The eSports industry has become an increasingly significant part of the entertainment sector in recent years. Players can compete against each other, individually or in teams, in a multiplayer video game tournaments across the world. In a survey conducted in April 2023, **** percent of all respondents were avid fans of eSports in the United States.

Introduction

eSports Statistics: Alternatively called competitive gaming, eSports has evolved as a business to hundreds of billions of Dollars. Starting as small local competitions, this has evolved into professional tournaments, which attract millions of players and fans with massive sponsorship.

As for 2024, the eye-opening eSports statistics will be forward-looking as it will be fueled by increased investment, viewership and participation across the globe. This article outlines the main figures that will, in one way or another, influence the eSports sector in the year 2025, which will raise revenue, engage the audience and investors, and expand into new territories.

The eSports market has boomed in recent years with more and more viewers tuning in to watch their favorite games being played by some of the best gamers in the world. Players can compete against each other, individually or in teams, in multiplayer video game tournaments across the world. According to a 2023 report, the value of the eSports market worldwide is expected to grow from 1.64 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 to over 4.8 billion U.S. dollars by 2030.

The eSports market has boomed in recent years with more and more viewers tuning in to watch their favorite games being played by some of the best gamers in the world. Players can compete against each other, individually or in teams, in multiplayer video game tournaments across the world. According to a 2019 report, concurrent viewers of eSports on YouTube are estimated to reach more 2.2 million in 2023.

The statistic presents information on the number of players of selected eSports games worldwide as of August 2017. According to the data, League of Legends was a leader based on number of eSports players. In the presented period the game had a player base of 100 million, while World of Tanks ranked fifth with 12.3 million players in the measured period. eSports players – additional information eSports is profitable, not only for the industry as a whole, but also for individual players. As of March 2017, the highest earnings were those of an American professional gamer, Saahil Arora, better known among his peers as "UNiVeRsE". He started his adventure with eSports as part of a team Evil Geniuses in 2012 playing DOTA 2, but truly kicked-off his career as an offlaner in team Dignitas during the International 3 in 2013. Later in the year he agreed to a contract buyout settlement which allowed him to rejoin Evil Geniuses. Throughout his recorded gaming career, UNiVeRsE has earned 2.72 million U.S. dollars. Among female players, the profits are significantly smaller. To date, the highest earning woman in eSports, Sasha Hostyn from Canada, who goes by "Scarlett" in the gaming industry, has made 171 thousand U.S. dollars in the course of her eSports career. Hostyn began her professional eSports journey with StarCraft II in 2012 and her skills were awarded with nicknames such as "the queen of StarCraft II". In 2015 Scarlett started a transition to DOTA 2 but eventually in late 2016 returned to StarCraft as a member of Team Expert. Based on social media presence and engagement, it is evident that eSports players are among the celebrities of the online world. For example, in January 2016, Lee Sang-hyeok, a player from South Korea, was the leading player, by number of fans on Facebook, with 806 thousand people following his profile. This figure falls roughly somewhere between the Facebook fan base of Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks NHL teams.

The esports data services market is experiencing robust growth, driven by the escalating popularity of esports globally and the increasing demand for comprehensive data analytics within the industry. The market, estimated at $500 million in 2025, is projected to exhibit a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25% from 2025 to 2033, reaching a substantial market size. This growth is fueled by several key drivers, including the rising number of esports tournaments and leagues, the increasing sophistication of esports betting markets, and the expanding use of data analytics for team performance optimization and player scouting. Key trends shaping the market include the development of advanced data analytics platforms capable of processing real-time data streams, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for predictive analytics, and the rising demand for personalized and customized data solutions. Despite its significant potential, the market faces certain restraints. These include the high cost of data acquisition and processing, concerns surrounding data privacy and security, and the potential for data manipulation or fraud within the competitive esports ecosystem. The market is segmented by service type (live data, historical data, analytics solutions), data type (player statistics, team performance, tournament outcomes), and end-users (esports teams, media companies, betting operators, technology providers). Leading companies such as Sportradar, OddsMatrix, and others are vying for market share through innovation, strategic partnerships, and the development of comprehensive data solutions. The geographic distribution of the market shows strong growth in North America and Europe, but significant untapped potential exists in Asia and other emerging regions. The forecast period of 2025-2033 promises further expansion as esports continues to penetrate mainstream media and attract wider audiences.

Introduction

Gaming Monetization Statistics: The gaming sector has undergone considerable transformation, moving away from its conventional model of selling games as independent units.

Instead, it has embraced a diverse ecosystem where various strategies are utilized to produce revenue. Gaming monetization pertains to the practices and tactics employed by game developers and publishers to derive earnings from their creations.

This multifaceted methodology holds immense importance in maintaining the industry's expansion, facilitating game development, and furnishing players with captivating interactions. The dynamic gaming monetization landscape is characterized by its ability to adapt to changing market dynamics, emerging player preferences, and technological advancements.

This adaptability will remain essential in sustaining the industry's growth while ensuring that players continue to receive captivating gaming experiences.

During a survey in the second quarter of 2024, over ** percent of respondents worldwide aged 18 to 29 listed eSports as one of their interests. This figure was lower among the general population, with ** percent of overall respondents declaring an interest in eSports.

In 2023, the eSports industry in Brazil ammased an audience of almost 25 million users. By 2028, this figure is projected to surpass 33 million users. Brazil ranks low among the world's leading eSports markets by revenue. However, in 2023 the country was third among the markets with most active eSports players.

The eSports market has boomed in recent years with more and more viewers tuning in to watch their favorite games being played by some of the best gamers in the world. By 2025, there are expected to be over 318 million eSports enthusiasts worldwide, a significant increase from the 215.2 million in 2020. Additionally, some 322.7 million people are forecast to be occasional viewers of eSports by 2025.

Leading eSports tournaments The most watched eSports event of all time is the 2021 Free Fire World Series, a Garena Free Fire tournament hosted by Singapore. With millions of viewers tuning in to watch expert gamers battle it out, it is unsurprising that large sums of money are at stake. The International 2021, which was the tenth edition of the annual DOTA 2 world championship, had a combined prize pool of over 40 million U.S. dollars. In addition, the cumulative prize pool for DOTA 2 tournaments around the world in 2021 stood at a huge 47.8 million U.S. dollars.

The eSports market is one of the fastest growing sectors within the media industry. One of the newer areas within this market is mobile eSports, in which video gamers compete against each other in tournaments involving mobile games such as PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, and Clash Royale. The revenue of the mobile eSports market was expected to grow from around 1.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 to over 5.4 billion U.S. dollars by 2030.

Mobile eSports - a growing market China is projected to be one of the largest mobile eSports markets by 2025, generating almost 360 million U.S. dollars of revenue within the industry. Unsurprisingly, China was also estimated to be home to the most mobile eSports viewers worldwide by 2025. An estimated 173.8 million viewers from China would be watching mobile eSports in that year, while the global figure was forecast to reach almost 550 million viewers. Current estimates suggest that there were approximately 418 million mobile eSports viewers across the globe.

PUBG Mobile PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is a multiplayer battle royale game which was first released in December 2017. In a similar vein to other battle royale games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone, PUBG pits up to 100 online gamers against each other in a fight to the death until one player or one team is left standing. A mobile version of the game, PUBG Mobile, was released worldwide in March 2018 and became an immediate hit. Within the game, players have the ability to buy in-game currency which they can then use to purchase crates containing weapon customizations and character upgrades. As a result, player spending on PUBG Mobile reaches into the millions of U.S. dollars every month. With so much interest in the game, PUBG Mobile soon became an eSports hit, with the best players in the world competing in annual tournaments. The most prominent of these tournaments is the PUBG Mobile Pro League, which takes place annually across five regions.

The eSports industry has become an increasingly significant part of the entertainment sector in recent years. Players can compete against each other, individually or in teams, in a multiplayer video game tournaments across the world. In a survey conducted in April 2023, around 14 percent of Hispanic respondents were avid fans of eSports in the United States.

The eSports market has boomed in recent years, with mobile eSports also growing as an industry. According to estimates, the number of mobile eSports viewers are expected to grow from approximately 418 million in 2019 to over 548 million viewers by 2025.

The eSports market has exploded in recent years with more and more viewers tuning in to watch the best gamers in the world do battle. The League of Legends 2024 World Championship became the most watched eSports event of all time, with a recorded 6.86 million peak viewers. The second most viewed tournament was the League of Legends 2023 World Championship in South Korea, with 6.4 million peak viewers. eSports on the rise The eSports audience size in 2021 stood at a considerable 234 million enthusiasts, on top of 240 million occasional viewers. If these figures were not impressive enough, they are forecast to grow even further in the next few years. The enthusiasts are spread across the world, but the Asia Pacific region seems to be a particular hotspot for eSports. In the United States, meanwhile, some 13.4 percent of internet users in 2021 watched eSports, with the figure expected to rise to 15.5 percent by 2023. League of Legends tournaments Although League of Legends was released some 12 years ago, it has only recently exploded into life thanks to the eSports market. With the increased viewership comes increased revenue, and this means that the League of Legends tournaments are worth big money. The game’s cumulative prize pool for tournaments across the world amounted to over 7.82 million U.S. dollars in 2021. As well as the Mid-Season Invitational tournament, the best LoL players also fight it out in the annual League of Legends World Championship. The stakes were higher than ever in 2018 as the total prize pool stood at 6.45 million U.S. dollars. The most recent World Championships in 2024 ended in a final match up between T1 and Bilibili Gaming, from South Korea and China, respectively. T1 emerged as champions following a 3-2 victory, pocketing prize money of almost half a million U.S. dollars.

Around the globe, eSports is rapidly gaining popularity with millions of fans and billions of dollars up for grabs. The competitive, organized video gaming had attracted *** million users in China in 2024. The country has become one of the largest eSports powerhouses in the world, with rising numbers of female viewers and players in eSports leagues.

Climbing to the top of the ladder The first time Chinese gamers appeared in a global video gaming competition was the World Cyber Games in 2001. The United States and South Korea were leading the tournament chart in terms of total prize money, whereas China ranked tenth among ** participating countries that year. After two rapid growth stages of China’s eSports industry between 2013 and 2016 and in 2021, the number of professional players and the amount of prize winnings reached a record high. In 2023, Chinese players occupied ** of the top 50 player spots, surpassing the United States in the global eSports arena. Rising participation of women in competitive gaming While eSports gaming is male-dominated to a great extent, female fans accounted for about a quarter in China. Several consumer surveys have found that females are more willing to fly to attend an overseas eSports event and spend more on related merchandise. On the other side, the landmark victory of Chinese female player Li Xiaomeng has not only encouraged more Chinese women to go pro, but has also attracted a lot of young, female viewers. As the leading female Chinese eSports gamer, Li was the first woman to win a Hearthstone Grandmasters championship and a BlizzCon tournament in November 2019. In the long term, the eSports industry needs to address the gender gap as more and more female consumers want to see women represented in eSports tournaments.

The eSports market has boomed in recent years, with millions of gaming fanatics tuning in online to watch the world's best eSports players take each other on in a wide range of online games. During an October 2022 survey in the United States, 58 percent of all respondents who had heard of eSports stated that they had never remotely watched an eSports event. However, nine percent of respondents claimed that they watched eSports remotely several times a week.

The revenue ranking in the esports market is led by the Philippines with **** million U.S. dollars, while Thailand is following with **** million U.S. dollars. In contrast, Malaysia is at the bottom of the ranking with *** million U.S. dollars, showing a difference of **** million U.S. dollars to the Philippines. Find more statistics on other topics: a comparison of countries or regions regarding the revenue and a comparison of the ad spending in Asia.The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

The eSports market has boomed in recent years, with mobile eSports also growing as an industry. According to estimates, the number of viewers of mobile eSports is expected to grow to over 548 million worldwide by 2025. Of these projected viewers, almost 174 million are forecast to be from China.

Two thirds of eSports content watched in 2023 was content from official channels. Meanwhile, user-generated content accounted for one third of eSports viewership in the same year.

In 2024, about 57 percent of eSports viewers in the United States were super gamers, meaning they viewed gaming as their primary source of entertainment and followed gaming content online. Meanwhile, just eight percent of eSports viewers in the U.S. were non-gamers.