This chart shows the insane growth of ad blocking software over the last 5 years
Two days after the launch of iOS 9, ad blocking apps like Peace and Purify have shot up to the top of the "paid" section of the App Store.
This was made possible by Apple's new mobile operating system allowing ad blockers for the first time, which some see as part of the ongoing war between Apple and Google. But no matter the reason, Apple's inclusion of ad blocking into its ecosystem is part of a wider worldwide trend.
A report published recently by PageFair and Adobe claimed the number of consumers using ad blocking software worldwide has ballooned to 198 million monthly active users. This is a statistic that has online publishers who make a sizeable chunk of their money from advertising - like Business Insider - extremely concerned.
Dadaviz's Alis Pitchkhadze looked at ad blocking usage going back five years, and the results are striking. Below is the chart, which shows how the use of ad blockers has exploded across the globe:
