Globally?

Let’s start with the numbers. According to YouGov data cited by EMARKETER (January 2024), 52% of consumers across 48 global markets have installed or used an ad blocker on their web browser or mobile device.

Other global data shows that 31.5% of internet users aged 16–64 use ad blockers at least sometimes (GWI data summarized by Backlinko, 2026 update). That translates into an estimated 912 million ad-blocking users worldwide, according to Blockthrough figures referenced in the same dataset. This is not a niche segment.

It is nearly one-third of the global internet population actively filtering advertising — and more than half having tried or installed blocking technology. The question for marketers is no longer: “Is ad blocking relevant?” The real question is: “How much of our paid reach is actually visible?”

Ad Blocker Usage Statistics by Country

Ad blocker penetration is not evenly distributed — but it is consistently high across markets.

Among 53 analyzed countries (DataReportal data summarized by Backlinko):

• Indonesia: 40%
• Vietnam: 39.1%
• China: 37.6%
• Poland: 34.3%
• USA: 32.2%
• UK: 28.6%
• Japan: 15.8% (one of the lowest)

In 28 of the 53 countries analyzed, ad blocker penetration exceeds 30%. This matters for global brands. Media planning models often assume paid reach equals exposure. But in markets where one-third of users actively block ads, gross impressions are not net impressions. The gap between reported reach and actual exposure is widening.

Who Uses Ad Blockers? Demographics and Behavior

Younger Audiences Over-Index

Ad blockers are particularly popular among younger demographics.

Globally, ad-block usage is highest among men aged 25–34 (36.2%). Across age groups, users under 44 are significantly more likely to block ads than older consumers.

This aligns directly with the audiences most brands are trying to reach:

• Gen Z
• Young millennials
• Gaming-native consumers

According to the “Attention Economy: A New Reality of B2C Marketing” report by New Game +, 66% of young people actively use ad blockers, and the average active attention span for Gen Z when exposed to online ads is just 1.3 seconds.

Gaming Audiences: Even Higher Resistance

The trend intensifies in livestreaming environments.

According to our Live Streaming Trends 2025 report, 64% of stream viewers use ad-blocking tools online.

At the same time:

• 93% of stream viewers actively play games.
• 77% spend more than five hours per week watching streams.
• 73% actively engage in chat during live broadcasts.

This creates a paradox:

The most engaged audiences online are also the most protected against traditional advertising.

Why Do People Use Ad Blockers?

Understanding how ad blockers work technically is important — but understanding why people use them is more strategic.

Ad blockers typically function through:

• Browser extensions (e.g., AdBlock, uBlock Origin).
• Built-in blocking features in privacy-first browsers (e.g., Brave).
• Filtering rules that prevent ad scripts and tracking code from loading.
• Blocking both display ads and often analytics scripts.

But the motivation is behavioral. Globally reported reasons for using ad blockers include:

• “There are too many ads” — 63.2%
• “Ads get in the way” — 53.4%
• Privacy concerns — 40.3%
• Irrelevant ads — 39.4%
• Improving device performance — 30.6%

(Source: DataReportal summary via Backlinko)

These motivations point to a broader structural issue. Consumers are not withdrawing from brands altogether; they are responding to the growing volume and intrusiveness of digital advertising. The rise of ad blocking reflects dissatisfaction with disruptive formats, excessive frequency, and limited relevance rather than a fundamental rejection of commercial communication itself.

Platform Crackdowns Are Not Reversing the Trend

Major platforms have responded. YouTube escalated its crackdown on ad blockers in 2024 and 2025. According to EMARKETER (January 2026):

• Traffic to YouTube ad blocker pages spiked 336% after enforcement actions.
• Only 11% of users said they were less likely to use blockers as a result.
• 22% said they became more likely to seek blocking solutions.

In other words: Enforcement increased resistance.

At the same time:

• Google’s Manifest V3 update limited the capabilities of some Chrome-based blockers.
• Privacy-first browsers like Brave surpassed 100 million monthly active users in 2025.

This is no longer a temporary “cat-and-mouse” issue. It is an arms race. And the structural dynamic favors users.

The Real Problem: The Economics of Attention

Ad blocking does not exist in isolation. It is a direct consequence of the attention economy.

As outlined in the New Game + “Attention Economy” report:

• Global digital ad spend grew from $319.2 billion in 2020 to $725.6 billion in 2024.
• Average CPC increased 5.2% year-over-year in 2024.
• Google search CPC rose to $2.69.
• TikTok CPC increased 18%.
• Snapchat CPM increased 47%.

Brands are paying more for every click and every thousand impressions. But inflation in media cost does not equal inflation in attention. In fact, it coincides with declining tolerance. When more ads chase finite human attention, resistance mechanisms emerge. Ad blocking is one of them.

What This Means for Marketers in 2026

This is not just a media optimization issue. It is a strategic one.

1. Reported Reach ≠ Real Attention

If 30–50% of your audience blocks ads, campaign dashboards may systematically overestimate exposure. Ad blockers often block analytics scripts as well, creating blind spots in attribution models. The marketing organization believes it is visible. The audience may never see the message.

2. Gen Z Is Structurally Ad-Resistant

Younger audiences:

• Actively filter ads.
• Consume on-demand content.
• Avoid traditional TV.
• Value authenticity (92% cite it as a top value).

The classic interruptive push model is structurally misaligned with their behavior.

3. Platforms Cannot “Force” Attention

YouTube’s crackdown did not meaningfully reverse blocking behavior. Technology cannot solve a cultural rejection. Attention cannot be legislated.

The Shift: From Avoided Ads to Unblockable Experiences

If interruption triggers blocking, what works instead? The answer is not “better banners.”It is contextual integration.

In livestreaming environments, something different happens. According to the inStreamly Live Streaming Trends 2025 report:

• 79% of Twitch viewers perceive ads as a way to support their favorite creators.
• 52.9% of viewers react positively to sponsorships, according to streamer feedback.
• 0% of surveyed streamers reported negative reactions to sponsorship integrations.

This changes the equation. When a brand appears as part of the creator ecosystem — not as an external interruption — it is no longer filtered out.

Final Takeaways for Marketing Leaders

• Over 900 million people use ad blockers globally.
• More than half of consumers have installed or used them.
• In gaming environments, usage exceeds 60%.
• Ad costs continue to rise while tolerance declines.
• Platform crackdowns have not reversed user behavior.
• Contextual, creator-integrated formats outperform traditional display.

Ad blocking is not a technical inconvenience. It is a market signal. In 2026, brands that continue to optimize for impressions will struggle.Brands that optimize for attention will win.

Sources

• EMARKETER (2026) — FAQ on ad blocking: Preparing for platform crackdowns, user response, and what’s changing in 2026
• Backlinko (2026) — Ad Blocker Usage and Demographic Statistics
• inStreamly (2025) — Live Streaming Trends 2025