Instagram takes 65% share of digital ad impressions: TAM AdEx

Instagram emerged as the clear leader in India’s digital advertising ecosystem in 2025, capturing 64% of total digital ad impressions, far ahead of other platforms, according to the latest TAM AdEx report on digital advertising trends.

Facebook followed with a 14% share, while X accounted for 5%, highlighting the growing dominance of social media platforms in the country’s digital ad spend. 

The report also notes that Instagram alone accounted for 65% of ad impressions among web publishers, underscoring the platform’s growing importance for brands seeking large-scale reach. Other publishers such as Facebook, YouTube, and X held significantly smaller shares in comparison. 

Overall, digital advertising in India witnessed rapid growth in 2025. Ad impressions increased more than five times compared to 2021, while also expanding over 2.5 times YoY (year-on-year) versus 2024, reflecting accelerating momentum in digital media adoption. 

Quarterly trends showed consistent growth during the year, with Q4 2025 recording a 15% increase compared to Q1 2025, indicating sustained advertiser demand across sectors. 

Sector-wise, Services continued to dominate digital advertising, accounting for 45% of total ad impressions. It was followed by Education (7%), Personal Accessories (6%), Computers (6%), and Retail (6%).

Two new sectors- Personal Care/Personal Hygiene and Textiles/Clothing entered the top 10 list in 2025, ranking seventh and tenth respectively. 

Among categories, Ecom–Online Shopping emerged as the leading category, contributing 12% of total digital ad impressions during the year. Other prominent categories included Ecom–Other Services, Ecom–Clothing/Textile/Fashion, Ecom–Education, and Ecom–Media/Entertainment/Social Media. 

E-commerce players dominated the advertiser rankings as well. *Flipkart.com topped both the advertiser and brand lists in 2025, accounting for 3% share of digital ad impressions.

Other major advertisers included Amazon Online India, Adobe Software India, Hindustan Unilever, Reliance Retail, Fabindia, Myntra Designs, Razorpay Software, Nexxbase Marketing, and Maruti Suzuki India. 

The report also highlights the overwhelming adoption of automated buying tools. Programmatic advertising accounted for 95.8% of total digital ad impressions, making it the most widely used transaction method for digital campaigns. 

In terms of creative formats, single image ads dominated with an 83% share of digital impressions, followed by video ads at 10%, while banners, HTML5, and carousel formats made up the remainder.