Over the past two years, government restrictions significantly cut down gaming revenues and the number of gamers in China. However, the country’s esports market continued growing, with thousands of Chinese competing in tournaments to win hefty prize pools.
According to data presented by CasinosEnLigne.com, China is the world`s highest-earning esports nation with $256.4 million in total prize money, $6.5 million more than the United States.
China Won $6.5M more in Total Prize Money with 3x Less Players than the United States
China’s title of the world’s highest-earning esports nation is even more interesting when comparing the number of players in top markets.
According to Esports Earnings data, more than 7,700 Chinese esports players competed in 4,100 tournaments and won $256.4 million in prize money. Dota 2 tournaments made nearly one-third of that value, with $82.2 million in total prize money. Arena of Valour and PUBG Mobile were the next two highest-awarding games, with $55 million and $30.6 million in prize money, respectively.
The United States, as the second highest-earning esports nation, had 25,110 registered players so far, or three times more than the leading China. Still, American players won $6.5 million less in total prize money, or $250.1 million across 19,770 tournaments. Statistics also show Fortnite was the highest awarding game in the US, making up $45.9 million or roughly 20% of total earnings.
South Korea ranked third on this list, with 5,400 esports players who won $133 million in prize money across 7,780 tournaments. Statistics also show League of Legends was the top esports game in the country, with $34.6 million in total prize money.
Russia and Denmark are the next two highest-earning esports nations globally, with $73.8 million and $55.6 million in total prize money, respectively.
World’s Highest-Earning Esports Nation Generates Only 12% of Global Esports Revenue
Although China beats the United States in total esports prize money, the US market generates most of the global esports revenue. According to a Statista survey, the global esports industry is expected to gross nearly $4bn in 2023, 15% more than last year. Almost 30% of that value, or $1.08bn, will come from the United States.
As the second-largest globally, the Chinese esports market will hit $450 million in revenue, making 12% of the world’s total in 2023. South Korea follows with a 6% market share and $270 million in revenue this year.
However, China convincingly leads in the number of esports fans. According to Statista, more than 580 million people worldwide are expected to watch eSports in 2023, up from 526 million last year. China, the world’s esports capital, will make one-third of that number, with 189 million viewers. Far below, the United States and South Korea follow, with 30.5 million and 7 million esports fans, respectively.
