Numbers Don’t Lie: India At Forefront Of Asia's Emergence As Pickleball's Next Frontier

India is at the forefront of Asia's exceptional rise as pickleball's new frontier, with the country boasting 178 million players - amateur and professional - who play at least once a month. India's number is the highest, as at least 812 million people from Asia have played pickleball.

India is followed by China and Vietnam with distant figures - 60 million and 16 million respectively.

A new research study - a joint venture between UPA Asia and YouGov Singapore - brought to the fore startling facts and information about pickleball's rapid growth in Asia, with India at the heart of this surge along with Vietnam, Malaysia, and China.

According to the findings, released on Monday, the research was conducted through an online survey, with 14,000 respondents participating from 12 territories on the world’s most populous continent.

While India boasts the largest number of players, the awareness level remains the highest in Vietnam and Malaysia, the country with the highest growth rate in the past one year and the host to the first tournament of the inaugural PPA Tour Asia, the Panas Malaysia Open, scheduled for July 3-6.

Indonesia, Japan - the country where Picklr is set to build 20 pickleball facilities - Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and Thailand are the other countries that have witnessed rapid growth of pickleball in recent years.

Sampling was done based on a nationally representative sample of each territory (with at least 1,000 respondents per market), and responses were extrapolated based on population size.

The findings revealed the great awareness level about pickleball in the continent. More than 1.9 billion people know what pickleball is and close to 812 million have played the sport at least once, with 282 million playing at least once a month.

Pickleball has been growing at 60 per cent year-on-year in Asia, with 62 per cent of respondents learning about pickleball within the last two years.

Malaysia recorded the highest growth rate in the past one year. Awareness about pickleball grew in the Southeast Asian country by 132 per cent in 2024. In 2023, Vietnam recorded a 152 per cent growth.

Vietnam remains the most bustling pickleball hub in Asia, with 88 per cent of respondents in the country acquainted with pickleball, followed by 70 per cent in Singapore.

In terms of playing experience, Vietnam also has the highest percentage of its population with pickleball experience, at over 37 percent, followed by India with over 31 percent.

However, India has the highest number of players who play frequently - at least once a month. There are more than 178 million frequent players in India, followed by China (over 60 million) and Vietnam (over 16 million).

UPA Asia has been making concise efforts to boost pickleball's growth in the continent. It has selected 11 players from the continent and took them to the US for cutting-edge training. These players will get exposure at the PPA Tour, the most competitive tour in the world, and Major League Pickleball, before signing deals that ensure monetary benefits.

As part of its international expansion plan, the UPA also launched the Asia Tour, with the 2025 schedule including the China Slam, Panas Kuala Lumpur Cup, Hong Kong Open, and Sansan Fukuoka Open.

“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 racquet sports, pickleball is well-positioned to reach new players and fans,” said Kimberly Koh, Managing Director of UPA Asia.

“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 stated.