Numbers Nerd: How Many Surfers per Wave Pool per Country?

From WavePoolMag – By Neil Armstrong aka Moonwalker

Figures are only as solid as their interpretation, and while numbers don’t lie, they can be thrown into the shorebreak of estimates and come out any which way. But with the growth of surfing worldwide, the actual number of surfers is as pliable as a block of wax on a summer’s day. 

In 2012, the International Surfing Association (ISA) handed the International Olympic Committee a document that accounted for around 35 million worldwide surfers. 

But while a number has been settled on, it begs the question of what classes someone as a surfer; do you take into account surf frequency, surfboard ownership, and year-round participation. The definition is as solid as whitewater.

Read the full article to get the number breakdown.