According to a new report from Emarketer, Meta Platforms will soon overtake Google in terms of total advertising revenue by the end of 2026 both globally and within the United States.
The research company forecasted Meta’s ad revenue will reach $243.5 billion, with Google hitting just shy of $240 billion. In 2025, Google had $214 billion, ahead of Meta’s $196.2 billion.
In terms of worldwide ad spend revenue, Meta is also set to take top spot with 26.8 per cent, compared to Google’s 26.4 per cent.
Emarketer analysts put the shift down to Meta’s unprecedented growth rate for a company of its scale, with senior forecasting analyst Zach Goldner pointing out its success is “not coming from just one source”.
He said: “Its unlocking more value across its entire ecosystem at the same time. Tools like its Advantage+, AI-generated ad creatives and its broader automation stack are improving performance across both Facebook and Instagram, with Reels being a big beneficiary. As a result, advertisers are getting better bang for their buck and that’s pulling more ad dollars onto the platform”.
Principal analyst Max Willens added that for the vast majority of advertisers the question is no longer about if they should spend with Meta, but how much.
To catch up, Willens added Google has many levers it can pull, but it lacks the diversity that Meta has.
Amazon is the third highest ad revenue generator, with the company tipped to grow from $68.4 billion to more than $82 billion in 2026.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Meta Platforms
Source: Tahawul Tech