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May 1st, 2024
Top Esports Statistics 2024 – Market, Growth, Viewership
By GilPress
The Esports industry is flourishing in 2024, with the market size expected to reach $2.39 billion by the end of the year. With an audience size of 544 million, the demand for gaming has reached a completely new level with more and more players opting in to create a career in gaming and some even considering full-time streaming on popular platforms such as YouTube or Twitch.
In this article, we are going to list down the top esports statistics for 2024 including its market revenue, Region, Viewership, Most valuable esports organization, Highest-paid players, and more.
Top Esports Statistics 2024
- In 2023, the Esports market was valued at $1.6 billion.
- The sponsorship segment in Esports generated $837.3 million in market revenue in 2022.
- DOTA 2 had a collective prize pool of $29.56 million in 2023.
- 70% of the Esports viewers in the US are males.
- Team Liquid is the highest-earning professional Esports team earning $44.08 million.
- League of Legends World Championship 2023 is the most-watched tournament with a peak viewership of 6.4 million.
Esports Market Overview
The Esports market is valued at over $1.6 billion in 2023
In recent years, the esports industry has gained massive popularity all across the world. In 2019, the global market value of Esports reached $957.5 million, the figures witnessed a massive growth of 70% in the last four years as the Esports market value reached over $1.6 billion in 2023.
Esports Market Revenue Worldwide
In 2022, the global Esports market was valued at 1,64 billion. In addition, the market revenue of the Esports industry is expected to grow at high numbers and reach $2.39 billion by the end of 2024 by growing at a CAGR of 20.9%. According to reports the market value of the Esports market is expected to reach a milestone of $10.9 billion by 2032.
Here is a breakdown of the Esports Market value over the years:
| Year | Market value |
| 2022 | $1.64 billion |
| 2023 | $1.98 billion |
| 2024* | $2.39 billion |
| 2025* | $2.89 billion |
| 2026* | $3.50 billion |
| 2027* | $4.23 billion |
| 2028* | $5.11 billion |
| 2029* | $6.17 billion |
| 2030* | $7.46 billion |
| 2031* | $9.02 billion |
| 2032* | $10.9 billion |
Source: GlobeNewswire
Esports audience size worldwide from 2020 to 2025
There has been a constant rise in the number of viewers tuning in to stream a variety of different games and events worldwide in recent years. In 2020, the Esports audience size was 435.7 million, and in 2022 their numbers reached 532 million. According to Statista, these numbers are expected to reach 640.8 million by the end of 2025.
| Year | Audience size (in millions) |
| 2020 | 435.7 million |
| 2021 | 489.5 million |
| 2022 | 532 million |
| 2024 | 544 million |
| 2025* | 640.8 million |
Source: Statista
Esports Sponsorship generated over $837.3 million in Revenue in 2022
Sponsorship plays a massive role in the overall market revenue of Esports. In 2022, about $837.3 million of market revenue was generated through sponsorship alone followed by Media rights which generated $207.8 million. While, $237 million was generated through Publisher fees, merchandise, and tickets. Below we have mentioned a table showing the different segments through which the global Esports market revenue is generated:
| Segment | Market Revenue |
| Sponsorship | $837.3 million |
| Media rights | $207.8 million |
| Publisher fee | $130.7 million |
| Merchandise & tickets | $107.9 million |
| Digital | $53.9 million |
| Streaming | $46.3 million |
Source: Statista
Esports Statistics by Region
In 2024, the United States Esports Market is expected to be valued at over $1.07 Billion.
The United States dominates the Esports field and was valued at around $871 million in 2023. According to reports, the value of the US Esports sector is expected to reach the milestone of $1.07 billion by the end of 2024 with an expected CAGR of 18.7%. China ranks second in the position of the highest market value at $497.6 million, followed by Germany in the third position with $299.5 million.
Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the market value of Esports based on Region:
| Region | Market value |
| United States | $1.07 billion |
| China | $497.6 million |
| Germany | $299.5 million |
| France | $169.3 million |
In 2025, the number of Esports Fanatics is expected to reach over 318.1 Million
The number of Esports is growing at a large scale. In 2020, the number of fanatics or regular viewers reached 215.2 million and has been growing ever since. The numbers grew by 25 million in 2021 and reached 240 million. According to expected numbers, fanatics are expected to reach a milestone of 318.1 million by the end of 2025.
To provide a clear picture of Esports viewers, below we have mentioned a table showcasing the number of occasional viewers and fanatics:
| Year | Occasional viewers | Fanatics/regular viewers |
| 2025* | 322.7 million | 318.1 million |
| 2022 | 270.9 million | 261.2 million |
| 2021 | 249.5 million | 240 million |
| 2020 | 220.5 million | 215.2 million |
Esports Game Stats
Dota 2 had the largest collective prize pool in 2023 (Esports Earnings)
The game with the highest cumulative prize pool in 2023 was Dota 2 $29.56 million. Dota 2 is an exciting multiplayer Real-time strategy (RTS) that is played on a 5v5 setting on a large scale. Dota 2 was also the leading game in 2022 and it contained a collective prize pool of $32.85 million. Followed by Fortnite in the second position with a collective prize pool of $19.11 million in 2023. Fortnite was ranked fourth in 2022 and had a collective prize pool of $16.25 million.
Below we have listed down the top 10 games with the highest collective prize pool in 2023:
| Game | 2023 Rank | Collective prize pool (2023) | 2022 Rank | Collective prize pool (2022) |
| DOTA 2 | 1 | $29.56 million | 1 | $32.85 million |
| Fortnite | 2 | $19.11 million | 4 | $16.35 million |
| PlayerUnknown’s Battleground Mobile | 3 | $15.94 million | 3 | $23.43 million |
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 4 | $14.99 million | 5 | $16.17 million |
| Rainbow Six Siege | 5 | $8.9 million | 9 | $8.04 million |
| VALORANT | 6 | $8.5 million | 11 | $7.06 million |
| Arena of Valor | 7 | $8.42 million | 2 | $32.73 million |
| Rocket League | 8 | $8.4 million | 7 | $9.42 million |
| League of Legends | 9 | $7.64 million | 6 | $7.71 million |
| PlayerUnknown’s Battleground | 10 | $7 million | 8 | $8.42 million |
Fortnite was the highest-streamed game on Twitch
Fortnite was ranked second ($19.11 million) in the list of the highest Collective prize pool in 2023. In addition, Fortnite became the most streamed game on Twitch between November and December with around 1.6 million streams. It created a record by becoming the only game to tally over 1 million views on Twitch during this time period.
The Collective prize pool of Dota 2 totals more than $340 million
As of December 2023, the total collective prize pool of Dota 2 was $340 million. These numbers were spread across 1,855 tournaments and 4,810 players. Further, Fortnite had a total collective prize pool of $176 million, while Counter-strike: Global Offensive had a total of $158 million. League of Legends and Arena of Valor had a total collective prize pool of $107 million and $78 million respectively.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was streamed by more than 1 million individuals in 2020
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the fourth game launched in the most popular shooter game Counter-Strike series and it was streamed by more than 1 million users in 2020 during its peak. It had approximately 273,000 viewers in 2020. The figures of Counter-strike: Global Offensive were partly inflated by the global pandemic that occurred in 2020 although the figures remained quite stable the following year. The game witnessed a dip in its viewers in 2021 when it declined to 224,000.
Over 4.5 million users streamed Fortnite last year on Twitch
The popular online video game Fortnite received excellent viewership as the number of people streaming the online game was streamed by 4.5 million individuals between December 2022 and December 2023 on the live-streaming service “Twitch.” The figures were doubled in numbers compared to the next-most streamed game “Just Chatting” which was streamed by 2.32 million people.
In a single year, the cumulative PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) tournament prize pool was able to surpass $25 million
The PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) tournament witnessed a massive rise between the years 2017 to 2023. The cumulative prize pool of PUBG Esports in 2017 had a total of $1.01 million. In addition, the cumulative prize pool for Esports witnessed a rise of 8x within one year and reached $8.19 million. By 2023, the numbers for Esports tournaments were estimated to be $27.53 million rising by more than 300% in 5 years.
Top 10 Most Valuable Esports Organizations
According to a study by Forbes in 2020, TSM was named the most valuable esports organization valued at $410 million. Followed by Cloud9 in the second position with a value of $350 million and Team Liquid as third with a $310 million value. Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the top 10 most valuable esports organizations along with their value:
| Esports Organization | Value |
| TSM | $410 million |
| Cloud9 | $350 million |
| Team Liquid | $310 million |
| FaZe Clan | $305 million |
| 100 Thieves | $190 million |
| Gen.G | $185 million |
| Enthusiast Gaming | $180 million |
| G2 Esports | $175 million |
| NRG Esports | $155 million |
| T1 | $150 million |
Source: Forbes
Peak viewers of leading Esports tournaments worldwide
There is no doubt that the Esports market has increased at a massive scale in the last few years with millions of viewers tuning in on a regular basis to watch some of the best gamers in the world perform battel. The League of Legends 2023 World Championship has a record of highest peak viewers of 6.4 million to date. The second most watched tournament is Free Fire World Series 2021 with a peak viewers of 5.41 million.
Here is a breakdown of some of the leading Esports tournaments worldwide:
| Tournament | Peak viewers |
| League of Legends World Championship 2023 | 6.4 million |
| Free Fire World Series 2021 | 5.41 million |
| League of Legends World Championship 2022 | 5.15 million |
| Mobile Legends M5 World Championship | 5.07 million |
| Mobile Legends M4 World Championship | 4.27 million |
| League of Legends World Championship 2021 | 4.02 million |
| League of Legends World Championship 2019 | 3.99 million |
| League of Legends World Championship 2020 | 3.88 million |
| PUBG Mobile Global Championship Season 0 | 3.8 million |
| Mobile Legends MLBB Southeast Asia Cup 2023 | 3.65 million |
Esports Players And Teams Statistics
A wide range of Esports tournaments, social media popularity, online streaming, and various other mediums have played a significant role in helping Esports players receive the recognition they deserve. This has encouraged various companies to invest in numerous Esports teams and create a professional network especially for the players that perform in Esports tournaments, advertise brands and bring gaming to another level. Which has encouraged more and more gamers to build a career in Esports.
Highest Paid Male Esports Players in 2023
N0tail (Johan Sundstein) is the highest-earning Esports player (Male) in 2023 who has earned about $7.12 million through his career in Esports. N0tail is from Denmark and is well-known for his extraordinary performances in Dota Major championships where he was declared winner four times. The second highest-earning male Esports player is JerAx (Jesse Vainikka), who has earned about $6.49 million and is a Dota 2 two-time International Champion with OG.
Below we have mentioned a table showcasing some of the highest-earning male Esports players in 2023:
| Player | Esports Earnings |
| N0tail (Johan Sundstein) | $7.18 million |
| JerAx (Jesse Vainikka) | $6.49 million |
| ana (Anathan Pham) | $6.02 million |
| Ceb (Sebastien Debs) | $5.87 million |
| Topson (Topias Taavitsainen) | $5.7 million |
| KuroKy (Kuro Takhasomi) | $5.29 million |
| Miposhka (Yarostav Naidenov) | $5.26 million |
| Yatoro (Ilya Mulyarchuki) | $5.03 million |
| Collapse (Magomed Khalilov) | $5.03 million |
| Mira (Miroslaw Kolpakov) | $5.02 million |
Source: Statista
Highest Paid Female Esports Players in 2023
As of February 2024, Sasha Hostyn, also known by her username “Scarlett”, is the highest-earning female Esports player who has an Esport earning of $443,810. This Canadian professional video gamer is highly known for playing StarCraft II and becoming the first woman to win a major StarCraft II tournament.
Li Xiaomeng, also known as “Liooon” is the second highest paid female Esports player who has earned $241,510. She is a professional Hearthstone player and was the first-ever female to bang a victory in the Hearthstone Grandmasters Global Finals.
Below we have mentioned a table showcasing highest paid female Esports players in 2023:
| Player | Esport earnings |
| Scarlett (Sasha Hostyn) | $443,810 |
| Liooon (Li Xiaomeng) | $241,510 |
| Mystik(Katherine Gunn) | $122,550 |
| vilga(Ksenia Klyuenkova) | $98,490 |
| juliano (Julia Kiran) | $96,050 |
| Nina (Nina Qual) | $90,970 |
Source: Statista
Leading professional Esports teams globally
Team Liquid is currently one of the strongest and highest-earning professional Esports teams that has won about $44.08 million of prize money. This Esports organization was founded in the Netherlands in 2000. The “OG” is another Esports team from Europe that is ranked second in this list and has earned about $37.7 million.
Below we have mentioned a list showcasing the leading professional Esports teams worldwide based on the prize money won by the teams:
| Team | Country | Prize money won |
| Team Liquid | Europe | $44.08 million |
| OG | Europe | $37.7 million |
| Evil Geniuses | United States | $26.74 million |
| Team Spirit | Russia | $21.79 million |
| Natus Vincere | Ukraine | $20.41 million |
| Team Secret | Europe | $19.71 million |
| Fnatic | United Kingdom | $19.32 million |
| Paris Saint Germain Esports | France | $18.56 million |
| Virtus.pro | Russia | $18.53 million |
| FaZe Clan | United States | $16.15 million |
Source: Statista
Wrapping Up
The above statistics clearly state that the Esports industry is blooming with an excellent audience size. The United States Esports Market is expected to be valued over $1.07 Billion in 2024 along with the audience size expected to reach 544 million by the end of the year. With such extraordinary stats, the Esports industry is expected to reach new heights in upcoming years.
Last updated on April 22nd, 2024.
