Who actually sees winning e-commerce ads in Europe? Reach by age, gender and country
12 Nov 2026. Data read 2026-11-11 and 2026-11-12 (frozen 2026-11-12 18:23 UTC)
In short. Across 3,690 winning e-commerce ads in the EU (still running after 21 days or more), women made up 72.0% of Meta's age and gender breakdown and the biggest age band was 35 to 44 (25.7%). Even on the 2,855 ads with no gender targeting at all, women made up 66.7% of it. The mix changes a lot by country. In the Netherlands, 36.4% of the breakdown is aged 55 or over. In Poland, 35.8% is aged 35 to 44.
These are Meta's own numbers. Since the EU Digital Services Act, every ad delivered in the EU shows its reach, with a breakdown by country, age and gender, in the Meta Ad Library. Poseidon reads it every day. Groups under 30 ads, or from fewer than 10 advertisers, are not shown.
Who do winning ads reach in the EU overall?
Share of Meta's age and gender breakdown, added up ad by ad, 3,690 ads:
| 18–24 | 25–34 | 35–44 | 45–54 | 55–64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All winning ads | 5.1% | 19.9% | 25.7% | 23.6% | 16.7% | 9.0% |
| Ads with no gender targeting (2,855) | 4.9% | 19.9% | 25.8% | 23.4% | 16.8% | 9.2% |
| Women | Men | |
|---|---|---|
| All winning ads | 72.0% | 26.3% |
| Ads with no gender targeting | 66.7% | 31.3% |
(Meta leaves a small share unassigned.)
Targeting versus delivery. 814 of the 3,690 ads target women only and 21 target men only. That explains part of the female skew. The rest comes from Meta's delivery. On ads open to everyone, women are still two thirds of the breakdown.
How does it change by country?
Each ad is counted in the country that holds the largest part of its breakdown. Countries shown have at least 30 ads from at least 10 advertisers.
| Country | Winning ads | Advertisers (pages) | Median days live | Women | Largest age band | Aged 55+ | Videos | Single images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 702 | 51 | 126 | 67.8% | 35–44 (25.4%) | 28.8% | 44.3% | 32.1% |
| France | 688 | 66 | 111 | 74.8% | 35–44 (26.7%) | 23.7% | 42.9% | 30.5% |
| Italy | 659 | 51 | 156 | 73.1% | 45–54 (25.2%) | 25.8% | 58.3% | 19.0% |
| Spain | 402 | 38 | 78 | 65.5% | 45–54 (27.0%) | 29.7% | 53.5% | 18.9% |
| Poland | 373 | 23 | 132 | 70.1% | 35–44 (35.8%) | 15.0% | 57.6% | 26.5% |
| Netherlands | 333 | 23 | 97 | 77.9% | 45–54 (23.7%) | 36.4% | 45.9% | 33.6% |
| Ireland | 147 | 20 | 91 | 77.1% | 45–54 (28.9%) | 29.3% | 52.4% | 32.0% |
| Portugal | 94 | 10 | 56 | 87.2% | 35–44 (31.2%) | 13.9% | 57.4% | 24.5% |
Not shown: Denmark (61 ads but 5 advertisers), Sweden (58 ads, 7 advertisers), Belgium (57 ads, 9 advertisers), and 11 countries under 30 ads.
What stands out:
- The Netherlands reaches the oldest audience: 36.4% aged 55 or over, against 15.0% in Poland.
- Poland is concentrated on 35 to 44 year olds: 35.8% of the breakdown, the highest single band in any country.
- Italy is the most video-heavy (58.3% of winners) and its winners have run the longest (median 156 days). Spain's run the shortest (78 days).
- Portugal's winners reach the most women (87.2%), from only 10 advertisers.
Do videos reach more people than images in every country?
Median EU reach of a winning ad, by format, where the format has 30 ads or more in that country:
| Country | Video | Single image | Dynamic creative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 177,213 | 80,148 | 203,356 |
| France | 156,955 | 41,386 | 144,137 |
| Italy | 271,841 | 223,487 | 142,423 |
| Spain | 65,081 | 46,740 | 132,293 |
| Poland | 122,324 | 84,222 | 90,636 |
| Netherlands | 94,014 | 74,116 | 61,066 |
| Ireland | 17,025 | 3,261 | not shown |
| Portugal | 67,784 | not shown | not shown |
In all 7 countries where both have 30 ads or more, the median winning video reached more people than the median winning image. The gap ranges from 1.2 times (Italy) to 5.2 times (Ireland).
How this was measured
- Source: Meta's EU transparency data on each ad in the Ad Library (reach by country, by age and gender). Read by Poseidon on 11 and 12 November 2026, snapshot frozen at 18:23 UTC on 12 November.
- Which ads: 3,690 ads from e-commerce brands on Poseidon's watchlist (1,293 confirmed shops), still active and live 21 days or more.
- Shares add up, ad by ad, Meta's breakdown rows for each age and gender cell, then divide by their total. Meta's rows don't add up to its EU total of people, so they are only ever shown as shares, never as people.
- Country of an ad: the country with the largest part of its breakdown, the same rule as our France page (688 French ads in both).
- Not shown: any group under 30 ads, any country with fewer than 10 advertisers, and product categories (our current category labels are the keywords a brand was found under, not what it sells).
- What this can't tell you: who bought. Reach is who saw the ad, not who converted.
FAQ
Is this the targeting or the real audience? The real audience: who Meta actually delivered the ad to. The targeting (age range and gender the advertiser chose) is listed separately, and the two often differ.
Why is there no UK? This page uses the EU section of each ad's transparency data only. UK figures are not in it yet.
Can I get this for one ad or one competitor? Yes. Every ad in the EU has its own breakdown in the Ad Library, and Poseidon keeps one read per day so you can see how it moves.
Poseidon reads the real EU reach of every winning e-commerce ad, by country, age and gender, every day. See who your competitors' winners really reach →
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