If you’ve been wondering when pickleball growth might slow down, the answer is: not yet. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s 2026 Pickleball Single Sport Report, pickleball is again the nation’s fastest-growing sport for the fifth consecutive year.
The report offers details on participation trends, demographics and cross-participation patterns, and was released early (as was the Soccer Spotlight Report), due to strong demand.
The Pickleball Report found that 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025, up from 4.2 million in 2020—a more-than-fivefold increase in just five years.
The report also examines the evolution of the typical pickleball participant. No longer viewed as a sport for older adults, pickleball is attracting players of all ages, with teens and young adults ages 13 to 24 posting the highest participation rates of any segment. Women’s participation also got a boost, rising to 42.9% of all pickleball players from 38.6% in 2020.
“The story behind pickleball’s growth is no longer just about participation gains. It’s about the broadening and diversification of the player base,” said Alex Kerman, senior director and head of research at SFIA. “We are seeing strong adoption among younger generations, continued growth among women, and a rapidly expanding core participant population.”
The sport’s most engaged participants—“CORE pickleball players” in SFIA’s parlance—who play at least eight times a year grew from 1.4 million in 2020 to 7.5 million in 2025.
The Pickleball Single Sport Report and Soccer Spotlight Report are the first in a series of 2026 Single Sport Reports to be released. Reports from SFIA’s Team Sports Category will be available next, followed by additional categories throughout the coming weeks. Single Sport Reports provide detailed participation analysis by gender, age, geographic region, household income, education level, ethnicity and cross-sport participation. These reports are designed to help industry leaders, businesses, governing bodies, and other stakeholders make informed strategic decisions based on the most comprehensive sports participation data available.
For more information, visit www.sfia.org.