Market data on padel’s growth globally and in Thailand — players, courts, participation and market size.
The standard applied to this document. Every figure carries the name and date of the source that published it. Nothing is estimated or projected by us. Where a number is arithmetic rather than published — a density ratio, a revenue calculation — it is labelled as such and every input is shown. Where two credible sources disagree, both are given and the reason for the difference is explained rather than resolved in our favour.
Court supply per head of population, in the market that leads the world and in the market in question.
Thailand has roughly three and a half times fewer courts per person than the United Kingdom, and around 180 times fewer than Spain. The UK is itself a market the industry classifies as undersupplied, running 85% average court occupancy.
Court counts: FIP World Padel Report 2025 (Spain, Sweden), FIP World Padel Report 2024 (UK), Thailand Padel Association, read 24 Aug 2026. UK occupancy: Playtomic with PwC Strategy&, Global Padel Report 2026. Ratios calculated from published court counts and national population estimates, rounded — the calculation reproduces the FIP’s own published finding that Sweden is denser than Spain.
Two organisations count this market and they do not agree. The sport’s governing body counts what national federations report, including courts with no online booking. Playtomic, the largest booking platform, counts what it can verify digitally, which undercounts informal supply. Both are shown here.
Different methods, different bases — and materially the same growth rate.
| Measure | FIP World Padel Report 2025 Published December 2025 |
Playtomic with PwC Strategy& Published 28 May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Active players | 35 million+ | 19.4 million |
| Courts | 77,300 | 58,300 |
| Clubs | 24,600+ | 20,900+ |
| Countries | 150 nations, 20 territories | — |
| Court growth during 2025 | +15.2% | +16% |
| Courts added during 2025 | 14,355 | about 8,000 |
| Forward forecast | — | 91,000 courts by 2028 |
FIP World Padel Report 2025 (2nd edition), International Padel Federation, December 2025. Playtomic Global Padel Report 2026, produced with PwC Strategy&, 28 May 2026.
Three points published by the governing body and its predecessor tour.
2014: World Padel Tour report, cited in FIP coverage. 2024 and 2025: FIP World Padel Report, editions 1 and 2.
Seven countries hold roughly 60% of the world’s courts — 48,870 of 77,300. Thailand does not appear anywhere near this table, which is the point.
Courts per million people is the comparable measure; it corrects for the size of the country.
| Country | Courts | Courts per million people |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 17,300 | 360 |
| Italy | 10,220 | 173 |
| Argentina | 7,000 | 152 |
| Sweden | 4,220 | 398 |
| France | 4,000 | 58 |
| Netherlands | 3,570 | 198 |
| Mexico | 2,560 | 20 |
| United Kingdom 2024 figure | 470 | 7 |
| Thailand | 140 | 2 |
Court counts: FIP World Padel Report 2025, except the United Kingdom (FIP World Padel Report 2024) and Thailand (Thailand Padel Association, 24 Aug 2026). Courts per million calculated from those counts and national population estimates, rounded to whole numbers.
The same figures drawn to scale. Sweden, the densest market on earth, has roughly 200 times Thailand’s supply per head.
Calculated from the court counts in the table above plus: UAE 950+ courts across 320+ venues (padel industry guides, 2026); Singapore 73 courts at 25 clubs (Padel Singapore directory, April 2026); Indonesia close to 1,000 courts (Playtomic and Indonesian market reporting, 2025–26). Population estimates rounded. Bars scaled to Sweden.
Europe reached roughly 48,000 courts, an increase of 170% since 2020, and the 2026 Playtomic report now identifies overcapacity as the challenge facing mature European markets. The capital and the operating expertise that built Europe are looking for the next curve.
Of a base of more than 35 million active players.
FIP World Padel Report 2025. Bars scaled to the largest region rather than to 100%.
Where Thailand sits among its regional peers.
| Market | Courts | Clubs / venues | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | ~1,000 | — | ~800 courts added in 2025 alone; ~400,000 amateur players |
| United Arab Emirates | 950+ | 320+ | Across all seven emirates |
| Thailand | 140 | 51 | 5,000+ regular players; 150,000+ have played |
| Singapore | 73 | 25 | First courts built 2021 |
| India | 100 | — | 2024 figure; clubs in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata |
Indonesia: Playtomic Global Padel Report 2026 (~800 courts added in 2025) and Indonesian market reporting. UAE: padel industry guides, 2026. Thailand: Thailand Padel Association, 24 Aug 2026. Singapore: Padel Singapore club directory, April 2026. India: 2024 figure. Malaysia is excluded: the available directory count mixes padel with pickleball venues and cannot be relied on.
The Thailand Padel Association has been recognised by the International Padel Federation since 2019, sits on the FIP’s Padel Asia Regional Committee, and operates the national circuit. Its published figures are the country’s reference point.
Every year on record has been a build year. There is no down year yet.
2022 and 2023: Thai Padel Series, the national circuit, February 2024. Late 2024: reported at approximately 100 courts across about 25 clubs, April 2025, citing the FIP and the Thailand Padel Association. August 2026: Thailand Padel Association. The 2022–2024 points come from circuit and press reporting rather than an audited census and should be read as a trajectory.
The published national figure cross‑checked against an independent count of every Thai venue listed in the country’s booking systems, court by court, 24 August 2026.
| Measure | Booking‑system count | Thailand Padel Association |
|---|---|---|
| Distinct venues | 50 | 51 |
| Distinct playing courts | 180 | 140 |
| Average courts per venue | 3.6 | 2.7 |
Two entirely different methods — federation self‑reporting and booking‑system aggregation — land within 2% of each other on venue count, which makes the figure of roughly 50 clubs unusually solid for a market this young. On courts the second count finds 29% more than the published national figure, and it is a floor rather than a ceiling, since it sees only venues that sell court time online. The true national number is likely between 180 and 200.
Independent count compiled 24 August 2026 across the Thai booking platforms (Playtomic, Matchi and five others). Method: individual court records joined to venue records, classified by venue time zone, test records and one mis‑tagged non‑Thai venue removed, 17 duplicate venue records collapsed. Reproducible on request.
Of the 180 courts identified. In this climate, cover is what separates a seasonal asset from a year‑round one.
Independent booking‑system count, 24 August 2026.
Of the 120 courts whose city is recorded. Bangkok leads; Phuket is disproportionately large relative to its resident population, reflecting tourism demand.
Independent booking‑system count, 24 August 2026. A further 60 courts sit at venues where the city is not recorded, so these are minimum counts.
Court counts describe supply. These figures describe whether the courts get used — which is the question that decides whether a build is a good one.
There is no credible published figure for the size of the Thai padel market in baht or dollars. The commercial research reports that appear in search value global padel anywhere from USD 293 million to USD 3.8 billion, alongside one that puts the padel racket market at USD 130 billion. They contradict one another by three orders of magnitude and none of them can be relied on.
What can be done honestly is to build the number from published inputs and show the working.
| Input | Reported range |
|---|---|
| Cost to build, outdoor court | THB 1.5–2.5 million |
| Court hire, per hour | THB 1,200–1,500 |
| Utilisation | 25–40 hours per week |
| Capital payback | ~2 years |
Thai property and investment press, 2026, citing Lazudi commercial property data. These are market estimates reported by a third party, not audited operator accounts, and are reproduced here as published.
On the independent count of 180 courts, the same arithmetic gives THB 411 million. Court hire accounts for an average of 68% of a padel club’s total revenue, with coaching, competitions, retail and food making up the rest — which implies a club‑level Thai market of roughly THB 470–600 million a year at today’s court count.
Inputs as sourced above; 68% revenue share from Playtomic with PwC Strategy&, Global Padel Report 2026. This is an illustration of scale built from published inputs, not a market study, and it is sensitive to the utilisation and pricing assumptions. It excludes court construction, equipment and event revenue.
| Finding | Figure |
|---|---|
| Court bookings as a share of club revenue | 68% average |
| Spread between best and worst performing clubs, on booking revenue per court per month, within the same market | 5× |
| Top‑performing clubs already selling more than court access | ~9 in 10 |
| Average court occupancy, United Kingdom | 85% |
Playtomic with PwC Strategy&, Global Padel Report 2026. The report’s central finding on economics is that returns are driven by the court‑hour — operating hours, utilisation, pricing and product mix — rather than by court count alone.
| Figure | Value | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Players worldwide | 35 million+ | FIP World Padel Report 2025, Dec 2025 |
| Players worldwide, digitally verified | 19.4 million | Playtomic with PwC Strategy&, May 2026 |
| Players worldwide, 2024 | 30 million | FIP World Padel Report 2024 |
| Players worldwide, 2014 | 12 million | World Padel Tour report, 2014 |
| Courts worldwide | 77,300 | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Courts worldwide, digitally verified | 58,300 | Playtomic with PwC Strategy&, May 2026 |
| Courts built during 2025 | 14,355 | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Court growth during 2025 | +15.2% | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Clubs worldwide | 24,600+ | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Club growth during 2025 | +16.1% | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Federation members, growth | +42% | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Countries with padel | 150 + 20 territories | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| National federations | 100 | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Women’s share of players | ~40% | FIP World Padel Report 2024 |
| Court forecast | 91,000 by 2028 | Playtomic with PwC Strategy&, May 2026 |
| Courts, Spain | 17,300 | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Courts, Italy | 10,220 | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Courts, Argentina | 7,000 | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Courts, Sweden | 4,220 | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Courts, France | 4,000 | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Courts, Netherlands | 3,570 | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Courts, Mexico | 2,560 | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Courts, United Kingdom | 470 at 173 clubs | FIP World Padel Report 2024 |
| Courts, Indonesia | ~1,000 | Playtomic 2026 and Indonesian market reporting |
| Courts added in Indonesia, 2025 | ~800 | Playtomic with PwC Strategy&, May 2026 |
| Courts, UAE | 950+ at 320+ venues | Padel industry guides, 2026 |
| Courts, Singapore | 73 at 25 clubs | Padel Singapore directory, Apr 2026 |
| Courts, India | 100 | 2024 figure |
| Europe share of players | 61.3% | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Asia share of players | 6.8% | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| European courts, growth since 2020 | +170% | FIP World Padel Report 2025 |
| Thailand courts | 140 | Thailand Padel Association, 24 Aug 2026 |
| Thailand clubs | 51 | Thailand Padel Association, 24 Aug 2026 |
| Thailand regular players | 5,000+ | Thailand Padel Association, 24 Aug 2026 |
| Thailand, people who have played | 150,000+ | Thailand Padel Association, 24 Aug 2026 |
| Thailand courts, 2022 | 15 | Thai Padel Series, Feb 2024 |
| Thailand courts, 2023 | 30 | Thai Padel Series, Feb 2024 |
| Thailand courts, late 2024 | ~100 at ~25 clubs | Reported Apr 2025, citing FIP and TPA |
| Thai courts, independent count | 180 at 50 venues | Booking-system count, 24 Aug 2026 |
| Thai courts covered or indoor | 127 of 180 | Booking-system count, 24 Aug 2026 |
| UK court occupancy | 85% | Playtomic with PwC Strategy&, May 2026 |
| Court hire as share of club revenue | 68% | Playtomic with PwC Strategy&, May 2026 |
| Best-to-worst club revenue spread | 5× | Playtomic with PwC Strategy&, May 2026 |
| Thai court build cost | THB 1.5–2.5m | Thai investment press citing Lazudi, 2026 |
| Thai court hire per hour | THB 1,200–1,500 | Thai investment press citing Lazudi, 2026 |
| Thai court utilisation | 25–40 hrs/week | Thai investment press citing Lazudi, 2026 |
| Thai customers who are foreign | 85% | Thai investment press, 2026 |
| Courts per million, Thailand | 2.0 | Calculated: court count ÷ population |
| People per court, Thailand | ~511,000 | Calculated: population ÷ court count |
| Players per court worldwide | ~450 | Calculated: 35m players ÷ 77,300 courts |
| Thai court-hire market | THB 319m/yr | Calculated from the inputs shown; not a published figure |