This is a slight downward adjustment on its estimates the previous year and user growth is now in single digits. Growth continues at 10.3% but will drop in 2018, to 8.1%.    

By the end of 2018, eMarketer expects 22.2% of UK internet users, or 12.3 million, to be using ad blocking software on at least one of their devices.

While larger proportions of millennials use ad blocking software, use among other age groups is growing. For example, a quarter ( 24.7%) of 34- to 44-year-olds will be ad blocking users in 2018.

Of the 11.4 million who will block ads this year, the majority ( 89.0%) will do so on a desktop or laptop PC – 33.8% will block ads on smartphones.

Bill Fisher, eMarketer’s senior UK analyst, said: “The rate of growth in ad blocking users still presents a very real problem for advertisers and marketers. However, the threat hasn’t taken off quite as quickly as we’d originally thought.

“Some of the publisher responses to the problem have had positive effects, indicating that UK internet users may be persuaded to turn off their ad blocking software if the benefits of ad-supported content can be better communicated and the advertising better delivered.”