5 Surprising Esports Statistics Every Gamer Should Know

Esports is an up-and-coming industry that is rapidly growing in popularity among all age groups. Thanks to millions of gamers around the world, both esports games and tournaments are reaching broad audiences. Since this is the case, the esports market is exponentially growing, drawing the attention of industry giants and, in the process, generating millions of dollars in revenue. Both lucrative in terms of money and entertainment, the esports industry appears to be here to stay.

How Popular is the Esports Industry?

Even though gaming has been around for a long time, not all games are considered an esport. However, thanks to esports, some of the already popular games such as CS:GO, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Fortnite have reached stardom. With tournaments, sponsorships, professional esports players, and a growing number of fans, the esports industry is now climbing to the top of the entertainment sector.

The global market reports reveal that the esports market is expected to reach $12,494.3 million by 2030 and record a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.9% from 2022 to 2030. With esports enthusiasts, professional esports teams, and big tournament prizes, the previously frowned upon gaming activity has evolved into a popular and profitable career path.

Even though you may be an esports aficionado, you might not be familiar with some of the recent, most mind-blowing esports statistics. Don’t fret, we’ve compiled five surprising esports statistics below.

5 Surprising Esports Statistics Every Gamer Should Know

1. The esports market is valued at over $1 billion

By now, we all know how popular and in demand the esports industry is and the market will only get bigger in time. According to Newzoo, the esports global market in 2021 was valued at $957.5 million. However, the number has spiked over the years along with the industry’s popularity. What’s more, the numbers on Statista reveal that the global esports market is valued at over a whopping $1.38 billion  in 2022. Taking the previous years into account, the esports industry's global market revenue is expected to grow to as much as $1.62 billion in 2024 and $1.87 billion in 2025.

2. Esports sponsorship generates over $600 million in market revenue

Currently, the esports market’s revenue is comprised of sponsorships, media rights, publisher fees, merchandise and tickets, and digital streaming. And the esports industry and esports organisations heavily rely on sponsorship as their main revenue source. Back in 2021, esports sponsorships accounted for $641 million worth of revenue. As with all things related to esports, this number has rapidly grown as well. According to Strive Sponsorship, sponsorships will account for $837.3 million in 2022, which is nearly 60% of global esports revenues.

3. China is by far the largest esports market in the world

The esports market Despite heavy regulations, China’s esports market grew by 14% in 2022 compared to 2021. After the country’s $403.1 million market revenue in esports back in 2021, China is still the leading name in the industry, $100 million ahead of the next largest regional market. The largest single country in the market, China’s advantage comes from the huge population of gamers and esports fanatics who are interested in esports and live-streaming.

4. The International 2021 had the largest prize pool so far

Throughout the history of the industry, the largest esports tournament prize pools have been dominated by The International. All five of the top esports prize pools so far have been the courtesy of the annual tournament. After it was canceled due to COVID back in 2020, The International took to the stage in 2021 with a whopping $40.02 million prize pool.

In esports, prize pools are one of the major things enticing players. While most games and tournaments offer large prizes, the esports tournament that has offered the greatest overall prize pool as of November 2022 was The International 2021. While no tournament has surpassed The International 2021’s pool, tournaments that are scheduled for 2023 are expected to reach even higher numbers. To be exact, 2023’s combined esports prize pools are expected to surpass $500 million.

5. The most viewed esports tournament had over 5 million viewers

Due to the pop-culture evolution of the industry, esports games’ popularity skyrocketed. Along with games, investments and revenues climbed to new heights. The esports industry owes a lot of its fame to social media and live-streaming platforms. These platforms offer gaming fans around the world a way to join in on the events and watch the games, forming a direct connection. As of 2021, Free Fire World Series 2021 in Singapore has become the most viewed esports event with a massive 5.41 million viewers. Following the Free Fire World Series 2021 in Singapore are the League of Legends (LOL) World Championships with around 3.88 million viewers in 2021 and 5 million viewers in 2022.