Women’s badminton has long been one of India’s strongest individual sports on the global stage in this century.
From producing Olympic medallists to consistent performers on the BWF World Tour, India has remained a regular presence in elite tournaments. Still, the depth and intensity of competition at the top mean rankings can shift quickly over the course of a season.
India’s women shuttlers continue to compete against a powerful global field led by East Asian dominance, with China, Japan, and Korea setting an extremely high benchmark week after week.
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The Sporting News looks at how India’s leading women’s singles players stack up in the latest BWF rankings.
Who is India No. 1 in women’s badminton?
According to the latest BWF rankings released on December 30, 2025, P. V. Sindhu remains India’s No. 1 women’s singles player. Here are India’s top 5 singles players:
| Name | World Ranking | Tournaments | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| PV Sindhu | 18 | 14 | 50,574 |
| Unnati Hooda | 23 | 15 | 46,950 |
| Tanvi Sharma | 42 | 11 | 34,310 |
| Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj | 45 | 16 | 33,720 |
| Anupama Upadhyaya | 48 | 23 | 33,329 |
Who is the world No. 1 in women’s badminton?
South Korea’s An Se-young currently leads the women’s singles rankings, sitting comfortably at world No. 1 after another dominant season on the BWF circuit. Here are top 5 women’s singles players:
| Name | World Ranking | Nation | Tournaments | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An Se-young | 1 | Korea | 16 | 117,270 |
| Wang Zhiyi | 2 | China | 17 | 103,362 |
| Akane Yamaguchi | 3 | Japan | 16 | 93,064 |
| Chen Yufei | 4 | China | 16 | 89,935 |
| Han Yue | 5 | China | 16 | 88,250 |
How do BWF badminton rankings work?
The Badminton World Federation operates a 52-week rolling ranking system across five categories, including women’s singles.
Players earn ranking points based on their performances in BWF-sanctioned tournaments. Higher-graded events such as the Olympics and World Championships offer substantially more points than regular tour stops.
A player’s ranking is calculated using points from their 10 highest-scoring tournaments in the previous 52 weeks. If a player has competed in fewer than 11 tournaments, all results are counted. In cases where players are tied on points, the one who has played more tournaments is ranked higher.
This structure ensures the rankings reflect both form and sustained participation over the season.
When are BWF rankings updated?
The official BWF world rankings are updated every Tuesday.
