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Surfing - statistics & facts

Surfing has a particularly long history, with the activity thought to have originated in Polynesia hundreds of years ago. Today, it is a sport enjoyed by millions worldwide, having been brought to global attention by Hawai’ian Olympic swimmer Duke Kahanamoku in the early 20th century. Current surfing hotspots include Australia and the west coast of the United States; the U.S. state with the most surfing locations has over 400 surf spots in total, while the number of adult surfers in Australia reached a five year high in 2021.

How big is the global surfing market?

Surfing is a billion-dollar industry across the world. The market size of the global surfing industry is forecast to reach almost five billion U.S. dollars by 2027, while the size of the global surfing tourism industry is set to see an 80 percent increase by 2032. As with many sports, the surfing industry was deeply impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with the International Surfing Association’s revenue from events plummeting in 2020.

Is surfing an Olympic sport?

Surfing was included for the first time at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, with the event taking place a year later due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The gold medal for the women’s event was picked up by Hawai’ian surfer Carissa Moore, who was also the highest ranking female surfer in the WSL Championship Tour as of August 2022. Surfing is also set to feature in the 2024 Paris games, where it will break the previous record for the Olympic event held the furthest away from the host city. There has also been a push to include para surfing at the 2028 Paralympic Games. Adaptive surfing, to give it its other name, is also a popular sport, with the worldwide Adaptive Surfing Championships attracting 70 participants from across the world in 2021.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 10, 2024

Key insights

Size of the surfing industry worldwide
4bn USD
Size of the global surfing tourism industry
9.5bn USD
Number of adult surfers in Australia
741,000
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Market size of the surfing industry worldwide in 2022, with a forecast for 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Water-based Activities

Global surfing industry market size 2022-2027

Market size of the surfing tourism industry worldwide in 2022, with a forecast for 2032 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Water-based Activities

Size of the global surfing tourism market 2022-2032

Surfers with the highest annual income worldwide in 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)

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Highest paid surfers in the world 2022

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