![57% of Influencer Ads Are Properly Disclosed [2026]](/_astro/what-percentage-of-influencers-disclose-paid-content.q6JjAMvv_Z1E9RBq.webp)
Just over half of influencer ads meet the rules. In the UK, 57% of influencer posts on Instagram and TikTok were adequately disclosed as advertising in 2024, according to the Advertising Standards Authority and Competition and Markets Authority’s second Influencer Ad Disclosure report, published in May 2025 from a sample of over 50,000 pieces of content. That leaves 43% of ads either unlabelled or unclear about being paid promotion.
The gap between “most” and “all” is the story below: a regulator that has measured real improvement since 2021, a parallel EU sweep that found compliance far worse across the wider bloc, and a set of content categories, fashion and travel chief among them, where non-disclosure is still the norm rather than the exception.
What percentage of influencer ads are properly disclosed?
The clearest current answer comes from the ASA and CMA’s UK monitoring exercise, published 9 May 2025 and covering content from 2024. Using an AI-based ad-detection system checked by human reviewers, the regulator assessed more than 50,000 pieces of content, including posts, Reels, Stories, and TikTok videos, across 509 UK-based Instagram and TikTok accounts and 390 individual influencers. The result: 57% of ads were adequately disclosed, 34% carried no disclosure at all, and 9% attempted a disclosure label that was not clear enough for a viewer to understand the content was paid promotion.
Figure 1: Disclosure status of monitored UK influencer ads. Source: ASA and CMA, Influencer Ad Disclosure on Social Media report, published May 2025, n=50,000+ pieces of content.
The sample mixed three groups: accounts flagged in the 2021 report, accounts reported to the ASA in the year before monitoring began, and a random selection meant to reflect what an ordinary viewer would actually see in a feed. That mix skews toward accounts more likely to have a compliance problem in the first place, so 57% adequate disclosure is a reasonable floor for the true population rate, not necessarily the ceiling.
Has influencer ad disclosure improved since 2021?
Directionally, yes, though the two ASA reports do not measure identical things. The first Influencer Ad Disclosure report, from March 2021, focused on Instagram Stories across 122 monitored UK accounts and found that only 35% of Stories containing ads were correctly labelled, a rate the ASA itself described as far below what it expected. The 2024 report, covering Instagram and TikTok content more broadly, found 57% adequate disclosure.
That 22-point gap should be read as a trend, not a precise before-and-after measurement, since the 2021 exercise was narrower in scope and platform. What is consistent across both reports is the direction of travel: enforcement pressure and platform-native disclosure tools appear to be nudging compliance up, even if a large minority of ads still slip through.
How does disclosure compare across the EU?
Worse, on the headline number. In February 2024, the European Commission and national Consumer Protection Cooperation authorities from 22 EU member states plus Norway and Iceland published the results of a coordinated sweep covering 576 influencers. The sweep found 97% of checked influencers posted commercial content, but only 20% systematically disclosed that content as advertising throughout their posts, meaning roughly 80% fell short of the standard in at least some of their commercial posts. Instagram was the most-checked platform at 572 influencers, followed by TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook.
| Region | Primary source | Adequate disclosure rate |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | ASA and CMA, 2024 data (published 2025) | 57% |
| European Union + Norway/Iceland | European Commission sweep, published Feb 2024 | 20% (systematic) |
| United Kingdom, 2021 baseline | ASA first report, Instagram Stories only | 35% |
Figure 2: Disclosure rate by platform and content format. Source: ASA and CMA, 2024 monitoring data, published May 2025.
The UK and EU figures are not directly comparable methodologically. The ASA measured whether an individual ad carried a clear label; the EU sweep measured whether an influencer disclosed systematically across their whole commercial output. Both point to the same underlying problem: a meaningful share of paid content still reaches audiences without a clear signal that it is advertising. For a UK or EU business running an influencer program, publishing a disclaimer covering sponsored and affiliate content is the baseline documentation that should sit alongside, not replace, the in-post disclosure each influencer is required to give.
Which content categories disclose the least?
Fashion and travel. The ASA’s 2024 report singled out these two sectors as the worst performers in the sample, finding that more than half of influencer ads promoting fashion and travel products or services were either undisclosed entirely or disclosed in a way that did not meet the clarity bar, a worse rate than the 43% non-compliance figure across the full sample.
Figure 3: The minimum disclosure test UK and US regulators apply to a commercial post. Source: ASA/CAP influencer guidance and FTC Endorsement Guides.
Regulators have tied this specifically to how these categories work: gifted products, press trips, and affiliate codes are common in fashion and travel, and creators in these niches more often treat a gifted item or a free trip as something that does not need the same label as a straightforward cash sponsorship. Under both ASA/CAP and FTC guidance, a free product or trip with an expectation of coverage is itself a material connection that requires disclosure, whether or not cash changed hands.
What are regulators doing about non-compliance?
Enforcement has shifted from warning letters toward signed, individual commitments. As of the CMA’s most recent action, 16 celebrities and influencers, including Rita Ora, Ellie Goulding, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Millie Mackintosh, Jim Chapman, and Louise Thompson, have given the CMA formal undertakings that their future posts will clearly state when content is paid for or gifted. Separately, the ASA contacted more than 150 repeat offenders in 2024 as part of its ongoing monitoring work, and it and the CMA jointly published updated influencer guidance to close gaps the 2024 report exposed.
Figure 4: Key UK and EU enforcement and research milestones. Sources: ASA, CMA, European Commission.
None of these actions have yet produced a large individual fine against a single influencer for a first-time disclosure failure in either the UK or EU. The pattern so far is escalating oversight, public naming, and signed commitments rather than financial penalties, though the regulators involved have signaled willingness to move further if compliance does not keep improving.
The Bottom Line
The honest 2026 answer to how many influencers disclose their ads is just over half, at least in the UK’s most recent, most rigorously sampled monitoring data: 57% adequate disclosure against 43% that fall short in some way. The EU’s parallel sweep suggests the picture is worse once you measure systematic disclosure across an influencer’s whole output rather than a single post. Both regulators agree on the categories and formats most likely to slip through, fashion and travel content, and Stories over static posts, and both are shifting from warnings toward named, signed accountability. For any business paying for influencer content or running an affiliate-style creator program, a current, specific disclaimer covering paid and gifted content closes the gap between what your creators post and what a regulator expects a reasonable viewer to understand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of influencer ads are properly disclosed? 57% of UK influencer ads on Instagram and TikTok were adequately disclosed in 2024, per the ASA and CMA’s second Influencer Ad Disclosure report, published in May 2025, based on over 50,000 pieces of content from 509 accounts. 34% carried no disclosure at all, and 9% used a disclosure label that was not clear enough.
Has influencer ad disclosure improved over time? Directionally, yes. The ASA’s first monitoring report in 2021 found only 35% of Instagram Stories containing ads were correctly labelled, versus 57% adequate disclosure across Instagram and TikTok content overall in the 2024 report. The two figures are not a strict apples-to-apples comparison since the 2021 exercise covered Instagram Stories only, but both point the same direction.
How bad is influencer ad disclosure in the EU? Worse than the UK on the headline number. A European Commission and national consumer authority sweep of 576 influencers across 22 EU member states plus Norway and Iceland, published in February 2024, found 97% posted commercial content but only 20% systematically disclosed it as advertising, meaning roughly 80% fell short of the standard.
Which influencer content categories have the worst disclosure rates? Fashion and travel. The ASA’s 2024 monitoring report found more than half of influencer ads in the fashion and travel sectors were either undisclosed or poorly disclosed, worse than the 43% non-compliance rate across all categories combined.
Sources and References
- Advertising Standards Authority and CMA. (2025). “Influencer Ad Disclosure on Social Media: Instagram and TikTok Report (2024).” Published May 2025. n=50,000+ pieces of content, 509 accounts, 390 individual influencers.
- Advertising Standards Authority. (2021). “Influencer Monitoring Report.” First Influencer Ad Disclosure exercise, 122 UK Instagram accounts.
- European Commission and CPC Network. (2024). “Investigation of the Commission and Consumer Authorities Finds That Online Influencers Rarely Disclose Commercial Content.” Sweep of 576 influencers, 22 EU member states plus Norway and Iceland, published February 2024.
- Competition and Markets Authority. “Social Media Endorsements.” Official case page, undertakings from 16 celebrities and influencers.
- Federal Trade Commission. “Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers.” FTC business guidance on material connections.
Note: All figures verified as of August 2026. UK and EU disclosure monitoring is repeated periodically and enforcement posture keeps shifting, so headline figures here are refreshed at least twice a year.
