10 Countries Where Pickleball Is Exploding Most, Based on DUPR Users

Here are the fastest-growing countries by DUPR users over the last 12 months – notice any trends?

You know pickleball is big in the United States. And you've heard rumblings of it exploding across the globe.

Some new data from our friends at DUPR helps put this into sharper perspective.

Based on new DUPR participation across the past 12 months, these are the 10 countries that have grown the fastest – anywhere from 110% to a staggering 1,200%.

Here's the list. Scroll through the images below to see how much each country grew based on DUPR ratings:

• 10: Vietnam
• 9: Malaysia
• 8: Singapore
• 7: South Korea
• 6: Thailand
• 5: Japan
• 4: India
• 3: China
• 2: Indonesia
• 1: Philippines

According to the 2026 Topline Participation Report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), pickleball added millions of new players in 2025, continuing a multi-year boom that has made it the fastest-growing sport in America.

The report estimates 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025, representing a 22.8% year-over-year increase.

Even more striking: participation has jumped 171.8% over the past three years, making pickleball the clear leader in growth across all tracked sports.

SFIA called pickleball “the dominant multi-year growth leader across all tracked sports,” underscoring how quickly the sport has gone from niche pastime to mainstream recreation.

The surge in participation isn’t just coming from hardcore players.

SFIA data shows casual participation — defined as playing 1–7 times per year — reached 16.8 million people in 2025, a 23.9% increase year over year.

Meanwhile, the number of core pickleball players (8+ sessions annually) climbed to 7.48 million, up 20.4% from 2024.

That distinction matters.

In other words, pickleball isn’t just attracting curiosity — it’s creating committed players.