Asia is the next frontier for pickleball.

That was made crystal clear in the results of a research study released on Monday by UPA Asia and YouGov Singapore.

Findings emerged from an online survey of over 14,000 respondents across 12 territories on the world's most populous continent: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam.

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.

Here are some notable findings:

- An estimated 1.9 billion people from the territories surveyed 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.

- The growth of pickleball in these territories has spiked at a 60% rate year-on-year, with 62% of respondents learning about pickleball within the last two years.

- Malaysia 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%.

- 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.

“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,” 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.”

The inaugural PPA Tour Asia season begins with the Panas Malaysia Open from July 3-6 in Kuala Lumpur.

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