Although still relatively new, Esports has already exploded in different cities around the globe. With over a million professional competitors and growing prize pools, Esports is here for the long haul.
Although highly popular in different countries across the world, there are still many countries that have relatively low exposure to the world of Esports. However, today we’re going to be looking at the other end of the spectrum and listing the most popular Esports countries in the world. These rankings will incorporate both the number of Esports competitors by country as well as the country’s earnings.
1. United States
Topping our list is the United States of America, which has about four times as many Esports competitors than the number two entry on this list. For this reason alone, the United States tops my list. There are currently over 20,000 American Esports competitors, and they’ve established themselves as the dominant country with the sheer number of participants.
However, they don’t just have the most players, but they also rake in some hefty prize pools as well. They currently rank number one in earnings with over $180 million won all-time, which is really no surprise considering the sheer number of American players. The United States definitely stands tall in the world of professional Esports.
2. China
Second on our list is the most populated country in the world, as it’s called home by nearly 1.5 billion people. China has been deeply ingrained in the world of Esports since the beginning, and they’ve continued their high participation ever since.
Despite only having roughly 5,000 Esports competitors, China is still able to rake in the prize pools. Chinese competitors have collected over $150 million all-time, which is only about $30 million less than the United States, despite having only a quarter of the number of American competitors.
These figures display that although China isn’t the top dog in the Esports world, it very well may be the most successful country. This may be partly due to the Chinese Esports competitors dominating the top forty spots on Dota 2, which has given the highest amount of prize pools out of any video game.
3. South Korea
Although not at the top of the list, South Korea, or the Republic of Korea, certainly deserves mention when discussing Esports juggernauts. With roughly 4,200 competitors and $108 million in earnings all time, South Korea may have the deepest roots within Esports.
Korean competitors have been around for a very long while and are often credited for paving the way for other Esports competitors around the globe. Unfortunately for South Korea, most of the popular Esports games in their country do not give the largest prize pools and have hindered their earning potential. Nevertheless, South Korea is Esports royalty.
4. Russia
After the first three entries on this list, there is quite a fall off in terms of competitors and earnings. Despite this fact, Russia is home to roughly 4,000 competitors with earnings of just under $50 million, which is still quite impressive.
Russia has become more and more involved in Esports over the years, and it is even said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in support of Esports in their education system. Esports is definitely on the rise in Russia and eventually could become one of the Esports hubs of the world.
5. France
Although they haven’t earned the most when it comes to Esports competitions, France has one of the highest participation rates in the world, with nearly 4,500 competitors. They’ve earned roughly $37 million in prize pools all time, which is certainly nothing to look down upon. Although not an Esports powerhouse, France certainly has developed a strong Esports community.
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