The best verified benchmark for planning in 2026 is U.S. data through 2024, not a full-year 2026 market total. The Performance Marketing Association (PMA) reports that U.S. affiliate-marketing spending rose from $9.1 billion in 2021 to $13.62 billion in 2024, a 14.42% compound annual growth rate. The same study attributes $113 billion in U.S. e-commerce sales to affiliate marketing in 2024, equal to 9.4% of all U.S. e-commerce sales.
Those figures measure different things: advertiser investment and sales credited to affiliate activity. They should not be combined with publisher income, commissions or survey respondents’ reported revenue shares. No source in the available evidence establishes a measured full-year global or U.S. affiliate-marketing total for 2026.
The clearest U.S. market benchmark
The PMA’s 2025 U.S. Affiliate Marketing Industry Study uses data from eight leading affiliate networks and more than 50 publishers. It reports spending of $9.1 billion in 2021 and $13.62 billion in 2024.
| Metric | Reported result | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. affiliate-marketing spend | $9.1 billion (2021) to $13.62 billion (2024) | Money advertisers invested in affiliate activity; the endpoint is historical, not a 2026 figure. |
| Growth over the period | 49.8% total increase; 14.42% CAGR, 2021–2024 | Annualized growth calculated for that three-year interval. PMA says it was twice the pace of broader e-commerce growth. |
| E-commerce sales attributed to affiliates | $113 billion in 2024 | Sales credited to affiliate marketing, not affiliate spending or publisher earnings. |
| Share of all U.S. e-commerce sales | 9.4% in 2024 | The $113 billion attribution figure divided by all U.S. e-commerce sales. |
| Estimated share for companies using affiliate strategies | 15–20% of sales | PMA’s estimate for companies that use affiliate marketing, not a share of the entire U.S. market. |
The PMA page headline rounds the 2024 spending figure to $13.63 billion, while the study body states $13.62 billion. The body figure is used here for consistency and precision.
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What the numbers do—and do not—prove
Spending is an investment measure
The $13.62 billion figure represents advertiser spending. It can include commissions and other affiliate-program costs, but it is not a count of what publishers take home and should not be treated as industry revenue in the same sense as merchant sales.
Attributed sales are a different denominator
The $113 billion figure is gross e-commerce sales attributed to affiliate marketing. It is not $113 billion in commissions, profit or incremental sales. Attribution rules differ among networks and advertisers, so the figure describes credited transactions rather than a universal causal measurement.
The 15–20% estimate has a narrower scope
PMA’s 15–20% estimate applies to companies using affiliate strategies. It should not replace the 9.4% share of all U.S. e-commerce sales, because the two percentages use different populations and denominators.
What the 2025 impact.com survey found
impact.com’s 2025 report provides survey evidence rather than a market census. Its page describes more than 1,500 marketers, publishers and creators across eight countries; the methodology specifies 818 marketers who manage, contribute to or oversee an affiliate program. Fieldwork took place in mid-2025 in the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsIn that respondent group, 74% of surveyed brands said affiliate marketing generated 11–30% of their total revenue. This is self-reported company evidence, not an independently audited share of revenue for all brands or all countries. The report also discusses diversified partner mixes, creator budgets, artificial-intelligence use and alternative attribution models; these are reported survey findings and themes, not proof that every program achieved those outcomes.
How to compare affiliate statistics without mixing them up
| Source and geography | Measure | Period | Evidence type | Denominator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMA, United States | Advertiser spending | 2021–2024 | Industry study using eight networks and more than 50 publishers | U.S. affiliate investment |
| PMA, United States | Attributed e-commerce sales | 2024 | Industry study | All U.S. e-commerce sales for the 9.4% calculation |
| PMA, companies using affiliate strategies | Estimated sales share | Not stated as a single-year market total | Study estimate | Sales at companies that use affiliate strategies |
| impact.com, eight countries | Brand-reported affiliate revenue share | Survey fielded mid-2025 | Self-reported survey of 818 affiliate-program marketers | Revenue at surveyed brands |
Spend, attributed sales, a brand’s reported revenue share and publisher earnings are not interchangeable statistics. A higher number in one category does not automatically mean the same increase in another.
Is affiliate marketing still growing?
The historical U.S. evidence shows strong growth: spending increased 49.8% from 2021 to 2024, with a 14.42% CAGR. That supports describing affiliate marketing as a growing channel over that period. It does not establish a measured 2026 total or guarantee that the same rate continued after 2024.
The impact.com survey indicates that affiliate programs remain material to many participating brands in 2025, with 74% reporting an 11–30% revenue contribution. Because the result is self-reported and limited to respondents managing affiliate programs, it is best read as evidence of continued adoption and importance among active practitioners, not as a forecast.
Why some “2026” statistics are not reliable yet
A current-year number needs a defined geography, measurement method and completed reporting period. The evidence available here does not provide a verified full-year 2026 affiliate-spend total. Treat any headline that presents a 2026 global figure as a forecast or estimate unless it identifies a completed, auditable measurement.
Partnerize describes a U.S. Retail Affiliate Marketing Sales Index that tracks gross merchandise sales attributed to affiliate promotions, year-over-year comparisons, commission trends and vertical breakdowns. Its landing page, however, displays an update date of “June 31st, 2026,” a date that does not exist. That date should not be used to support a specific current sales result.
What these statistics mean for planning in 2026
- Use the PMA spending series as the strongest observed U.S. benchmark, while labeling it as data through 2024.
- Set separate targets for affiliate-program investment and attributed sales; they answer different management questions.
- Define the attribution model before comparing performance across networks, creators, publishers or paid channels.
- When using survey statistics, report the respondent count, countries and fielding date alongside the percentage.
- Update market-size claims when a newer primary industry study publishes completed 2025 or 2026 data.
Disclosure requirements for affiliate recommendations
The Federal Trade Commission says publishers should disclose their relationship with a retailer “clearly and conspicuously” so readers can judge the endorsement appropriately. Its example wording is: “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” The FTC advises placing the disclosure close to the recommendation.
“Affiliate link” alone may not clearly tell readers that the publisher receives compensation. The same principle applies to affiliate endorsements on social media and other websites: disclose the financial relationship where the audience sees the recommendation.
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