Golfers around the world
Estimated people playing on golf courses each year.
Estimated golfers worldwide
73 million
Use left and right arrow keys to read each year, or Home and End for the first and last year. Annual estimates rounded to a million people; international values between reported years are interpolated.2025On-course players
Annual estimates
| Year | Estimated golfers | Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 73,000,000 | Combined regional estimates |
| 2024 | 71,000,000 | Combined regional estimates |
| 2023 | 69,000,000 | Combined regional estimates |
| 2022 | 65,000,000 | Combined regional estimates |
| 2021 | 62,000,000 | Includes interpolated international input |
| 2020 | 59,000,000 | Combined regional estimates |
| 2019 | 58,000,000 | Includes interpolated international input |
| 2018 | 56,000,000 | Includes interpolated international input |
| 2017 | 55,000,000 | Includes interpolated international input |
| 2016 | 53,000,000 | Combined regional estimates |
| 2015 | 54,000,000 | Includes interpolated international input |
| 2014 | 54,000,000 | Includes interpolated international input |
| 2013 | 54,000,000 | Includes interpolated international input |
| 2012 | 55,000,000 | Combined regional estimates |
How the estimates are calculated
These approximate totals combine international and U.S. on-course estimates. Years between reported international figures are estimated using a straight-line calculation. A Mexican industry estimate of 80,000–90,000 players in 2024 supplies a fixed 85,000-person allowance across the history; that allowance is not measured yearly.
Age coverage and survey methods differ by country and have changed over time. Values are rounded to the nearest million. This is an estimated history, not a monthly census or a precise measure of new players.
Information checked