Did you know that eSports has been around since 1972?
Moreover, eSports is a thrilling industry that has consistently grown in popularity over the years.
These eSports statistics for 2025 will clearly prove how it’s grown. We will also share other eSports facts and data that you will find interesting.
We will answer questions like how large this market is, how it generates revenue, the betting factor in the games, and how popular it really is.
These answers will fall in place as you read the next few paragraphs with fascinating statistics.
Key eSports Statistics 2024
- America and China are leaders in producing revenue in eSports.
- America and China are in the lead, competing closely in gaming revenue.
- Sponsorships make up the majority of the eSports revenue.
- Some players can make more than $100 million with eSports gaming.
- The Fortnite Battle Royale grew in 2018 and 2019 by three times with pools totalling over $60 million in eSports earnings.
- The market is valued at more than $1 billion.
- A shocking 80% of Americans have never heard of or aren’t interested in eSports.
- An interesting fact about female viewership in this industry is that South Korea has the largest share.
- TSM is the most valuable eSports company with a market value of $410 million
- In 2021, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive obtained the highest cumulative prize pool at $7.98 million.
Detailed eSports Statistics 2025
In the following, we will share with you the statistics and facts based on data we gathered so you can see the significant impact this industry has made in the market.
Global eSports Statistics
Oddly, eSports suffered a mild downturn during the pandemic in 2020, but started recovering in 2021 with an increase in market revenue all over the globe.
Likewise, the future is looking bright as expectations are that this industry is predicted to reach more than $1.6 billion.
In 2019, the global revenue accounted for $957.5 million, with a drop in 2020 to $947.1 million.
By 2021, the revenue was up to $1,084.1 million and is forecasted to reach $1,617.7 by 2024.
eSports Global Market Revenue by Segment
Sponsorships bring in the most revenue for the industry, but here are the esports statistics by segments:
- $641 million: Sponsorships
- $192.6 million: Media Rights
- $126.6 million: Publisher Fees
- $66.6 million: Merchandise and Ticket Sales
- $32.3 million: Digital Revenue
- $25.1 million: Streaming Revenue
eSports Revenue by Country and Locale
America and China are the leaders in producing revenue in eSports. These two countries alone make up more than half of the worldwide revenue.
Here is a breakdown by country/region:
- China: $360.1 million; 33.2%
- United States: 243 million; 22.4%
- Western Europe: 205.8 million; 19%
- All other countries and regions: 275.2 million; 25.4%
eSports Gaming Revenue Statistics
Now we will discuss how the global market does in gaming revenue.
Again, America and China are in the lead, appearing to compete closely with one another. Here is how that breakdown looks.
- China with $44.2 million in revenue
- America with $42.1 million in revenue
- Japan with $20.6 million in revenue
- South Korea with $7.3 million in revenue
- Germany with $6.1 million in revenue
- United Kingdom: $4.5 million
Which Country Has the Highest Earnings?
While we are still discussing the global market in eSports, we will talk about the earnings by country.
It’s not unheard of for a player to make more than $100 million in eSports gaming as this is a highly lucrative niche that pays off in major rewards.
Here is how the global earnings look.
- The United States: $169.1 million in earnings among 19,469 players
- China: $128.3 million in earnings among 4,839 players
- The Republic of Korea: $100.5 million in earnings among 4,169 players
- Sweden: $40.5 million in earnings among 2,689 players
- Denmark: $40.0 million in earnings among 1,670 players
- France: $11.6 million in earnings among 4,300 players
The United States is currently in the lead in gaming revenue.
eSports Growth Statistics
The eSports stats show that the market is valued at more than $1 billion.
Even with the blip in 2020 where the market value in eSports dropped a bit, the market that was valued at $957.5 million in 2019 is now valued at $1.08 billion, which is an increase of more than 10% over 2019 to 2021.
It’s estimated that eSports will be worth about $1.62 billion by 2024. That statistic revolves around the industry’s popularity and consistent growth.
The eSports following is large with millions of followers. Europe is enjoying steady growth in this industry. Some regions are seeing more than 30% of women in the fan base.
eSports Statistics According to Country and Region
It may surprise you to know that nearly 150 countries have players who earn money from participating in eSports games. Some countries show little revenue, while others are showing millions in earnings.
In 2019, it was reported that in the Philippines, nearly half (49%) of internet users watch video gaming via live streams.
Indonesia came in second with 40% and India with 39%. Asian nations, including Turkey, exceed 30% in this segment.
The next highest country that watches gaming via live steam is Mexico with 29% of all its internet users. This percentage is balanced along with the global average.
South America, specifically Brazil comes in with 24% of its internet users using live streams to watch eSports.
Romania has the highest proportion coming from Europe at 23%, which is similar to Egypt and South Africa in Africa.
Americans come in significantly lower at 13% of internet users who use live streaming to watch video games.
eSports Organizations Statistics
The top 10 eSports organizations include TSM, Cloud9, Team Liquid, FeZe Clan, 100 Thieves, Gen.G, Enthusiast Gaming, G2 eSports, NRG eSports, and T1.
The top four alone are with more than $250 million combined.
In 2020, Forbes revealed that TSM is the most valuable eSports company with a market value of $410 million. Cloud9 is second with $350 million.
eSports Game Statistics
When it comes to eSports game statistics, here are a few we were able to discover for you.
In 2021, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive obtained the highest cumulative prize pool at $7.98 million within its first six months.
No other video game has gotten a prize pool this large during the first six months of 2021.
Fortnite came in fourth with $6.12 million in cumulative prize pool and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War had $2.78 million.
Fortnite is also the game that is most streamed on the Twitch platform. In March of 2021, Fortnite was streamed 6.99 million times.
As for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it obtained about 5 million streams in March 2021.
Other popular games streamed on Twitch include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and VALORANT. These are both in the top ten.
The most popular games are popular in part because they are the most streamed and watched games.
Here are the top most streamed games by hours:
- League of Legends with 348.8 million hours
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with 215 million hours
- DOTA 2 with 198.8 million hours
- Overwatch with 37 million hours
- Hearthstone with 37 million hours
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege with 32.4 million hours.
eSports Tournaments Statistics
The tournaments in eSports are taken very seriously by players and viewers.
In May 2021, the most viewed eSports tournament was the Free Frire World Series 2021 held in Singapore. This tournament achieved 5.41 million views.
Number two and three in line for the most viewed tournament is League of Legends, or LOL. In 2019, this tournament was viewed by 3.99 million viewers.
In 2020, they got 3.88 million viewers.
$40 million is the prize pool in an eSports tournament that is considered the largest of tournament prize pools.
This occurred in 2021 after the tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
By 2023, annual combined prize pools for eSports tournaments are predicted to exceed $500 million.
eSports Player Stats
Top eSports game players have won more than $7 million in earnings. Imagine that. Just for playing games. You would be surprised at the level of skill that goes into these games.
In December 2021, Johan Sundstein was the top earning player. So far, he has made over $7 million playing video games. He is known as NOtail.
The leading female eSports player is Sasha Hostyn, known better as Scarlett. She has earned a total of $420,000, which is 18 times less than the top male player.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the game that draws the most players.
Here’s a breakdown of games with the most players.
- DOTA 2: 4,028 players (prize pool: $233.6 million)
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: 13,801 players (prize pool: $114.2 million)
- Fortnite: 4,725 players (prize pool: $102.6 million)
- League of Legends: 7,733 players (prize pool: $8.3 million)
- StarCraft II: 2,087 players (prize pool: $34.7 million)
eSports Viewership Statistics
In 2019, statistics showed that there were around 397.8 million eSports viewers. 197 million were eSports enthusiasts and 200.8 million were occasional viewers.
In 2021, the enthusiasts fan base grew to 234 million and another 240 million occasional viewers.
It’s estimated that by 2024, there will be 285.7 million enthusiasts watching eSports and another 291.6 million occasional eSports viewers.
Largest Audience
Demographics data shows that over half of eSports viewers come from the Asia Pacific with 57% of views, which is 41% more than anywhere else.
Europe accounts for 16% of all views and North America 12%. Consequently, 15%of all eSports views account for all other countries.
American Audience
A shocking 80% of Americans have never heard of or aren’t interested in eSports.
In 2021, eSports statistics showed that 59% of American survey participants said they were “not a fan at all” of eSports.
Another 20% had never even heard of it. Furthermore, 20% of respondents said they were fans of eSports with 13% claiming to be casual fans and 7% avid fans.
European Audience
Just like in other regions, Europe’s eSport viewers audience has grown. In 2018, there were 79 million viewers.
In 2019, there were 886 millions, and by 2020, European eSports viewership grew to 92 million.
Of that 92 million, 33 were enthusiasts and 59 million were occasional eSports viewers.
Female Audience
Gender statistics for eSports show that female fans account for 22% of eSports’ global total viewership.
An interesting fact about female viewership in this industry is that South Korea has the largest share.
Here is how eSports female viewerships break down.
- South Korea with 32% female viewership
- China with 30% female viewership
- The United Kingdom with 25% female viewership
- The United States with 17% female viewership
- The Global Average with 22% female viewership
Male Audience
According to polls and surveys, men are about 3 times more likely to engage with eSports as fans.
About 30% of males claim to have at least some interest in eSports, while only 11% of women claim to be interested.
eSports Betting Stats
Like many physical games, bets on eSports games also occur. The popularity of betting on these video games is increasing as the industry grows.
As of now, it only accounts for a small portion of online gambling, but is expected to increase.
In 2020, the amount of eSports betting was likely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but 2021 was much better. 2024 may see higher numbers.
This gambling arena is no different than any other in that some games obtain higher betting averages than others.
The top three games that achieved the most betting amounts include:
- League of Legends with $39.43 million
- King of Glory with $37.37 million
- Call of Duty with $33.6 million
It’s surprising that popular games like Counter-Strike and Fortnite didn’t make this top list.
Betting amounts differ from betting volume. So, here are the games that got the most wagers.
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with 53% of total wagers placed
- DOTA 2 with 35% of total wagers placed
- League of Legends with 7% of total wagers placed
- Other Games with 5% of total wagers placed
The highest winning bet was $7,974, which was made by placing a $24.40 bet. That was probably the best $25 that person ever bet.
eSports Popularity Stats
The eSports industry has experienced an outpouring in popularity just in recent years, though it’s always had a loyal audience.
Popular games like Fortnite grew between 2018 and 2019 by three times.
The battle royale game is especially popular and the tournament in 2018 had a prize pool of around $20 million.
The pandemic hit this prize pool hard in 2020 with a $7.88 million prize pool.
Top eSport players have won millions over the last few years with top earner, Johan Sundstein who has won $7.18 million up to now.
More will be discussed in the eSport players stats in another section.
FAQs
What Makes eSports Such a Big Deal?
People like to enjoy their down time, so watching eSports is a way to chill out and relax.
You can watch the games from your couch on your computer, television, or other device that is compatible with streaming videos.
Players are also making use of their leisure time by playing video games.
You can see by the eSports stats, that this is also a serious business with players making thousands to millions of dollars for participating.
Could eSports Become the Fastest-Growing Sport?
This question cannot be answered with a concise yes or no. We can say that it is one of the fastest-growing.
In 2020, statistics revealed that video gaming was second only to the NFL in viewership.
Are There Benefits of Partaking in eSports?
As mentioned above, playing can be a leisure activity that people enjoy.
It can also be beneficial for cognition and social development. It engages the brain in socialization and critical thinking as well as problem-solving.
Players are making money with video games, and since this industry is growing so fast, there may soon be options for college scholarships in the near future.
Is eSports the Most-Watched of All Sports?
You would think that with some of the data you have seen in this article, that would be so.
However, soccer retains its popularity over eSports with more than 4 billion fans all over the globe.
How Large Is the eSports Market?
It’s estimated that the eSports market size will grow to $1.08 billion in 2021.
That said, this industry may have suffered some setbacks in 2020 during the pandemic, but things seem to be turning around.
Conclusion
While eSports have been around since the 1970s, the popularity has only begun to show.
Today, people from all walks of life are playing or streaming eSports games. Even professional athletes partake in this industry.
These eSports statistics for 2025 show that this industry is growing not only in popularity, but in revenue for nations and in earnings for players.
The eSports industry is set to boom in the coming years, and could overtake traditional gambling on sports overall.
This should increase the ability for people to place bets and win, after looking at these statistics.
The stats related to today’s youth shows that the world’s younger audiences are swiftly switching from conventional television to online streaming venues.
YouTube and Twitch are both proof of that since they are both thriving. Video streaming outlets have become an essential part of non-gaming content streaming.
Therefore, it makes sense that eventually, many will be drawn to eSports streaming.
The modern age is also awakening businesses to the idea of using innovative methods of advertising and marketing to the younger crowd.
Many industries like special events, concerts, and shows are already making a showing in the video and live streaming sector.
