Featured Image: Sandro Halank
The strongest country in badminton is often discussed among badminton fans, and usually, there’s a handful of nations which tend to crop up time and time again. Last year, I wrote this article which set out the strongest nations at the time (2019). This was based on the countries that had the most representation across all the nations in the top ten.
It’s no surprise that China came out on top previously as the strongest country in badminton. A view that many people still hold. However, the below data show’s some little surprises depending on how you look at it.
Now we’re a year on, let’s see if there are any new surprises. This is the most current information as at 27/04/2020. Of course, this is not a full season because of the unusual situation we all find ourselves in so we have to take it with a pinch of salt.
Strongest Country By Number Of Representatives In Top 10
Rankings are the most objective way to determine which country is the strongest. So the below list are the top five countries that have the most representatives across all the disciplines. This is per the latest rankings available as of 17.03.2020.
| Ranking | Country | Number of Representatives in Top 10 Rankings |
| 1 | Japan/China | 9 |
| 2 | Indonesia | 8 |
| 3 | Korea | 7 |
| 4 | Malaysia/Chinese Taipei | 3 |
| 5 | India/Thailand/Hong Kong/Denmark | 2 |
Perhaps no surprises in the top two! Japan, China and Indonesia have been dominating the rankings lately due to the strength and depth of their squads. Both China and Japan boast players in the top ten across all disciplines, while Indonesia has players in all of the disciplines in the top ten with the exception of women’s singles.
What’s surprising in a way is Korea’s position. They have always been considered one of the powerhouses of the sport but since many senior players retired from the national team, such as Lee Yong Dae, Ko Sung Hyun Yoo Yeon-Sung and Shin Baek Chol, the strength of their mixed doubles and men’s doubles have taken a hit. However, their strength now lies in Women’s doubles, with four out of the seven total representatives playing in this category.
Malaysia’s position has strengthened with the emergence of Lee Zii Jia into the top ten in singles following a strong performance in the recent All England. He may not be up to Lee Chong Wei’s standard just yet but he’s certainly well on his way! Olympic silver medalists Goh and Chan and Men’s Doubles players Chia and Soh Woi Yik take up the other two places.
Strongest Countries By Discipline
| Ranking | Country | Discipline | Number Of Representitives in Top 10 Rankings |
| 1 | China/Denmark/Indonesia | Men’s Singles | 2 |
| 2 | Japan/China | Women’s Singles | 2 |
| 3 | Indonesia | Men’s Doubles | 3 |
| 4 | Korea | Women’s Doubles | 4 |
| 5 | Indonesia/China | Mixed Doubles | 2 |
When we look at the data in terms of the 5 categories within badminton, the top three of the strongest nations listed previously clearly dominate all the disciplines as well. But it’s actually Indonesia which challenges China when looking at it in this view. So while Japan’s squad is more diverse, it seems that Indonesia’s strengths are greater within the disciplines in which they are represented in the top ten rankings.
Denmark also makes an appearance in Men’s singles through Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen. At the moment these are the only players representing Denmark in the top ten which determines this is their greatest strength at the moment. In fact, they are both ranked higher than their Chinese and Indonesian counterparts, suggesting Demark are the strongest country in badminton in the men’s singles discipline. That’s not to say either of these players are the best in the world. That honour belongs to Kento Momota at the moment.
In the women’s singles, Japan perhaps has the edge over China with Yamaguchi and Okuhara both ranked 3 & 4 respectively. While ChenYu Fei is ranked number 2, her compatriot He Bing Jiao is ranked number 8.
Indonesia is clearly dominant in the men’s doubles, with Gideon & Sukamuljo, Ahsan & Setiawan and Alfian and Ardianto ranked 1, 2 and 6 respectively. Perhaps not surprising coming from a country with a particularly strong history in men’s doubles!
As mentioned before South Korea Dominate the women’s doubles with four pairs. Japan is close behind with three pairs in the women’s doubles and actually when you look at tournament win rates – Japan is actually a stronger nation. We’ll see this below.
Finally, Mixed Doubles once again showcases China’s strength. Zheng Siwei and Huang Ya Qiong have been dominant in the mixed doubles recently and Wang Yi Lyu & Huang Dong Ping have also been consistently strong. Both pairs claim the number one and two spots respectively. While Indonesia has a strong showing in power smasher- Praveen Jordan and partner Oktavianti and Faisal and Widjaja.
Best Countries By Tournament Performance
Due to the Virus, all BWF tournaments have been put on hold until further notice, with the last tournament being the All England. While this provides limited information about the performance of each country, nevertheless here’s the best-performing country by discipline based on tournament wins.
| Level | China | Indonesia | Japan | Denmark | Grand Total |
| Super 1000 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| Super 500 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Super 500 | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Super 300 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Super 300 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Total | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 17 |
I guess it’s no surprise that the strongest countries by tournament are the ones who have the biggest squads. The stronger your squad, the more likely someone from your country is going to win the tournament! However, this is not always the case. Sometimes you get even just a couple of players who dominate. For example, Tai Tzu Ying in the women’s singles, I suspect would have put Taiwan ahead of Denmark with just her victories alone had the virus not stopped the tournaments.
What is interesting, however, is the spread of the medals. China claimed gold medals in the Mixed, Women’s doubles and women’s singles. Japan in every category except mixed doubles. Indonesia in every category except women’s singles. So from this perspective, although China has a stronger squad, Indonesia is more effective as translating their talent to gold medals across a broader number of disciplines. Likewise with Japan.
The Strongest Country – Conclusion
While it’s clear some countries are much stronger than others, results don’t always reflect reality. It’s a pretty safe bet to back one of the stronger nations but you also have to look at their relative strengths. For example, China, although one of the stronger countries are weaker in men’s doubles whereas Indonesia is weaker in women’s singles. For a more in-depth look into the different countries, check out this article by Badminton Bites: Top Badminton Countries In 2020
The data is based on the official figures provided by the BWF and can be found here: BWF World Rankings.
Nice article, interesting how despite Japan’s massive rise to the top of world Badminton, countries like China and Indonesia are still topping the top ten spots. You can see how some countries definitely have strong specialisations in certain categories.
I was surprised that Korea are topping the women’s doubles now 😮 I guess Japan are only one behind at the time of writing.