Walmart advertising spend, FY2026

Walmart (WMT) reported $5.4B of advertising expense for the fiscal year ended Jan 31, 2026. That is 0.8% of revenue of $713B. Up 5.9% from FY2025.

Ad spend, FY2026
$5.4B
year ended Jan 31, 2026
Change vs prior year
+5.9%
vs FY2025
Share of revenue
0.8%
of $713B revenue
Rank by ad spend
#13
of 336 companies

Key facts

  • Ad spend is 2.2x its FY2016 level ($2.5B), faster than revenue (1.5x).
  • FY2026 is the highest year on file, going back to FY2009.
  • Largest increase +21.9% in FY2022; largest cut -13.5% in FY2021.
  • Ad spend has risen 5 years in a row.
  • Ad spend is 0.8% of revenue, up from 0.6% in FY2021.
  • Walmart spends more on advertising than 96% of the 336 US-listed companies tracked. Its ad-to-revenue ratio is below the median of 5.2%.

Ad spend by fiscal year

$0 $2B $4B $6B FY2009 (ended 2009-01-31): $2.1B FY2010 (ended 2010-01-31): $2.4B FY2011 (ended 2011-01-31): $2.5B 2011 FY2012 (ended 2012-01-31): $2.3B FY2013 (ended 2013-01-31): $2.3B FY2014 (ended 2014-01-31): $2.4B 2014 FY2015 (ended 2015-01-31): $2.4B FY2016 (ended 2016-01-31): $2.5B FY2017 (ended 2017-01-31): $2.9B 2017 FY2018 (ended 2018-01-31): $3.1B FY2019 (ended 2019-01-31): $3.5B FY2020 (ended 2020-01-31): $3.7B 2020 FY2021 (ended 2021-01-31): $3.2B FY2022 (ended 2022-01-31): $3.9B FY2023 (ended 2023-01-31): $4.1B 2023 FY2024 (ended 2024-01-31): $4.4B FY2025 (ended 2025-01-31): $5.1B FY2026 (ended 2026-01-31): $5.4B 2026 $5.4B

Ad spend as % of revenue

0.0% 0.2% 0.4% 0.6% 0.8% FY2009 (ended 2009-01-31): 0.5% FY2010 (ended 2010-01-31): 0.6% FY2011 (ended 2011-01-31): 0.6% 2011 FY2012 (ended 2012-01-31): 0.5% FY2013 (ended 2013-01-31): 0.5% FY2014 (ended 2014-01-31): 0.5% 2014 FY2015 (ended 2015-01-31): 0.5% FY2016 (ended 2016-01-31): 0.5% FY2017 (ended 2017-01-31): 0.6% 2017 FY2018 (ended 2018-01-31): 0.6% FY2019 (ended 2019-01-31): 0.7% FY2020 (ended 2020-01-31): 0.7% 2020 FY2021 (ended 2021-01-31): 0.6% FY2022 (ended 2022-01-31): 0.7% FY2023 (ended 2023-01-31): 0.7% 2023 FY2024 (ended 2024-01-31): 0.7% FY2025 (ended 2025-01-31): 0.7% FY2026 (ended 2026-01-31): 0.8% 2026 0.8%

History

Download CSV
Fiscal year Period end Ad spend YoY Revenue Ad / revenue Tag Filing
FY2026 Jan 31, 2026 $5.4B +5.9% $713B 0.8% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 13, 2026
FY2025 Jan 31, 2025 $5.1B +15.9% $681B 0.7% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 13, 2026
FY2024 Jan 31, 2024 $4.4B +7.3% $648B 0.7% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 13, 2026
FY2023 Jan 31, 2023 $4.1B +5.1% $611B 0.7% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 14, 2025
FY2022 Jan 31, 2022 $3.9B +21.9% $573B 0.7% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 15, 2024
FY2021 Jan 31, 2021 $3.2B -13.5% $559B 0.6% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 17, 2023
FY2020 Jan 31, 2020 $3.7B +5.7% $524B 0.7% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 18, 2022
FY2019 Jan 31, 2019 $3.5B +12.9% $514B 0.7% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 19, 2021
FY2018 Jan 31, 2018 $3.1B +6.9% $500B 0.6% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 20, 2020
FY2017 Jan 31, 2017 $2.9B +16.0% $486B 0.6% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 28, 2019
FY2016 Jan 31, 2016 $2.5B +4.2% $482B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 30, 2018
FY2015 Jan 31, 2015 $2.4B 0.0% $486B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 31, 2017
FY2014 Jan 31, 2014 $2.4B +4.3% $476B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 30, 2016
FY2013 Jan 31, 2013 $2.3B 0.0% $469B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 1, 2015
FY2012 Jan 31, 2012 $2.3B -8.0% $447B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 21, 2014
FY2011 Jan 31, 2011 $2.5B +4.2% $422B 0.6% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 26, 2013
FY2010 Jan 31, 2010 $2.4B +14.3% $408B 0.6% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 27, 2012
FY2009 Jan 31, 2009 $2.1B n/a $404B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 30, 2011

What the figure is

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

Compared with similar spenders

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

Rank Company Ad spend Ad / revenue YoY Fiscal year
9 American Express $6.3B 8.7% +3.5% FY2025
10 Capital One $5.9B 11.0% +29.0% FY2025
11 JPMorgan Chase $5.5B 3.0% +11.2% FY2025
12 Coca-Cola $5.4B 11.3% +5.9% FY2025
13 Walmart $5.4B 0.8% +5.9% FY2026
14 Progressive $5.1B 5.9% +28.2% FY2025
15 Nike $4.8B 10.2% +1.4% FY2026

Full ranking of 336 companies · Biggest increases #170 · Lowest ad-to-revenue #23 · Up 5+ years in a row #61

Questions

How much does Walmart spend on advertising?

Walmart spent $5.4B on advertising in fiscal 2026, the year ended Jan 31, 2026, according to its 10-K filed Mar 13, 2026.

What percentage of revenue does Walmart spend on advertising?

0.8% of revenue in fiscal 2026 ($5.4B of $713B). The median across the 336 companies tracked is 5.2%.

Is Walmart spending more on advertising?

Yes. Ad spend rose 5.9% in fiscal 2026 from fiscal 2025. It has risen 5 years in a row.

How does Walmart rank by advertising spend?

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

What does Walmart's advertising figure include?

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

Source

Filing
10-K for FY2026, filed Mar 13, 2026
Accession number
0000104169-26-000055
Company
Walmart Inc., CIK 104169, SIC 5331 (Retail-Variety Stores)
Data
SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts, retrieved Nov 4, 2026. Methodology.
Cite
Walmart advertising spend, FY2009-FY2026. Aleksei Trudov, io.trudov.com, from SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts (latest: 10-K filed Mar 13, 2026), retrieved Nov 4, 2026. https://io.trudov.com/company/walmart/advertising-spend/
Download
CSV, all years · CSV, all 336 companies