Last checked: 18 October 2026.
How big is padel in Britain, really? Here is one page with the numbers, the date each one was published and a link to where it came from. No rounding up, no guesses.
If you write about padel, run a club or are pitching for a new site, you're welcome to use it. There's a citation line near the bottom.
The headline numbers
- 1,000,000 people playing padel in Britain (LTA, 15 May 2026)
- 1,825 padel courts at 551 venues (LTA, 15 May 2026)
- About two-thirds of those players also play tennis (LTA estimate, 15 May 2026)
- +121% growth in UK search interest for padel, 2024 to 2025, against +49% worldwide (World Padel Network report, via The Padel Paper, 20 April 2026)
- UK search interest peaks in winter (same report)
Players: the timeline
The LTA publishes the player counts. Here they are in one line, oldest first.
| Year | Players in Britain | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 15,000 | LTA, 15 May 2026 |
| 2023 | 129,000 | LTA, 15 May 2026 |
| End of 2024 | 400,000 | LTA, 15 May 2026 |
| 2025 | 860,000 | LTA, 15 May 2026 |
| May 2026 | 1,000,000 | LTA, 15 May 2026 |
The 2025 figure is described as adults and juniors who played padel at least once in the previous year. The one million is described as adults and juniors playing across the country.
What the timeline tells you
I worked these out from the table above. They're simple sums, not LTA statements.
- 2023 to 2024: roughly three times bigger (129,000 to 400,000).
- 2024 to 2025: a little over double (400,000 to 860,000). The LTA itself calls it "more than doubling".
- End of 2025 to May 2026: another 140,000 people in under half a year.
- 2019 to 2026: from 15,000 to 1,000,000. That's around 67 times bigger in seven years.
I started playing about two and a half years ago. Since then the count has gone from the low hundreds of thousands to a million.
Courts and venues
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Courts, during 2025 | over 1,500 | LTA annual report story, 20 May 2026 |
| Courts, May 2026 | 1,825 | LTA, 15 May 2026 |
| Venues, May 2026 | 551 | LTA, 15 May 2026 |
One more number I worked out: one million players over 1,825 courts is about 548 players for every court in Britain. A doubles game takes four at a time. The ratio says nothing about how often each person plays, so treat it as a rough measure of demand, not a booking forecast.
For who runs those courts and which apps you book them on, the UK padel clubs guide has the detail, region by region.
Who plays
The LTA estimates that about two-thirds of the one million players also play tennis. If you're one of the tennis crowd weighing it up, our padel vs tennis guide covers how the two compare.
What the LTA release doesn't give: a split by gender, age or region. If you see those splits quoted elsewhere, check where they came from before you use them. I'm leaving them out until the LTA publishes them.
Coaches and money
Two figures that matter if you run a club or want to coach. Both are from the LTA article of 15 May 2026.
- 1,676 coaches had completed the LTA's Intro to Padel Coaching CPD since it launched (as reported in March 2026).
- 427 coaches had completed the Padel Instructor Core Training.
The same article says the UK Government has committed £3 million in 2026/27 for covered padel and tennis facilities, likely to support three projects.
Search interest
This comes from the Padel Global Search Report 2026 by World Padel Network, written up by The Padel Paper on 20 April 2026.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| UK search interest growth, 2024 to 2025 | +121% |
| Worldwide search interest growth, same period | +49% |
| UK rank for search interest | 15th |
| When UK interest peaks | Winter |
So the UK is growing more than twice as fast as the world average in search terms. The report doesn't name the months of the winter peak, so I won't either. If you're heading out in the cold months, the winter padel guide covers what to wear on court and after.
How to read these numbers
A few things worth knowing before you quote any of this.
- "Player" means someone who played at least once. That's how the LTA describes its 2025 figure. It is not the number of people playing every week.
- The method isn't in the release. The LTA article doesn't name the survey behind the figures. Treat earlier years with the same care, as the definition for each year isn't spelled out.
- The two court figures were published five days apart. "Over 1,500" sits in the story about the 2025 annual report. 1,825 is the May 2026 count. Use 1,825 for "now" and say which date you mean.
- Search growth is relative. +121% means interest grew compared with the year before. It is not a count of searches.
- Don't mix sources. Global padel figures from other bodies may be counted in different ways. Keep the UK numbers with the UK source.
How to cite this page
Please link to the original source for each number. If you want one line for the whole set:
UK padel statistics compiled by Padelism from LTA (15 and 20 May 2026) and World Padel Network via The Padel Paper (20 April 2026). Last checked 18 October 2026. padelism.co.uk/blogs/news/uk-padel-statistics-2026
If a number here goes out of date, email hello@padelism.co.uk with the new source and I'll update it.
Why a clothing brand made a data page
Fair question. I make off-court padel clothing, and I play. Put a million players next to a search peak that lands in winter and you get a lot of people playing through the cold months. I design for what they wear before and after the game.
The hoodies are £75, so one ships free in the UK. The Mk1 Box Hoodie is 350 g/m2 with a fleeced inside. The heavyweight tees are 100% cotton at 305 g/m2, and any two £48 tees are £90 together in the 2 for £90 tees. And new in is where the latest drops land. If you're one of the newest of the million, start with the beginner's guide to padel.
FAQ
How many padel players were there in the UK each year? By the LTA's counts: 15,000 in 2019, 129,000 in 2023, 400,000 at the end of 2024, 860,000 by the end of 2025 and one million in its update of 15 May 2026.
How fast is padel growing in the UK? By the LTA's figures, players went from 129,000 in 2023 to 400,000 at the end of 2024, then 860,000 in 2025. That's roughly three times, then a little over double, year on year.
What counts as a padel player in the LTA figures? For 2025 the LTA describes it as someone who played padel at least once in the previous year. So it includes people who tried it once, not only regulars.
When do people in the UK search for padel the most? In winter, according to the World Padel Network's 2026 search report as covered by The Padel Paper. The report doesn't say which months.
Can I use these statistics in an article or a club pitch? Yes. Link to the original LTA or Padel Paper source for each figure, and to this page if it saved you time. Quote the date next to the number, because these figures change fast.
