1/ China

• Players: 6,706
• Prize Money Won: $236,608,159

Despite not fielding the most players in the world, China has scored the highest amount of prizes compared to any other nation in the world.

Indeed, is all thanks to the proficiency of Chinese competitors in the realm of Dota 2 – the esport known for boasting the greatest prize pools in the entire industry. Hailing from China, the likes of Wang “Ame” Chunyu is responsible for $3,912,904 of earnings thanks to PSG.LGD’s Dota roster.

Besides Dota, China also loves Arena of Valor, a mobile MOBA esport from which they’ve raked in $50,000,000 of prizes.

2/ United States

• Players: 23,626
• Prize Money Won: $224,901,776

Take a look at the number of esports players from the United States! Thanks to an incredibly supportive industry and community, US esports has extended to almost every title in the world. For the most part, the US is supremely competitive, and if not, tends to field the most popular organizations such as FaZe Clan, 100 Thieves and OpTic Gaming.

Most notably, Fortnite is the main reason for the US’s impressive prize pool earnings accumulation. On the back of Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, who has bagged $3,499,661 of prize single-handedly, can the US climb back to the number 1 spot?

3/ South Korea

• Players: 5,013 players
• Prize Money Won: $126,025,768

We’ve mentioned Dota and Fortnite – League of Legends is next. Accordingly, it’s impossible to separate League of Legends and South Korea. Fielding the most talented players in, arguably, the most popular esport in the world, South Korea proves that size doesn’t matter.

Notably, the LCK is respected as the most competitive and beloved regional league, and Korean players have some of the best careers. Currently, the likes of Lee “Faker” Sang Hyeok, who is responsible for $32,942,017 of prize, continue to demonstrate this idea.

In addition, South Korea is known to dominate both the StarCraft II and Overwatch scenes also – imagine if the nation took over Dota?

Image Credits: Riot Games

4/ Russia

• Players: 4,676
• Prize Money Won: $63,585,247

When mentioning China and the US, it’s only a matter of time before Russia joins the mix due to its huge population. When it comes to esports, Russians have always favoured two esports games in particular – Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

While Russians may not be hugely involved in franchised esports, where a tonne of prize lies, Valve esports is truly beloved by the country. More specifically, their best performer is Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov, having earned $4,228,079.69 in prize money winnings.

5/ Denmark

• Players: 1,887
• Prize Money Won: $50,883,388

Rounding off our list of the best esports countries, we have a peculiar entry in the small Nordic land of Denmark. Albeit small, this European nation is similar to the likes of Russia in its interests – that of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2.

Overall, there are two reasons for their high placing on any list of best esports countries. Firstly, they have one of the top Dota 2 players ever, Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, with $7,184,163 of prize earned. Secondly, the historic CS:GO dominance of Astralis has left an impressive legacy.

And there you have it. Those are our top esports countries. We can’t wait to see how the best esports countries compete in 2023!