MercadoLibre advertising spend, FY2025

MercadoLibre (MELI) reported $1.7B of advertising expense for the fiscal year ended Dec 31, 2025. That is 5.8% of revenue of $28.9B. Up 60.5% from FY2024.

Ad spend, FY2025
$1.7B
year ended Dec 31, 2025
Change vs prior year
+60.5%
vs FY2024
Share of revenue
5.8%
of $28.9B revenue
Rank by ad spend
#38
of 336 companies

Key facts

  • FY2025 is the highest year on file, going back to FY2009.
  • Largest increase +167.2% in FY2017; largest cut -8.2% in FY2010.
  • Ad spend has risen 5 years in a row.
  • Ad spend is 5.8% of revenue, down from 9.0% in FY2020.
  • MercadoLibre spends more on advertising than 89% of the 336 US-listed companies tracked. Its ad-to-revenue ratio is 1.1x the median of 5.2%.

Ad spend by fiscal year

$0 $500M $1B $1.5B $2B FY2009 (ended 2009-12-31): $22M 2009 FY2010 (ended 2010-12-31): $20.2M FY2011 (ended 2011-12-31): $19.9M 2011 FY2012 (ended 2012-12-31): $18.8M FY2013 (ended 2013-12-31): $31.6M 2013 FY2014 (ended 2014-12-31): $42.1M FY2015 (ended 2015-12-31): $46.9M 2015 FY2016 (ended 2016-12-31): $55.3M FY2017 (ended 2017-12-31): $148M 2017 FY2020 (ended 2020-12-31): $356M FY2021 (ended 2021-12-31): $531M 2021 FY2022 (ended 2022-12-31): $593M FY2023 (ended 2023-12-31): $787M 2023 FY2024 (ended 2024-12-31): $1.1B FY2025 (ended 2025-12-31): $1.7B 2025 $1.7B

Ad spend as % of revenue

0% 5% 10% 15% FY2009 (ended 2009-12-31): n/a 2009 FY2010 (ended 2010-12-31): n/a FY2011 (ended 2011-12-31): n/a 2011 FY2012 (ended 2012-12-31): n/a FY2013 (ended 2013-12-31): n/a 2013 FY2014 (ended 2014-12-31): n/a FY2015 (ended 2015-12-31): n/a 2015 FY2016 (ended 2016-12-31): 6.6% FY2017 (ended 2017-12-31): 12.1% 2017 FY2020 (ended 2020-12-31): 9.0% FY2021 (ended 2021-12-31): 7.5% 2021 FY2022 (ended 2022-12-31): 5.5% FY2023 (ended 2023-12-31): 5.2% 2023 FY2024 (ended 2024-12-31): 5.1% FY2025 (ended 2025-12-31): 5.8% 2025 5.8%

History

Download CSV
Fiscal year Period end Ad spend YoY Revenue Ad / revenue Tag Filing
FY2025 Dec 31, 2025 $1.7B +60.5% $28.9B 5.8% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 25, 2026
FY2024 Dec 31, 2024 $1.1B +33.8% $20.8B 5.1% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 25, 2026
FY2023 Dec 31, 2023 $787M +32.7% $15.1B 5.2% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 25, 2026
FY2022 Dec 31, 2022 $593M +11.7% $10.8B 5.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 21, 2025
FY2021 Dec 31, 2021 $531M +49.2% $7.1B 7.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 23, 2024
FY2020 Dec 31, 2020 $356M n/a $4B 9.0% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 24, 2023
FY2017 Dec 31, 2017 $148M +167.2% $1.2B 12.1% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 23, 2018
FY2016 Dec 31, 2016 $55.3M +18.0% $844M 6.6% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 23, 2018
FY2015 Dec 31, 2015 $46.9M +11.4% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 23, 2018
FY2014 Dec 31, 2014 $42.1M +33.1% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 24, 2017
FY2013 Dec 31, 2013 $31.6M +68.4% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 26, 2016
FY2012 Dec 31, 2012 $18.8M -5.8% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 27, 2015
FY2011 Dec 31, 2011 $19.9M -1.3% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 3, 2014
FY2010 Dec 31, 2010 $20.2M -8.2% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 28, 2013
FY2009 Dec 31, 2009 $22M n/a n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 28, 2012

What the figure is

Advertising costs as disclosed in the annual report (XBRL tag AdvertisingExpense).

Compared with similar spenders

The 6 companies closest to MercadoLibre in latest-year ad spend.

Rank Company Ad spend Ad / revenue YoY Fiscal year
38 MercadoLibre $1.7B 5.8% +60.5% FY2025
39 Visa $1.7B 4.2% +7.9% FY2025
40 Mondelez $1.7B 4.3% -21.6% FY2025
41 Coty $1.6B 27.7% +2.1% FY2026
42 DoorDash $1.6B 11.7% +23.1% FY2025
43 Johnson & Johnson $1.6B 1.7% +166.7% FY2025
44 NetEase $1.6B 9.9% +6.7% FY2025

Full ranking of 336 companies · Biggest increases #15 · Up 5+ years in a row #42

Questions

How much does MercadoLibre spend on advertising?

MercadoLibre spent $1.7B on advertising in fiscal 2025, the year ended Dec 31, 2025, according to its 10-K filed Feb 25, 2026.

What percentage of revenue does MercadoLibre spend on advertising?

5.8% of revenue in fiscal 2025 ($1.7B of $28.9B). The median across the 336 companies tracked is 5.2%.

Is MercadoLibre spending more on advertising?

Yes. Ad spend rose 60.5% in fiscal 2025 from fiscal 2024. It has risen 5 years in a row.

How does MercadoLibre rank by advertising spend?

#38 of 336 US-listed companies with $100M or more in ad spend, ranked on each company's latest fiscal year.

What does MercadoLibre's advertising figure include?

Advertising costs as disclosed in the annual report (XBRL tag AdvertisingExpense).

Source

Filing
10-K for FY2025, filed Feb 25, 2026
Accession number
0001099590-26-000006
Company
MERCADOLIBRE INC, CIK 1099590, SIC 7389 (Services-Business Services, NEC)
Data
SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts, retrieved Nov 4, 2026. Methodology.
Cite
MercadoLibre advertising spend, FY2009-FY2025. Aleksei Trudov, io.trudov.com, from SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts (latest: 10-K filed Feb 25, 2026), retrieved Nov 4, 2026. https://io.trudov.com/company/mercadolibre/advertising-spend/
Download
CSV, all years · CSV, all 336 companies