China’s Advertising Industry Revenue Tops 2 Trillion Yuan in 2025, Driven by Digital Intelligence

The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) released data showing that in 2025, the advertising business revenue of public institutions and above-scale enterprises across China exceeded 2 trillion yuan for the first time, reaching 2.05021 trillion yuan. This represented a doubling of the revenue scale compared with 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 16.8%, according to People’s Daily.

Digital intelligence technology has emerged as the core engine driving the industry’s growth, SAMR’s data revealed. Internet advertising business revenue hit 1.35743 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 34.6%, accounting for 66.2% of the total advertising business revenue. From the perspective of advertising release, internet advertising release revenue stood at 1.25184 trillion yuan, accounting for 89.1% of the total advertising release revenue of various media, up from 86.5% in 2024, as reported by CCTV News.

The scale and efficiency of market entities have improved simultaneously. Data indicated that there were more than 1,400 operating entities with advertising business revenue exceeding 100 million yuan, with a steady growth in total profits and taxes. The advertising business revenue of leading internet platforms increased by more than 36.1% year-on-year, becoming an important force driving the industry’s development.

A typical example is Alimama, the marketing arm of Alibaba Group. Its “Wanxiang Yingzao” AIGC intelligent marketing platform has helped millions of merchants generate more than 100 million marketing materials, saving over 10 billion yuan in production costs, according to People’s Network. Fan Luyuan, President of Taotian Group, noted that digital intelligence technologies such as AI have significantly improved the efficiency of advertising creation and delivery, creating greater value for enterprises.

Regional development has become more balanced in an echelon pattern across eastern, central and western China. A total of 19 provinces nationwide achieved advertising business revenue exceeding 100 million yuan. Among them, the combined revenue of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Zhejiang reached 1.40418 trillion yuan, accounting for 68.5% of the national total, a decrease of 5.5 percentage points from the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, which indicated a narrowing regional development gap, according to China News Network.

A relevant person in charge of SAMR stated that the rapid development of China’s advertising industry reflects improved corporate expectations and market consumer confidence, providing professional support for building a modern industrial system. The industry’s steady growth not only boosts the vitality of the market economy but also promotes the integrated development of advertising with the real economy through activities such as advertising supporting enterprises and agriculture.

The outstanding performance of China’s advertising industry in 2025 fully demonstrates its strong development resilience and huge potential. Driven by digital intelligence technology, the industry is accelerating its transformation and upgrading, and the balanced regional development pattern is continuously optimized, injecting strong momentum into the high-quality development of China’s economy.