Esports’ Biggest Fans Aren’t Where You’d Expect

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The global esports audience has doubled since 2017 — from 345 million to 665 million this year — but the world’s biggest markets by revenue aren’t the ones with the most devoted fans but the most engaged where passion runs deepest.

According to new data from Skinsluck.com, Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines top the charts for esports fandom, with nearly 30% of internet users in each country regularly tuning in to watch competitive gaming.

These emerging markets easily outpace the global average of 16.7%, underscoring how esports has become embedded in digital culture across the Global South. 

Indonesia and the UAE follow, each with around 23% of internet users engaging with esports content.

Meanwhile, the world’s traditional gaming powerhouses — the U.S., China, South Korea, the U.K., and Germany — dominate in revenue but not in fandom share. For instance, Indonesia now counts nearly three times as many esports fans as the U.S., while Sweden and Switzerland outperform the U.K. in fan penetration.

Even in mature gaming nations like Germany, esports hasn’t yet crossed into the mainstream: only 7.3% of internet users there follow it, compared to 8.3% in Italy and Canada. Japan and Russia, both major gaming markets, sit near the bottom of the list, with just over 5% of their online populations watching esports.

As esports reshapes mainstream entertainment, it is becoming the new spectator economy. Fueled by this enthusiasm across developing markets, the global esports audience is on track to hit nearly 800 million by the end of the decade.

Statista projects growth of around 25 million new fans every year, as mobile-first audiences continue to redefine what fandom looks like in the digital era.

As the line between gaming, content, and culture blurs, brands and publishers will need to chase just viewership of course, but also authentic, time-rich communities where gaming is entertainment and identity as well.