Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines Have the World's Largest Esports Fan Bases, Nearly 30% of Internet Users Tune In

Since 2017, the global esports audience has nearly doubled, rising from 345 million to 665 million as of this year. And while a large portion of this massive fan base comes from the world's largest esports markets, United States, China, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Germany, none of these countries even make it into the top five when it comes to the largest esports nations.

According to data presented by Skinsluck.com, Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines have the world's largest esports fan bases, with nearly 30% of internet users tuning in. Here is how other countries rank on this list, showing which have the most esports fans and which, surprisingly, fall to the back of the pack.

Indonesia Has Nearly 3x as Many Esports Fans as the U.S., While Sweden and Switzerland Beat the U.K.

In 2025, the global esports market will generate $4.8 billion in revenue, nearly half a billion more than last year, and 55% of this value will come from the United States, China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Germany —the world's top five esports markets. And while these five giants lead in revenue, they surprisingly don't have the world's largest esports fan bases. That title goes to Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines, three countries with the highest esports fan-to-internet-user ratios globally.

According to the latest Data Reportal Digital Global Overview Report, each of these countries counts nearly 30% of internet users tuning into esports, far above the top five markets or the global average of 16.7%. Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates round up the top five, with a 22.8% share each.

While it's easy to assume that massive nations like China and India would have a lower share of esports fans due to their huge populations, both countries rank above the global average, with around 20% of internet users interested in esports. Also, China is the only major esports market above that average. Indonesia also highlights Asia's dominance in esports engagement, with three times as many esports fans as the United States, the world's largest esports market by revenue.

On the other hand, some developed Western markets and gaming industries, like the United Kingdom, show much smaller engagement, falling behind smaller countries such as Sweden and Switzerland. But that's not the only example of larger gaming markets with fewer esports fans. For example, Italy and Canada both beat Germany in esports fandom, with 8.3% of internet users tuning in, 1% more than Germans, showing it hasn't penetrated the mainstream audience there as deeply. Surprisingly, Japan and Russia, both major gaming markets, sit at the back of the list, with just 5.2% of their online populations being esports fans.  

Global Esports Audience to hit 800 Million by 2030

Thanks to rapidly growing esports fan bases across these countries, the esports industry is set to add tens, and even hundreds, of millions of new fans in the coming years. According to the latest Statista estimates, the total number of esports fans is set to hit over 770 million by 2029, rising by an average of 25 million per year. At this pace of growth, the global esports audience is expected to reach nearly 800 million by the end of the decade.