Top 10 Most Played Sports In The World. We count a number of players: people who play this game, not just watch on TV or elsewhere. Global scope: 300M in China, 40M players in the Philippines, 26M in the USA.
Originating from America, volleyball boasts an impressive estimated global participation figure of 998 million people. Indoor and outdoor versions of the sport are played all over the world, with over 220 affiliated national federations registered to volleyball’s global governing body the ‘FIVB’.
The Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA) estimates that a minimum of 450 million people play the sport around the world, be it recreationally or through structured competitions. Legendary figures in the world of basketball such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, have aided the rise in global popularity of the sport from its American roots.
How Many People Play Basketball Worldwide?
This indoor sport has become more and more popular over the years, with integration in schools, social clubs, and sports centers across the world. Topend Sports ranking also estimated 300 million people worldwide participate in table tennis.
Few things can rival football as a spectator sport and this is also matched by the number of people who participate in the sport, be it at the grassroots level, 5-a-side leagues or simply playing for fun with friends. In the last global census undertaken by the sports governing body FIFA, it was estimated that there are 265 million people who play the sport along with more than 5 million referees, which equates to 4% of the world’s population.
https://venngage.net/p/248246/soccer
https://www.britannica.com/sports/football-soccer
It might come as a surprise to some people that badminton is among the world’s top 10 most participated sports. But badminton is an extremely popular indoor sport, which is played regularly by an estimated 220 million people around the world. It is particularly popular in Asia, with many of the best players ever to grace the game hailing from the continent.
Historically baseball was more popular in America than anywhere else in the world but the sport is now becoming increasingly popular in other countries such as Japan. Softball is the female version of the game, and it is estimated by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) that 65 million people play either baseball or softball in over 140 countries.
Widely recognised as the most popular individual sport in the world, tennis is played by an estimated number of 60 million men and women around the world, according to a ranking by Topend Sports. The doubles version of the sport is also extremely popular around the world, which is why it ranks on this 10 most participated sports list.
Perhaps one of the most popular pastimes in the world, according to Golf Today, 60 million people around the world regularly participate in the sport. The definition of regularly playing golf in these figures equates to taking part in one round of golf per year, or using a facility such as a driving range.