A display apparatus and a method for controlling the same are provided. The method for controlling the display apparatus according to the present disclosure includes receiving an image; distinguishing the image into a plurality of blocks to detect a maximum pixel value each of the plurality of blocks; determining a target diffuser value usable for compensating for a duty of a backlight based on the detected maximum pixel value for each block; and driving the backlight for each of the plurality of blocks based on a backlight duty value compensated based on the target diffuser value. Therefore, the display apparatus according to the present disclosure may address a problem that gradation overcompensation occurs in a region of a certain block, when the backlight is driven in a unit of the plurality of blocks, using a local dimming mode.