The Growth of Pickleball: Stats, Trends, and Why It Keeps Exploding

Three years in a row, the Sports and Fitness Industry Association named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America. 24.3 million Americans now play. The global market is on track to hit $9.1 billion by 2034. And in July 2023, monthly pickleball participants surpassed tennis for the first time in history.

I see this every single day. At 11 PICKLES, we play pickleball every day, we train with pros, and we cover the PPA Tour and professional pickleball more closely than almost anyone in the space.

We review gear, track player careers, and publish content for players at every level from first-timers to tournament competitors. We are not an analytics firm writing about pickleball from a spreadsheet. We are on the courts, and the growth is not abstract to us.

It is the open play sessions that used to have 8 people and now have 30. It is the dedicated pickleball facilities in our neighborhood that would have been unthinkable five years ago. It is the 20-year-olds showing up next to the 70-year-olds, both equally hooked.

Here is the full story of pickleball growth: where it started, how it exploded, where it stands right now, and where it is headed next.

Pickleball Growth Statistics: Where the Sport Stands in 2026

The raw numbers tell a story that no other sport in America can match right now. Pickleball is not just attracting new players; it is converting them into regulars at a rate that has the entire sports industry paying attention. Here is the current state of pickleball growth broken down by the metrics that matter.

How Many People Play Pickleball?

• 24.3 million Americans play pickleball (2025, SFIA)
• 36.5 million Americans have played at least once (more than 1 in 10 people)
• 14 million play on a regular basis (at least monthly)

To put that in perspective, in 2020 there were 4.2 million players. In five years, that number has nearly sextupled. No other mainstream sport in America has done that.

Year-Over-Year Pickleball Growth Rate

The growth trajectory tells you everything about where this sport has been and where it is going:

1. 2020: 21% growth (to 4.2 million players, fueled by COVID outdoor recreation boom)
2. 2021: 14.8% growth (named fastest-growing sport for the first time)
3. 2022: 85.7% growth (8.9 million players, the sport hits mainstream)
4. 2023: 51.8% growth (13.6 million players, three-peat as fastest-growing sport)
5. 2024: 45.8% growth (19.8 million players, pro tours merge under UPA)
6. 2025: 22.8% growth (24.3 million players, maturation phase begins)
7. 2026 projected: 15-20% annual growth

The growth rate is naturally decelerating, and that is actually a good sign. It means the sport is moving from explosive discovery phase into sustainable, infrastructure-backed maturation. You do not build $25 million facilities for a fad.

Who Is Playing Pickleball?

The biggest myth about pickleball is that it is a retirement sport. The data says otherwise.

• Average player age: 34.8 years
• Largest age group: 25-34 (3.175 million players)
• 70%+ of regular players are between 18 and 44
• 3 million players are 65+
• Nearly 2 million teens played in 2024
• Gender split (avid players): 62% male, 38% female

Gen Z is one of the fastest-growing segments. At open play sessions, the courts are packed with people in their 20s and 30s playing alongside players in their 60s and 70s. That multigenerational appeal is something almost no other sport can claim.

Where Is Pickleball Growing the Fastest?

The South Atlantic region (Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware) leads with 2.8 million players. But urban metros are where the growth per capita is most intense:

• San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose: 2.9% penetration
• Washington DC: 2.9%
• Houston: 2.5%
• Chicago: 2.5%
• Atlanta: 2.3%
• Seattle-Tacoma: 2.2%

Pickleball Court Growth

Infrastructure is racing to keep up with demand:

• 70,641+ pickleball courts in the US (2025)
• Courts grew 50% in just the past year
• 18,258 locations nationwide
• 25,000+ new courts expected by end of 2026
• Megafacilities emerging: PURE Pickleball and Padel in Scottsdale, Arizona has 50 courts across 180,000 square feet
• The Utah Pickleball Center attracted $25 million in private investment for 47 courts
• Seattle alone has 9 new facilities and nearly 150 courts opening in 2025-2026

How Pickleball Became the Fastest-Growing Sport in America

The pickleball growth story is not a straight line. It took decades of slow, grassroots expansion before the sport hit the inflection point that launched it into the mainstream. Understanding the timeline matters because it shows that this growth has roots, not just hype.

The First 50 Years (1965-2018): Slow Burn

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington by Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell. They were trying to entertain their bored families during summer. If you want the full origin story, we cover it in why is pickleball called pickleball.

Key milestones in the first five decades:

1. 1967: First permanent court built
2. 1976: First tournament at South Center Athletic Club in Tukwila, Washington
3. 1984: United States Amateur Pickleball Association formed; first official rulebook published; first composite paddle invented by Boeing engineer Arlen Paranto
4. 1990: Pickleball played in all 50 states
5. 2005: USAPA reorganized into what would become USA Pickleball
6. 2010: International Federation of Pickleball established with 78 member countries today

For 50 years, pickleball grew through word of mouth, community centers, and retirement communities. It was real, it was beloved by people who played it, but it was invisible to mainstream America.

The Turning Point (2018-2019): Pro Tours Launch

Everything changed when the PPA Tour launched in 2018, followed by the APP Tour and Major League Pickleball in 2019. For the first time, pickleball had professional athletes, organized competition, broadcast coverage, and a star system. Players like ben johns and anna leigh waters became the faces of a sport that finally had faces.

The Explosion (2020-2023): COVID Changed Everything

Then COVID hit, and the sport went vertical. People needed outdoor, socially distanced activities. Pickleball checked every box: it is played outdoors, the courts are small enough to maintain distance, you can learn in an afternoon, and it is social enough to fight isolation. Participation tripled from 4.2 million in 2020 to 13.6 million in 2023, a 223.5% surge.

In July 2023, monthly pickleball participants surpassed monthly tennis participants for the first time ever. That was the moment the sports industry realized this was not a passing trend.

Maturation (2024-2026): Infrastructure and Investment

The current phase is about building the foundation for permanence:

• 2024: PPA Tour and MLP merged under the United Pickleball Association. Combined sponsor revenue hit $25 million, up 56% from $16 million in 2023.
• 2025: 24.3 million players. DoorDash replaced Margaritaville as MLP title sponsor in a multimillion-dollar, three-year deal. UPA announced international expansion with PPA Tour events in Australia, India, Canada, Asia, and Europe. CBS MLP Finals averaged 499,000 viewers, the most-watched MLP match ever.
• 2026: The Global Pickleball Federation alliance formed with organizations across 6+ countries, coordinating 30+ international tournaments.

Why Pickleball Growth Keeps Accelerating

Numbers do not explain themselves. Here is why pickleball is growing faster than any other sport, from the perspective of someone who watches new players walk onto the courts every single week.

It Is the Most Accessible Racket Sport Ever Created

You can learn to play pickleball for beginners in a single afternoon. The court is a quarter the size of a tennis court, so there is less running. The underhand serve is more forgiving than a tennis serve. A beginner paddle costs $30-60 versus hundreds or thousands for tennis or golf equipment. And many public parks now have free pickleball courts.

Compare that to the difference between pickleball and tennis: tennis requires months of lessons before a rally feels fun. Pickleball is fun on day one. That is the difference. A beginner can grab a paddle like the ones in our best pickleball rackets for beginners guide and be playing real rallies within an hour.

If you are looking for a paddle that grows with you, we have tested options at every price point. Here are three we recommend:

Luzz Cannon Pickleball Paddle Kung Fu Panda Review (elongated reach, aggressive drives, one of the best-looking paddles in the sport)

Luzz Pro 4 Tornazo Pickleball Paddle Review (control and spin for players who want placement over power)

Luzz Pro 4 Inferno Pickleball Paddle Review (raw power with a forgiving sweet spot)

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The Social Factor Is Unmatched

Doubles is the dominant format, which means every game is a social experience with four people. Pickleball doubles rules are simple enough to learn in minutes. Open play sessions at parks and rec centers are designed for strangers to rotate in and play together. I have met more people through pickleball in the last two years than I have through any other activity in my life. That is not an exaggeration.

The multigenerational element is real. I regularly play with people three decades older than me, and the competition is genuine. No other sport creates that dynamic.

Celebrity Ownership and Media Attention

The celebrity investment in pickleball reads like a sports ownership fantasy league:

• LeBron James
• Tom Brady
• Kevin Durant
• Drake
• Michael B. Jordan
• Patrick Mahomes
• Gary Vaynerchuk

These are not endorsement deals. These are team ownership stakes in Major League Pickleball. Even taylor swift pickleball has made headlines. When names this big put real money into a sport, the media follows. Fortune, NBC News, NPR, National Geographic, CBS, and ESPN have all produced major pickleball features. Documentaries like "Breaking Pickleball" (Amazon Prime) and "The Power of Pickleball" have brought the story to an even wider audience.

The Pro Tour Is Becoming Real Business

The professional side of pickleball has matured faster than anyone expected:

• $20 million in total prize money (2025)
• $35 million in projected sponsor revenue (2025), up from $16 million in 2023
• 150+ exclusive pro athletes under UPA contracts
• $2.5 million: ben johns' disclosed 2024 earnings
• $3 million+: anna leigh waters' estimated 2024 earnings
• Average PPA Tour pro earns approximately $260,000

CBS, ESPN, and Fox Sports are broadcasting events. Pickleballtv viewership jumped 141% year over year. The CBS MLP Finals drew 499,000 average viewers. These are not niche numbers anymore.

Real Estate and Facility Investment

This is where the "is it a fad?" question gets answered. Nobody invests $25 million in a fad. And the gear keeps getting better. We review paddles on this site constantly, and the technology in 2026 paddles is light-years ahead of what was available even two years ago. The investment is real:

• PURE Pickleball and Padel (Scottsdale, Arizona): 50 courts, 180,000 square feet
• Utah Pickleball Center: 47 courts, $25 million in private investment, first pro team home venue
• Las Vegas: 24-court complex at Wayne Bunker Park
• Seattle region: 9 new facilities, nearly 150 courts opening 2025-2026
• Houston: Pickleball courts replacing pools as the luxury home amenity

America Sports Construction reported $25 million in sports construction revenue in 2025, much of it pickleball-driven.

Pickleball Growth vs. Other Sports

Comparing pickleball to other sports puts the growth in context. No other sport comes close to matching pickleball's trajectory right now.

• Pickleball: 223.5% growth (2020-2023), 15-20% annual growth currently
• Tennis: 4-5% growth during the same period; under-18 tennis players declined 14% in 2023
• Padel: 35+ million players globally (doubled since 2017), but concentrated in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East
• Golf: Much higher barrier to entry ($1,000+ annually vs. $30-60 for a beginner paddle and free public courts)

Tennis is still the most-played racket sport globally with approximately 87 million players worldwide. But the trend lines are moving in opposite directions, and pickleball's growth rate is in a different category entirely.

The Challenges Pickleball Faces

Growth this fast is not painless. There are real issues the pickleball community is dealing with, and I think it is important to talk about them honestly rather than pretend everything is perfect.

Noise Complaints and Court Bans

Pickleball is loud. The sport is 20 decibels louder than the loudest tennis racket strike, and the sound is "impulsive," meaning it is a sharp crack rather than background noise. Residents near courts have legitimate complaints.

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California became the first California city to ban pickleball at public facilities, citing that the courts had "turned into a madhouse." In Hidden Valley, California, a $1.5 million tennis-to-pickleball conversion was permanently closed after an acoustical engineer found no feasible noise mitigation. Homeowners in Boca Raton filed a lawsuit after a community association converted tennis courts without approval and noise exceeded city limits.

I understand both sides. The sound is real, and communities need to plan for it with proper buffer zones, sound barriers, and dedicated facilities rather than converting courts next to residential windows.

Tennis vs. Pickleball Court Conversion Wars

This is the fight that will not go away. Tennis players resent seeing their courts converted to pickleball, and some of that resentment is justified. Under-18 tennis participation declined 14% in 2023, and while pickleball is not the only reason, court conversions are not helping.

The solution is not conversion. It is construction. The facilities being built now, like the 50-court megacomplex in Scottsdale, show that dedicated pickleball infrastructure is the path forward.

Is Pickleball a Fad?

I get this question constantly. Here is my honest answer: no. And here is why.

1. The growth rate is decelerating from 50%+ to 15-20%. That is what healthy maturation looks like, not a bubble popping.
2. Institutions are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in dedicated infrastructure. You do not build $25 million facilities for something that will disappear in two years.
3. The professional league structure (UPA), media deals (CBS, ESPN), and corporate sponsorships (DoorDash, Carvana, Adidas) create a self-sustaining ecosystem.
4. There are 78 countries in the International Pickleball Federation, and the sport is actively pursuing Olympic inclusion.
5. The demographics are diversifying, not narrowing. Gen Z adoption is accelerating, not declining.

Could some over-leveraged facility operators struggle? Yes. Could the market correct in certain areas? Probably. But the sport itself is not going anywhere. Period.

Pickleball Growth Around the World

The international story is the next chapter of pickleball growth, and most people are not paying attention to it yet.

Global Expansion by the Numbers

• 78 countries in the International Pickleball Federation (doubled in 5 years)
• Canada: 1.37 million monthly players
• China: Government targeting 10,000 courts and 100 million players within 5 years
• Australia: 25,000 active players, targeting 1 million in 3 years
• Spain, France, and the UK all seeing rapid growth

The PPA Tour announced events in Australia, India, Canada, and across Asia and Europe. MLP Asia is launching. The 2025 Pickleball World Cup drew 3,000+ participants from 60+ countries. And the Global Professional Alliance, formed in 2026 with organizations from the US, Canada, Europe, India, Australia, and Vietnam, is coordinating 30+ international tournaments to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Will Pickleball Be in the Olympics?

Not in 2028 (Los Angeles already selected baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash). The earliest realistic timeline is 2032 in Brisbane, with 2036 being more likely.

The International Pickleball Federation has 78 member countries, which meets the IOC's threshold of 75+ countries for men's sports. But the IFP has not yet received official IOC recognition, which is a crucial prerequisite. The lobbying effort is active, and the sport's trajectory makes Olympic inclusion feel like a question of when, not if.

Pickleball Growth by the Numbers

Here is every key stat in one place. Bookmark this section.

• 24.3 million US players (2025)
• 36.5 million Americans have tried pickleball at least once
• 48.3 million adults played in the past 12 months
• 14 million regular players (monthly+)
• 223.5% participation growth (2020-2023)
• 311% growth (2018-2023)
• 34.8 years: average player age
• 70,641+ pickleball courts in the US
• 50% court growth in the past year alone
• $2.2 billion global market (2024)
• $9.1 billion projected by 2034
• $20 million in pro tour prize money (2025)
• $35 million in projected sponsor revenue (2025)
• 499,000 viewers for CBS MLP Finals (most-watched ever)
• 141% jump in Pickleballtv viewership
• 78 countries in the International Pickleball Federation
• 3 consecutive years as fastest-growing sport in America (SFIA)

What Is Next for Pickleball

The sport is entering its most important phase yet. The explosive discovery period is over. What comes next is the work of building permanence: dedicated facilities, international expansion, media deals, and the long push toward Olympic inclusion.

The market is projected to grow from $2.2 billion to $9.1 billion by 2034. Over 25,000 new courts are expected in 2026 alone. The professional tour is going global, with events across six continents. And the technology side is advancing fast, with DUPR ratings now tracking over 1 million players and AI-powered video analysis entering the ecosystem.

The training side is evolving just as fast. Solo practice used to mean hitting against a wall. Now players are using the Tennibot Partner, an AI-powered ball machine that programs custom drills, varies spin, and adjusts difficulty from beginner to pro level. That kind of technology did not exist in pickleball five years ago.

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If you are reading this and you have not tried pickleball yet, check out our pickleball 101 guide or what do you need to play pickleball to get started. If you are already on the courts, you already know everything I just wrote. You feel it every time you show up and the place is packed.

And 11 PICKLES, we are here for all of it. Whether the sport has 24 million players or 100 million, we will be on the courts every day, reviewing the best pickleball rackets for beginners, covering every PPA tournament, and building this community alongside you. Check out our Etsy shop for gear that actually represents the pickleball lifestyle, and subscribe to the 11 PICKLES newsletter to stay up to date on tournament coverage, gear reviews, and strategy content. We are here for all of it.

Transparency is key in pickleball and life. Some links on this site are affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, we earn a small commission. It doesn't cost you extra, and it helps us keep serving up great content for the pickleball community.

How Many People Play Pickleball in 2026?

As of 2025, 24.3 million Americans play pickleball according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. A broader survey by APP found that 48.3 million adults played at least once in the past 12 months. With projected growth of 15-20% annually, the 2026 total is expected to approach 28-29 million players in the US alone.

Is Pickleball Still Growing or Has It Peaked?

Pickleball is still growing. The growth rate has naturally decelerated from 50%+ annual increases to 15-20%, which is a sign of healthy maturation, not a peak. Institutional investment (multimillion-dollar facilities, pro tour media deals, corporate sponsorships) continues to accelerate, and international expansion is just beginning with 78 countries now in the International Pickleball Federation.

Is Pickleball Growing Faster Than Tennis?

Yes, significantly. Pickleball participation grew 223.5% from 2020 to 2023, while tennis grew approximately 4-5% during the same period. Under-18 tennis participation actually declined 14% in 2023. In July 2023, monthly pickleball participants surpassed monthly tennis participants for the first time in history.

Will Pickleball Be in the Olympics?

Pickleball will not be in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The earliest realistic inclusion is 2032 in Brisbane, with 2036 being more likely. The International Pickleball Federation has 78 member countries (meeting the IOC threshold of 75+), but has not yet received official IOC recognition, which is a required prerequisite.

When Did Pickleball Start Growing So Fast?

The explosive growth phase began in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic drove millions of Americans to seek outdoor, socially distanced recreational activities. Participation tripled from 4.2 million players in 2020 to 13.6 million by 2023, a 223.5% surge. The launch of professional tours (PPA in 2018, MLP in 2019) and celebrity team ownership also accelerated mainstream awareness.