How much do badminton players earn in a year, and who makes the most money?

•6 min read
How much do badminton players earn in a year, and who makes the most money?
Recently, the Badminton World Federation officially unveiled the 2022 season tour prize-money rankings on its official platform. A total of six Chinese players cracked the top 10: Huang Yaqiong, Zheng Siwei, Chen Yufei, He Bingjiao, Chen Qingchen, and Jia Yifan. Leading the list is Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, the Danish star who reigns supreme with $404,125 in prize money.

According to the tournament prize money table mentioned earlier, Antonsen’s earnings are close to 3 million RMB, while Huang Yaqiong and Zheng Siwei have already pocketed over 1.7 million RMB in tour event prizes—though these figures only reflect their competition winnings. When we look at athletes' overall income structure, though, the bulk of their earnings actually comes from commercial endorsements and sponsorships. Based on this, we can safely estimate that top-tier global athletes likely earn more than 5 million RMB annually. That’s already far beyond the income of most people worldwide, firmly placing them in the elite, affluent class.

World No. 1 men's singles player Viktor Axelsen earned $404,125 as the standout performer of the 2022 tour season. The Danish star is currently at the peak of his career—so dominant that none of his rivals, including Shi Yuqi, Chou Tien-chen, Jonatan Christie, or even Lee Zii Jia, Anthony Ginting, and Kento Momota, have managed to overcome him. As the 2023 season kicks off, Axelsen remains the clear-cut favorite to clinch titles across all major tournaments. Some fans even believe that Axelsen’s current dominance in men’s singles badminton is now greater than even Lin Dan’s legendary reign in its prime.

Japan's top player, Akane Yamaguchi, ranks second on the prize-money list, while Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying sits in third. Both are longtime rivals of China's women's singles stars Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao. However, when it comes to their performances in the 2022 season, Akane Yamaguchi clearly deserves her spot as the world No. 1 in women's singles. Chen Yufei earned approximately 1.317 million RMB, while He Bingjiao secured around 1.315 million RMB—both making it into the year-end top 10. Meanwhile, China's mixed doubles duo Huang Yaqiong and Zheng Siwei rank fourth and fifth, respectively, and they also happen to be the most successful "money-making" pair in the circuit, holding the title of the world's No. 1 mixed doubles team. In the 2022 season, Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong clinched victories at the Asian Championships, Indonesia Open, Thailand Open, World Championships, and the year-end Finals—earning them the well-deserved award for the best mixed doubles team of the year without a doubt.


The Chinese men's doubles pair Ou XuanYi and Liu YuChen earned the highest prize money in the men's doubles category, ranking 11th and 12th overall. On the other hand, China's men's singles players faced a more awkward situation—among all competitors, the highest prize money was awarded to Shi YuQi, who is making a comeback after recovering from injury, placing him 33rd overall.

In the women's doubles prize-money rankings, China's Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan are firmly at No. 1, comfortably ahead of top Korean and Japanese pairs. Meanwhile, China's Ou XuanYi and Liu Yuchen have each earned around 900,000 RMB in tour-level tournaments, placing them atop the men's doubles standings. Although the Chinese badminton team has sent multiple players to compete in men’s singles events throughout the tour, the highest-ranked player, Shi Yuqi, still sits only at No. 33 on the prize-money list. Many netizens jokingly remarked, "So it turns out, among the entire national team, the men’s singles squad is actually the poorest!"


Of course, earning at the top of an industry hardly seems unusual anymore—especially when you consider the athletes’ relentless dedication and hard work behind the scenes. Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong have dominated this season, clinching championships in 10 tournaments, firmly establishing themselves as one of the world’s premier doubles pairs, even ranking among the greatest duos in history. Given these extraordinary achievements, it would be hard to argue that their annual earnings don’t easily surpass a million. After all, even among ordinary workers in China today, there are already individuals pulling in six-figure incomes. So, while Huang Yaqiong’s earnings may not place her among the absolute elite, they certainly mark a solid stepping stone into the ranks of the affluent.

Looking at the global scene, this year the highest earner isn’t Viktor Axelsen—instead, it’s P.V. Sindhu, famously dubbed the "wealthy lady," who has racked up an annual income of 50 million. Now that’s the kind of financial success everyone aspires to achieve. In 2022, Indian star P.V. Sindhu became the highest-paid athlete in badminton, raking in $7.1 million—a staggering 50 million RMB. According to foreign media reports, Sindhu’s impressive earnings have made her not only India’s top female athlete but also the most lucrative player in the sport this year. The news has quickly captured the attention of countless fans worldwide.

It is understood that Sindhu earned approximately $100,000 this year from tournament prize money, while the remaining 7 million came from her various off-court commercial activities. This clearly shows that for badminton players, income from commercial ventures actually makes up the bulk of their earnings, with tournament winnings accounting for only a small fraction.

So far this year, Sindhu has competed in fewer tournaments, with her standout performance coming at the Commonwealth Games in the first half of the year. There, she led her team to victory in both the team event and the women’s singles final—matches that Indians consider the most significant of the season. Sindhu’s hard-fought triumphs have steadily boosted her visibility and popularity. Additionally, she made headlines earlier this year by defeating China’s Wang Zhiyi at the Singapore Open, ultimately clinching the women’s singles title. However, Sindhu hasn’t been performing as strongly on the World Tour this year, failing to advance deep into several key events and experiencing a noticeable drop in form compared to her peak years. She even withdrew from this year’s World Championships, missing out on the chance to compete for the title. Sindhu’s golden era, however, was undoubtedly after the Rio Olympics—in 2018 and 2019, when she claimed the 2019 World Championship title. Unfortunately, since then, her form has gradually declined.

Sindhu is India's first-ever Badminton World Championship winner, a milestone that catapulted her into the business world years ago, where she’s now famously dubbed the "wealthiest lady" in badminton. Though her performance this year hasn’t been as impressive, thanks to the strong fan base she built over the past few years, she continues to enjoy a lucrative income.

Sindhu's annual earnings of 50 million clearly demonstrate that in the world of badminton, if you reach the very top of the pyramid—even in a relatively niche sport—you can still become a true winner in life.


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