Golf participation worldwide continues to climb, with more than 112 million people now playing the sport in all its forms outside the USA and Mexico, according to new figures published by The R&A.
The governing body's 2025 Global Participation Report shows that 112.2 million adults and juniors are now engaged with golf globally, representing an increase of 4.2 million participants year-on-year.
The figures provide an encouraging backdrop to The R&A's recently launched five-year strategy, which aims to open golf to millions more people around the world and increase participation across all formats of the game.
One of the report's most significant findings is the continued growth of junior golf, with younger players accounting for the majority of the sport's overall participation increase.
The report shows that 47.1 million juniors are now playing golf worldwide, an increase of 3.2 million in just one year, while adult participation rose to 65 million, up by 1 million on 2024.
Europe remains the largest market for junior golf participation, with 19.9 million young golfers, ahead of Asia (9.7 million), Africa (7.4 million) and Central and South America (4.5 million).
The figures underline the increasingly important role younger players are playing in securing the sport's long-term future.
While participation growth continues across multiple regions, Europe remains one of golf's strongest markets.
The continent is home to 20.6 million adult golfers, second only to Asia, which leads R&A-affiliated regions with 26.2 million adult participants. Canada follows with 7.1 million adult golfers.
Europe also continues to lead in organised participation, with the number of registered golfers increasing from 4.7 million to 4.9 million over the past year.
Across The R&A's nine largest golf markets, participation in Great Britain and Ireland increased from 5.8 million to 6.1 million golfers, while Australia grew from 2.3 million to 2.4 million and Canada rose from 5.7 million to 5.8 million.
Golf's growth is not limited to traditional formats.
The report found that 68.3 million adults and juniors now participate through off-course experiences, including driving ranges, simulator golf and shorter forms of the game.
According to The R&A, these formats are helping attract new audiences while ensuring golf remains relevant in an increasingly time-conscious and experience-led environment.
Traditional golf also continues to perform strongly, with 43.9 million people playing 9- and 18-hole golf worldwide, both registered and unregistered.
The number of registered golfers globally increased from 8.4 million to 8.7 million, marking a 2% increase year-on-year and a 16% rise since 2020.
The strongest growth in registered participation was recorded in Central and South America, where numbers increased from 122,000 to 146,000, a rise of 20%. Canada recorded 8% growth, Africa 6%, Oceania 5%, and Europe 3%.
The report notes that while established golf markets continue to provide a strong foundation, emerging regions are increasingly contributing to the sport's global growth story.
Women's representation also continued to improve across The R&A's largest participation markets.
Women now account for:
Among individual markets, women account for 41% of adult participants in Germany, 36% in Argentina, 33% in Great Britain and Ireland, and 31% in Australia.
The number of registered female golfers remained stable at 1.6 million.
The report also highlights strong public recognition of golf's health and wellbeing benefits.
In Great Britain and Ireland, among the general population:
Key findings from the 2025 Global Participation Report include:
The latest figures paint a picture of a sport continuing to expand across both established and emerging markets, with Europe maintaining a leading role while growth accelerates in regions around the world. The rapid rise in junior participation, meanwhile, suggests golf's global momentum shows little sign of slowing.
