{"id":20964,"date":"2026-08-18T09:56:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T09:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/stand-up-paddle-board-statistics\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T09:56:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T09:56:18","slug":"stand-up-paddle-board-statistics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/stand-up-paddle-board-statistics\/","title":{"rendered":"25+ Verified Stand Up Paddle Board Statistics (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n.entry-content{counter-reset:stat}\n.entry-content .stat-sec{margin-top:2.9rem;margin-bottom:.6rem;font-size:1.55rem;line-height:1.25;font-weight:700}\n.entry-content .stat-h{counter-increment:stat;display:flex;align-items:baseline;gap:.62em;margin-top:1.7rem;margin-bottom:.35rem;font-size:1.16rem;line-height:1.35;font-weight:700}\n.entry-content .stat-h::before{content:counter(stat);flex:0 0 auto;background:var(--pcolor);color:#fff;font-size:.78rem;font-weight:700;line-height:1;width:2em;height:2em;display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;border-radius:7px;position:relative;top:-.1em}\n.stat-sum{background:var(--ncolor);border:1px solid var(--n2color);border-radius:14px;padding:22px 26px;margin:2rem 0}\n.stat-sum .stat-sum-h{margin:0 0 14px;padding:0;border:0;font-size:1.4rem;font-weight:700;line-height:1.25;color:inherit}\n.stat-sum ul{list-style:none!important;padding-left:0!important;margin:0}\n.stat-sum li{display:flex;gap:11px;align-items:flex-start;margin:0 0 9px;line-height:1.5}\n.stat-sum li svg{flex:0 0 auto;width:19px;height:19px;margin-top:.18em;color:var(--pcolor)}\n.stat-use{margin-top:2.8rem;background:#eef4fb;border:1px solid #bcd6ef;border-radius:14px;padding:24px 28px}\n.stat-cite{margin-top:1.4rem;background:var(--ncolor);border:1px solid var(--n2color);border-radius:14px;padding:24px 28px}\n.stat-use h2,.stat-cite h2{margin:0 0 10px;padding:0;border:0;font-size:1.4rem}\n.stat-use p,.stat-cite p{margin:0 0 14px}\n.cite-box{border:1px solid var(--n2color);border-radius:10px;padding:14px 16px;margin-bottom:12px;background:#fff}\n.cite-box:last-child{margin-bottom:0}\n.cite-box .label{display:block;font-size:.72rem;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.08em;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--n3color);margin-bottom:6px}\n.cite-box .cite-text{font-size:.93rem;line-height:1.55;color:#374151;word-break:break-word}\n.src-list{list-style:none!important;counter-reset:src;padding-left:0!important;margin:0}\n.src-list li{counter-increment:src;display:flex;align-items:center;gap:14px;margin:0 0 10px;line-height:1.45;background:#fff;border:1px solid var(--n2color);border-radius:10px;padding:12px 16px;scroll-margin-top:90px;cursor:help}\n.src-list li::before{content:counter(src);flex:0 0 auto;color:#fff;background:var(--pcolor);font-weight:600;font-size:.92rem;width:2.1em;height:2.1em;display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;border-radius:8px}\n.src-list .src-name{font-weight:700;color:#1f2937}\n.src-list .src-domain{color:var(--n3color)}\n.entry-content sup a.fn{color:var(--pcolor);font-weight:600;text-decoration:none}\n.entry-content sup a.fn:hover{text-decoration:underline}\n@media(max-width:600px){.entry-content .stat-sec{font-size:1.32rem}.stat-sum,.stat-use,.stat-cite{padding:18px 16px}}\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Almost every paddleboarding statistic on the internet traces back to the same handful of numbers, repeated without a year attached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most common one, &#8220;2.8 million Americans paddleboard,&#8221; is real. It is also from 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We went back to the original participation studies, including three reports that are no longer on the web and had to be pulled from archives, and rebuilt the full series. Every figure below carries its year and its source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"stat-sum\">\n<p class=\"stat-sum-h\">Key takeaways<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>3.74 million Americans went stand up paddleboarding in 2021, the last year with a free, published figure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>Participation more than tripled between 2010 and 2021, from 1.05 million.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>The real boom was 2013 and 2014, not the pandemic. Growth in 2020 was 3.2 percent.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>Paddleboarding has been flat since 2016, adding 16 percent in five years.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>Nobody can tell you the 2025 number for free. The data moved behind a paywall after 2021.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>Women became the majority of participants in 2018, at 52 percent.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>Nearly half of paddlers, 47 percent, are aged 25 to 44.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>More than three quarters of teenage paddleboarders are male.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>Over half of participants, 52 percent, live in households earning 100,000 dollars or more.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>A quarter of American paddleboarders live in the Pacific census region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>The average paddler goes out 5 times a year. Kayakers go 8.1 times.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>31 percent of paddleboarders went out exactly once all year.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>29 paddleboarders died in US boating incidents in 2024, the highest count on record.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>90 percent of those deaths were drownings, the highest share of any vessel type.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>24 of the 26 drowning victims were not wearing a life jacket.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 .8a9.2 9.2 0 1 0 0 18.4A9.2 9.2 0 0 0 10 .8Zm4.7 6.9-5.6 5.6a1 1 0 0 1-1.4 0L5.3 10.9a1 1 0 1 1 1.4-1.4l2 2 4.6-4.6a1 1 0 0 1 1.4 1.4Z\"\/><\/svg><span>There are roughly 117 million lakes on Earth and about 3.5 million in the contiguous US.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-sec\" id=\"how-many-people-paddleboard\">How many people paddleboard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">3.74 million Americans paddleboarded in 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Outdoor Industry Association counted 3,739,000 stand up paddling participants aged 6 and older in 2021. This is the most recent figure published in a freely available report, and it is the number that should be quoted today rather than the decade-old ones still in circulation.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">That is about 1.2 percent of the population<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paddleboarding reached a participation rate of 1.2 percent of Americans aged 6 and older in 2019 and held it through 2020. For scale, that is roughly one person in eighty, and about a quarter of the rate for kayaking.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">Participation more than tripled in eleven years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2010 the same survey counted 1,050,000 paddleboarders. By 2021 it counted 3,739,000, an increase of 256 percent. Here is the full series, in thousands of participants: 1,050 in 2010, 1,242 in 2011, 1,542 in 2012, 1,993 in 2013, 2,751 in 2014, 3,020 in 2015, 3,220 in 2016, 3,325 in 2017, 3,453 in 2018, 3,562 in 2019, 3,675 in 2020 and 3,739 in 2021.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_3\">3<\/a><\/sup><sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_7\">7<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">The boom year was 2014, with 38 percent growth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participation jumped from 1.99 million in 2013 to 2.75 million in 2014, a single-year gain of 38 percent. That was the steepest rise the sport has recorded, and it is the year the widely quoted &#8220;2.8 million&#8221; figure comes from.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_4\">4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">There was no pandemic paddleboarding boom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the finding that contradicts almost everything written about the sport since 2020. US participation grew 3.2 percent in 2020 and 1.8 percent in 2021. Board sales and crowded launch ramps were real, but they did not translate into a measurable surge in the number of Americans who paddleboard.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_5\">5<\/a><\/sup><sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">Nobody can tell you the current number for free<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the 2022 reporting year onward, the detailed activity tables moved behind a subscription. The Sports and Fitness Industry Association topline report and the single-sport paddleboarding report are both paid products. Any site quoting a 2024 or 2025 US participation figure without naming a purchased source is either extrapolating or recycling an older number.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_6\">6<\/a><\/sup><sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_26\">26<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-sec\" id=\"who-paddleboards\">Who paddleboards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">Women became the majority in 2018<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2018 women made up 52 percent of stand up paddling participants. The Outdoor Foundation noted that it was the first time women had outparticipated men in a paddlesport.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_7\">7<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">In 2014 the split was still 51 percent male<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Four years earlier the balance was 51 percent male and 49 percent female. The shift toward women is one of the few clear demographic trends in the sport.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_8\">8<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">Nearly half of paddlers are aged 25 to 44<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The age split runs 11 percent aged 6 to 12, 14 percent aged 13 to 17, 12 percent aged 18 to 24, 47 percent aged 25 to 44 and 16 percent aged 45 and older. One participant in four is a minor.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_9\">9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">More than three quarters of teenage paddlers are male<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teenagers aged 13 to 17 have the highest participation rate of any age group, at 1.8 percent, and 76 percent of them are male. This runs against the overall trend toward women and is the sharpest gender skew in the data.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_10\">10<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">Over half live in six-figure households<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">52 percent of paddleboarders live in households earning 100,000 dollars or more a year, 18 percent in the 75,000 to 99,999 dollar band, 15 percent in the 50,000 to 74,999 band, 8 percent in the 25,000 to 49,999 band and 7 percent under 25,000 dollars. Paddleboarding skews wealthy even by outdoor-recreation standards.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_11\">11<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">A quarter of US paddlers are in the Pacific region<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">26 percent of American paddleboarders live in the Pacific census region, which also has the highest participation rate at 2 percent. The South Atlantic follows at 20 percent of participants, then the Middle Atlantic at 13 percent and the East North Central at 12 percent. The East South Central region is last at 3 percent.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_12\">12<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-sec\" id=\"how-often-paddlers-go-out\">How often paddlers actually go out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">The average paddleboarder goes out 5 times a year<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stand up paddlers averaged 5.0 outings each in 2014. That makes them the least frequent paddlers of all: kayakers averaged 8.1 outings and paddlers of all types averaged 7.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_13\">13<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">13.7 million paddleboarding outings a year<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those 2.75 million participants produced 13.7 million outings in 2014. Kayaking produced 105.2 million and canoeing 70.5 million in the same year, out of 215.8 million paddling outings in total.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_14\">14<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">Almost a third go out exactly once<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">31 percent of paddleboarders went out a single time all year. Another 24 percent went two or three times. More than half of everyone counted as a paddleboarder paddles three times a year or less.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_15\">15<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">Only 11 percent are regulars<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">11 percent of participants went out 24 times or more, and 8 percent went 12 to 23 times. The remainder splits into 15 percent at four to five outings and 11 percent at six to eleven.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_16\">16<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">&#8220;Participant&#8221; is a low bar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This matters for reading every other number on this page. A single outing in twelve months makes someone a participant in these surveys. The 3.74 million figure is a count of people who tried it at least once, not a count of paddleboarders in any everyday sense.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_17\">17<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-sec\" id=\"paddleboarding-safety\">Paddleboarding safety in numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">29 paddleboarders died in 2024<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The US Coast Guard recorded 29 stand up paddleboard deaths in recreational boating incidents in 2024, the highest figure since it began breaking the category out. The five-year run is 10 deaths in 2020, 18 in 2021, 17 in 2022, 11 in 2023 and 29 in 2024.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_18\">18<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">90 percent of paddleboard deaths are drownings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">26 of the 29 deaths in 2024 were drownings. That is the highest drowning share of any vessel type in the report. For comparison, open motorboats sit at 60 percent and personal watercraft at 26 percent.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_19\">19<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">24 of 26 drowning victims wore no life jacket<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of the 26 paddleboarders who drowned in 2024, 24 were not wearing a life jacket. This is a first-party calculation from the report&#8217;s own cross-tabulation of vessel type against flotation device use.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_20\">20<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">Paddlecraft account for 26 percent of US boating deaths<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kayaks, canoes and paddleboards together caused 143 of the 556 recreational boating deaths in 2024. That makes paddlecraft the second largest category behind open motorboats, which accounted for 255.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_21\">21<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">The official count is a floor, not a census<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A paddleboard death is counted here only when the board qualified as a vessel in use for boating under federal rules. Deaths where the victim was swimming near the board, or where a local authority logged the case as a general drowning, never enter this table. The real figure is higher by an unknown margin.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_22\">22<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-sec\" id=\"where-there-is-water\">Where there is water to paddle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">About 117 million lakes on Earth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A satellite survey counted roughly 117 million lakes larger than 2,000 square metres, covering 5 million square kilometres, or 3.7 percent of the planet&#8217;s non-glaciated land.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_23\">23<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">3.5 million lakes in the contiguous US<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A US Geological Survey study counted about 3.5 million lakes and reservoirs larger than 1,000 square metres in the lower 48 states, excluding the Great Lakes.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_24\">24<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-h\">7.2 million kilometres of lake shoreline<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Counting only lakes of 10 hectares and up, the world has 1.42 million of them, holding 181,900 cubic kilometres of water along 7.2 million kilometres of shoreline. That is roughly four times the length of the world&#8217;s ocean coastline.<sup><a class=\"fn\" href=\"#sources_25\">25<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-sec\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"stat-use\">\n<h2>Use this data<\/h2>\n<p>Every figure on this page is free to reuse in articles, presentations and research, as long as you link back to this page. If you need a year from the participation series that is not shown above, it is in the archived reports listed under Sources.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"stat-cite\">\n<h2>Cite this report<\/h2>\n<p>Copy one of the citations below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cite-box\"><span class=\"label\">APA<\/span><span class=\"cite-text\">Stand-Up-Paddling.org. (2026). <em>25+ Verified Stand Up Paddle Board Statistics (2026)<\/em>. https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/stand-up-paddle-board-statistics\/<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"cite-box\"><span class=\"label\">MLA<\/span><span class=\"cite-text\">Stand-Up-Paddling.org. &ldquo;25+ Verified Stand Up Paddle Board Statistics (2026).&rdquo; <em>Stand-Up-Paddling.org<\/em>, 2026, www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/stand-up-paddle-board-statistics\/.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"cite-box\"><span class=\"label\">Link<\/span><span class=\"cite-text\">&lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/stand-up-paddle-board-statistics\/&#8221;&gt;25+ Verified Stand Up Paddle Board Statistics (2026)&lt;\/a&gt; by Stand-Up-Paddling.org<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading stat-sec\" id=\"sources\">Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"src-list\"><li id=\"sources_1\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20221123140323\/https:\/\/outdoorindustry.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2022-Outdoor-Participation-Trends-Report-1.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Industry Association, 2022 Outdoor Participation Trends Report<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorindustry.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_2\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210624181207\/https:\/\/outdoorindustry.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2021-Outdoor-Participation-Trends-Report.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Industry Association, 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorindustry.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_3\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20221123140323\/https:\/\/outdoorindustry.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2022-Outdoor-Participation-Trends-Report-1.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Industry Association, 2022 Outdoor Participation Trends Report<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorindustry.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_4\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210223082826\/https:\/\/outdoorindustry.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/19_OIA_008_Participation_Report_final_2.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2019 Outdoor Participation Report<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorindustry.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_5\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20221123140323\/https:\/\/outdoorindustry.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2022-Outdoor-Participation-Trends-Report-1.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Industry Association, 2022 Outdoor Participation Trends Report<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorindustry.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_6\" title=\"https:\/\/sfia.org\/\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Sports and Fitness Industry Association<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(sfia.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_7\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210223082826\/https:\/\/outdoorindustry.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/19_OIA_008_Participation_Report_final_2.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2019 Outdoor Participation Report<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorindustry.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_8\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150906024615\/http:\/\/www.outdoorfoundation.org\/pdf\/ResearchPaddlesports2015.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorfoundation.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_9\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150906024615\/http:\/\/www.outdoorfoundation.org\/pdf\/ResearchPaddlesports2015.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorfoundation.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_10\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150906024615\/http:\/\/www.outdoorfoundation.org\/pdf\/ResearchPaddlesports2015.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorfoundation.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_11\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150906024615\/http:\/\/www.outdoorfoundation.org\/pdf\/ResearchPaddlesports2015.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorfoundation.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_12\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150906024615\/http:\/\/www.outdoorfoundation.org\/pdf\/ResearchPaddlesports2015.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorfoundation.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_13\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150906024615\/http:\/\/www.outdoorfoundation.org\/pdf\/ResearchPaddlesports2015.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorfoundation.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_14\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150906024615\/http:\/\/www.outdoorfoundation.org\/pdf\/ResearchPaddlesports2015.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorfoundation.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_15\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150906024615\/http:\/\/www.outdoorfoundation.org\/pdf\/ResearchPaddlesports2015.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorfoundation.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_16\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150906024615\/http:\/\/www.outdoorfoundation.org\/pdf\/ResearchPaddlesports2015.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorfoundation.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_17\" title=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150906024615\/http:\/\/www.outdoorfoundation.org\/pdf\/ResearchPaddlesports2015.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Outdoor Foundation, 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(outdoorfoundation.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_18\" title=\"https:\/\/uscgboating.org\/library\/accident-statistics\/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2024.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">US Coast Guard, Recreational Boating Statistics 2024<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(uscgboating.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_19\" title=\"https:\/\/uscgboating.org\/library\/accident-statistics\/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2024.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">US Coast Guard, Recreational Boating Statistics 2024<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(uscgboating.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_20\" title=\"https:\/\/uscgboating.org\/library\/accident-statistics\/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2024.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">US Coast Guard, Recreational Boating Statistics 2024<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(uscgboating.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_21\" title=\"https:\/\/uscgboating.org\/library\/accident-statistics\/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2024.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">US Coast Guard, Recreational Boating Statistics 2024<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(uscgboating.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_22\" title=\"https:\/\/uscgboating.org\/library\/accident-statistics\/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2024.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">US Coast Guard, Recreational Boating Statistics 2024<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(uscgboating.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_23\" title=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/2014GL060641\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Verpoorter et al., Geophysical Research Letters (GLOWABO)<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(doi.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_24\" title=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4319\/lo.2012.57.2.0597\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">McDonald et al., Limnology and Oceanography<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(doi.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_25\" title=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/ncomms13603\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Messager et al., Nature Communications (HydroLAKES)<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(nature.com)<\/span><\/span><\/li><li id=\"sources_26\" title=\"https:\/\/www.physicalactivitycouncil.org\/_files\/ugd\/286de6_54fcfa80424b424b891c4bd593d084fa.pdf\"><span class=\"src-text\"><span class=\"src-name\">Physical Activity Council, 2025 Participation Overview Report<\/span> <span class=\"src-domain\">(physicalactivitycouncil.org)<\/span><\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Almost every paddleboarding statistic on the internet traces back to the same handful of numbers, repeated without a year attached. &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"25+ Verified Stand Up Paddle Board Statistics (2026)\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/stand-up-paddle-board-statistics\/#more-20964\" aria-label=\"Read more about 25+ Verified Stand Up Paddle Board Statistics (2026)\">Weiterlesen&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_nspa_markt":"us","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stand-up-paddling.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}