Best Badminton Players of All Time
Who are the greatest badminton Players of all time? Explore the leading badminton players in Sport Ranking’s historical badminton ranking, based on results from major international competitions across different eras.
Greatest Men’s Badminton Players
Badminton Men
| # | Athlete | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lin Dan | China | 242 |
| 2 | Lee Chong Wei | Malaysia | 202 |
| 3 | Viktor Axelsen | Denmark | 200 |
| 4 | Chen Long | China | 158 |
| 5 | Park Joo-bong | South Korea | 124 |
| 6 | Zhang Nan | China | 119 |
| 7 | Taufik Hidayat | Indonesia | 118 |
| 8 | Kim Dong-moon | South Korea | 115 |
| 9 | Zheng Siwei | China | 109 |
| 10 | Hendra Setiawan | Indonesia | 98 |
Greatest Women’s Badminton Players
Badminton Women
| # | Athlete | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Susi Susanti | Indonesia | 168 |
| 2 | Zhao Yunlei | China | 150 |
| 3 | Li Lingwei | China | 149 |
| 4 | Carolina Marín | Spain | 148 |
| 5 | Han Aiping | China | 144 |
| 6 | Ye Zhaoying | China | 142 |
| 7 | An Se-young | South Korea | 134 |
| 8 | Tai Tzu-ying | Chinese Taipei | 128 |
| 8 | Zhang Ning | China | 128 |
| 10 | Akane Yamaguchi | Japan | 126 |
How the All-Time Ranking Works
The ranking is based on the Olympic Games and the World Championships. The system also includes the BWF World Ranking, the BWF World Tour Finals, and their historical predecessors. The ranking further incorporates continental championships, which are weighted according to their importance and success on the international stage.
Badminton features separate rankings for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. In doubles events, the points earned are shared equally between the two players of each pair. In addition to individual results, the national rankings also include team competitions, most notably the Sudirman Cup, Thomas Cup, and Uber Cup.
Learn more about Badminton scoring →