On 15 May 2025, the GDMA International Email Benchmark 2025 was launched. This international benchmark includes the key email metrics from 63 countries. In total, 521 billion emails from 54,000 companies were analysed. No fewer than 20 different Email Service Providers (ESPs) – including Spotler – provided their data. The general conclusion: Open Rates show an upward trend, while Click Rates are declining. Another notable finding is that the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK score above average. In this article, we elaborate on these and several other conclusions.
Strong Email Metrics in the Netherlands, UK, and Sweden
The GDMA benchmark reveals that the average Confirmed Open Rate (COR) stands at 32.40%, the Click To Open Rate (CTO) at 7.62%, and the Click Through Rate (CTR) at 2.91%. When we look more deeply into the data, we see a significant variation from country to country. In particular, the 3 countries where Spotler has offices, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK, all perform better than the overall average in all 3 metrics.
| Statistic | Average | Netherlands | United Kingdom | Sweden | Germany | Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COR | 32,40% | 44,93% | 38,34% | 38,62% | 32,88% | 29,70% |
| CTO | 7,62% | 12,67% | 11,52% | 7,64% | 7,90% | 6,73% |
| CTR | 2,91% | 5,95% | 4,49% | 3,02% | 3,27% | 2,25% |
A country like Spain, where Spotler is also active, does not always score above average on the key email metrics. For example, the average open rate (2024) for Spanish companies is 29.70%, which is slightly below the average of 32.40%. Still, there is an upward trend. The COR in Spain was 27.91% in 2022, 29.17% a year later, and now 29.70%. Hopefully, this upward trend will continue in the coming years.
If, like us, you operate in multiple countries, the GDMA benchmark allows you to select different regions and countries. This is useful, as email metrics can vary significantly by region.
Nevertheless, a general trend is visible: Open Rates are rising, while Click Rates are declining. If you’re noticing this trend in your own email metrics as well, then it’s time to take action. A good starting point is to check whether your inbox elements are appealing enough to entice readers to click. There are quite a few best practices available for this. You can find them all in our blog Unfolding the email: Sender name, subject line, and pre-header.
Guide
Email Marketing Guide: Learn How to Get More Conversions from Email
In our guide on email marketing, you’ll learn:
- the significant conversion benefits this form of marketing can deliver;
- the differences between email marketing and marketing automation;
- why email marketing is an essential part of your marketing mix;
- how to calculate the impact of email marketing.
Via ons onderzoeksrapport krijg je direct toegang tot een online omgeving waarin je de complete benchmark kunt bekijken.
Favourite Send Days Don’t Always Deliver the Best Metrics
The international GDMA benchmark includes not only data on Opens and Clicks but also on the timing of email campaign sends. What stands out? Probably what you’d expect: Tuesdays and Thursdays have been the most popular send days for years, and that remained true in 2024. In that year, 16.24% of campaigns were sent on a Thursday, and 16.19% on a Tuesday.
However, campaigns sent on Wednesdays perform best. On that day, both Opens and Clicks exceeded expectations based on send preferences. Campaigns sent on Wednesdays achieve a Confirmed Open Rate (COR) of 33.46%, which is above the average of 32.40%. The Click Through Rate (CTR) also peaks internationally on Wednesdays at 3.28%, and the Click To Open Rate (CTO) reaches 7.78%, just above the global average.
Campaign Size and Industry Matter in Email Metrics
In the GDMA benchmark, all metrics can be filtered by industry type, campaign size, and audience segment (e.g., B2B or B2C). And it’s smart to do so. For instance, if you frequently send large campaigns of more than 50,000 emails, you’ll see that most of these go out on Fridays (15.80%). Yet, the best Click and Open Rates for this campaign size don’t necessarily occur on Fridays.
The GDMA benchmark provides many options to tailor the data to your target audiences, industry, and campaign characteristics. This makes it an invaluable reference.
Acceptance Rate Under Pressure for B2B Globally
One final trend to note is the sharp decline in Acceptance Rate (AR) for B2B audiences. While this group still had an AR of 98.21% worldwide in 2023, in 2024 the rate dropped significantly to 95.51%. That’s a steep decline, especially considering that the overall average across all audiences in 2024 was 98.59%.
Conclusion
If you interpret the benchmark data correctly, it can provide you with valuable insights, especially when you compare your own data to that of your peers. Beyond that, you gain access to a benchmark report that is unmatched in online marketing, bringing together marketing data from no fewer than 63 countries.
Want to learn more about professional emailing, setting up email campaigns, or Spotler’s email marketing solutions? Feel free to contact our sales team at +44 01483 411 911 or email them at sales@spotler.com.
