Pickleball Fever Sweeps Asia: Pickleball is quickly becoming one of Asia’s fastest-growing sports. A new study released by UPA Asia and YouGov Singapore on Monday shows that nearly 812 million people across 12 territories have tried pickleball, with India and Vietnam leading in frequent players.
The findings are based on an online survey of over 14,000 people across China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Vietnam. Each market had at least 1,000 responses, and the data was scaled to match national populations.
Millions Know and Play Pickleball in Asia
The research revealed that 1.9 billion people in these countries have heard of pickleball. Of these, about 282 million play at least once a month. India leads in regular players, with more than 178 million people playing monthly, followed by China with over 60 million, and Vietnam with over 16 million.
Vietnam also showed the highest awareness and participation rates. About 88% of people in Vietnam have heard of pickleball, and more than 37% have played. Singapore ranked second in awareness, while India came in second for overall experience, with over 31% of its population having tried the sport.
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Rapid Year-on-Year Growth Across the Region
Pickleball’s popularity in Asia is growing at a year-on-year rate of 60%. Most people, around 62%, first heard of the sport within the past two years. Malaysia has shown a huge jump in awareness, with a 132% increase in 2024 compared to 2023. Vietnam saw the largest jump at 152%. Kimberly Koh, Managing Director of UPA Asia, said,
“We have witnessed the rapid rise of pickleball in the United States in recent years and have every reason to believe that the explosion of growth in Asia could be just as huge, if not bigger. With over 4.8 billion people in Asia, where there is a strong history in racket sports, pickleball is well-positioned to reach new players and fans.” – (Kimberly Koh)
Future Plans to Grow the Sport Even Further
UPA Asia is planning more ways to bring pickleball to larger audiences.
“We are at a key inflection point in the history of our sport. UPA Asia, through our PPA Tour Asia starting in July, and Major League Pickleball Asia in 2026, will showcase the sport at the highest level across Asia, providing platforms for stars to display their skills and engage new audiences.” – (Kimberly Koh)
The first event of the new PPA Tour Asia will be the Panas Malaysia Open, held in Kuala Lumpur from July 3 to July 6.
News in Brief: Pickleball Fever Sweeps Asia
A new survey by UPA Asia and YouGov Singapore shows major growth in pickleball across Asia. India and Vietnam lead in frequent players, while Vietnam also has the highest awareness. UPA Asia plans to boost the sport further with PPA Tour Asia starting in July and MLP Asia in 2026.
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