Asia: The Next Frontier for Pickleball – UPA Asia and YouGov research Released
| June 9, 2025
Pickleball has taken Asia by storm and recent research conducted by UPA Asia and YouGov Singapore has shed insights on the growth of the sport in the world’s most populous continent.
About 1.9 billion people from 12 territories in Asia have heard about pickleball, and close to 812 million people have played the sport at least once, with 282 million playing at least once a month.
Those aged between 18 and 35 are the most aware of pickleball and have played pickleball, a fitting snapshot for a sport skewing younger and younger.
The findings emerged from an online survey of over 14,000 respondents across 12 territories: China; Chinese Taipei; India; Indonesia; Japan; Malaysia; the Philippines; Singapore; South Korea; Hong Kong, China; Thailand and Vietnam.
The sampling was done based on a territorially representative sample of each territory, with at least 1,000 respondents per market. The responses were then extrapolated based on population size.
The growth of pickleball in these territories has spiked at a 60% rate year-on-year, with some 62% of respondents learning about pickleball within the last two years.
Malaysia, home of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour Asia’s first stop from July 3-6, experienced one of the highest growth rates in the past year. Awareness of pickleball in 2024 in the Southeast Asian country grew 132% compared to 2023, second only to Vietnam (152%).
Approximately 88% of Vietnam respondents know of pickleball, the most of all territories, followed by 70% in Singapore.
Vietnam also has the highest percentage of its population with pickleball experience, at over 37%. India ranks next, with over 31%.
In addition, India has the highest number of frequent players, defined by those who play 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).
Of the respondents who have played pickleball, they revealed that the top reason they picked up a paddle was because the sport is fun (35%). They were also motivated to play pickleball to improve their physical health (33%) and turned to the sport because it is easy to pick up (31%).
The social aspect and communal nature of pickleball was evident in their desire to play pickleball, with 29% picking up a sport that their family and friends are engaged in while 27% believe playing pickleball will enable them to make new friends.
About 28% of them have racket sports experience, transitioning from tennis, badminton, table tennis and squash.
Interestingly, only 25% of those who follow tennis also follow pickleball. Some 24% of those who follow table tennis and 18% of those who follow badminton also follow pickleball. But the crossover effect was significantly higher for those who follow padel (67%).
Earlier this year, pickleball was named the fastest-growing sport in the United States by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) for a fourth straight year. According to SFIA’s 2024 Topline Participation Report, there are 19.8 million participants in the United States, where the sport originated, a 45.8% increase from 2023. There were just 3.46 million players in the United States in 2019.
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.
“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.”
About UPA Asia
UPA Asia is the owner of the premier professional and amateur pickleball tour, the PPA Tour Asia, and pickleball league, MLP Asia. Developing professional pickleball athletes and fostering a community in Asia, UPA Asia will forge world-class events, teams, professional pathways, high-performance training and long-term partnerships.
About YouGov
YouGov is an international online research data and analytics technology group with operations worldwide, including the Asia Pacific. YouGov draws on a detailed understanding of over 29 million registered panel members to deliver accurate, actionable consumerinsights.
