Facebook is banned in China, but the country still provides billions in revenue

Chinese version of Facebook.
(Image credit: aaron tam/AFP/Getty Images)

Yes, Facebook is still banned in China. No, Chinese advertisers don't care.

China brings in 10 percent of Facebook's ad revenue, coming in just behind the U.S., AdAge reported Tuesday.

Facebook just started disclosing billing addresses for advertisers, which allowed Pivotal research analyst Brian Wieser to see that Facebook has racked up $5 billion from Chinese advertisers. And even though Facebook has been off-limits in China since 2009, that number is only expected to grow.

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Experts say advertisers aren't necessarily targeting Chinese customers, but users in Facebook-friendly countries. An estimated $1 billion to $1.5 billion of that revenue comes from app developers, Wieser said, and another good chunk comes from e-commerce sites and phone manufacturers, who want customers around the world.

If the upward trend continues, U.S. advertisers may have to battle for Facebook ad space. Because it's Zuckerberg's world, and we're just living in it.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.