League of Legends Rank Distribution in Season 10
The League of Legends rank distribution and percentage of players by tier during Season 10. Solo queue data on the entire player base in all regions.
Thanks to the API implemented by Riot, we have access to reliable statistics on the player distribution by tier. There are several websites that gather and share these data; after examining the most reliable ones, I concluded that there are almost no differences among their tools.
If you notice small percentage gaps, they are probably due to the servers considered and to the last update of their services. Even 30 minutes can create a minimum discrepancy.
The statistics in the graph and the table below consider all the regions and only the ranks in solo queue.
All the League of Legends ranked seasons
I had to split this analysis into multiple articles due to the excessive number of tables and graphs, which resulted in very long loading times.
Season 10
November 2020
Data gathered on November 6th, 2020, a few days before the end of Season 10.
| Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 0.23% | Silver II | 8.5% | Diamond IV | 1.4% |
| Iron III | 0.57% | Silver I | 5.9% | Diamond III | 0.49% |
| Iron II | 0.93% | Gold IV | 14% | Diamond II | 0.27% |
| Iron I | 1.8% | Gold III | 6.8% | Diamond I | 0.14% |
| Bronze IV | 3.6% | Gold II | 5.0% | Master | 0.058% |
| Bronze III | 3.4% | Gold I | 2.9% | GrandMaster | 0.027% |
| Bronze II | 5.7% | Platinum IV | 6.5% | Challenger | 0.011% |
| Bronze I | 7.1% | Platinum III | 2.1% | ||
| Silver IV | 11% | Platinum II | 1.3% | ||
| Silver III | 7.3% | Platinum I | 1.4% |
Distribution:
Iron: 3.5%
Bronze: 20%
Silver: 33%
Gold: 29%
Platinum: 11%
Diamond: 2.4%
Master: 0.058%
GrandMaster: 0.027%
Challenger: 0.011%
Top percentage of players
| Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 98.43 | Silver II | 56.8 | Diamond IV | 2.4 |
| Iron III | 98.2 | Silver I | 48.3 | Diamond III | 0.99 |
| Iron II | 97.63 | Gold IV | 42.4 | Diamond II | 0.50 |
| Iron I | 96.7 | Gold III | 28.4 | Diamond I | 0.23 |
| Bronze IV | 94.9 | Gold II | 21.6 | Master | 0.096 |
| Bronze III | 91.3 | Gold I | 16.6 | GrandMaster | 0.038 |
| Bronze II | 87.9 | Platinum IV | 13.7 | Challenger | 0.011 |
| Bronze I | 82.2 | Platinum III | 7.2 | ||
| Silver IV | 75.1 | Platinum II | 5.1 | ||
| Silver III | 64.1 | Platinum I | 3.8 |
September 2020
| Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 0.31% | Silver II | 8.7% | Diamond IV | 1.3% |
| Iron III | 0.76% | Silver I | 6.1% | Diamond III | 0.50% |
| Iron II | 1.2% | Gold IV | 12% | Diamond II | 0.27% |
| Iron I | 2.3% | Gold III | 6.7% | Diamond I | 0.16% |
| Bronze IV | 4.3% | Gold II | 5.0% | Master | 0.034% |
| Bronze III | 3.9% | Gold I | 2.9% | GrandMaster | 0.028% |
| Bronze II | 5.9% | Platinum IV | 5.6% | Challenger | 0.012% |
| Bronze I | 6.9% | Platinum III | 1.9% | ||
| Silver IV | 11% | Platinum II | 1.3% | ||
| Silver III | 7.8% | Platinum I | 1.4% |
Distribution:
Iron: 4.6%
Bronze: 21%
Silver: 33%
Gold: 27%
Platinum: 10%
Diamond: 2.3%
Master: 0.034%
GrandMaster: 0.028%
Challenger: 0.012%
Top percentage of players
| Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 98.27 | Silver II | 53.9 | Diamond IV | 2.3 |
| Iron III | 97.96 | Silver I | 45.2 | Diamond III | 1.0 |
| Iron II | 97.2 | Gold IV | 39.1 | Diamond II | 0.5 |
| Iron I | 96.0 | Gold III | 27.1 | Diamond I | 0.23 |
| Bronze IV | 93.7 | Gold II | 20.4 | Master | 0.07 |
| Bronze III | 89.4 | Gold I | 15.4 | GrandMaster | 0.04 |
| Bronze II | 85.5 | Platinum IV | 12.5 | Challenger | 0.012 |
| Bronze I | 79.6 | Platinum III | 6.9 | ||
| Silver IV | 72.7 | Platinum II | 5.0 | ||
| Silver III | 61.7 | Platinum I | 3.7 |
Recent changes
Autofill and premade parity
In a recent dev blog, Cody “Riot Codebear” Germain, Product Lead for Competitive Gameplay on League of Legends, talked about ranked matchmaking and explained their goal: “improve queue matchmaking quality without compromising queue time and availability.”
Autofill Parity: In 10.6 we shipped Autofill Parity, which aims to equalize the number of autofills across teams. Since then, autofill imbalance has gone from 11.4% of all ranked solo/duo games to less than 5%, with almost no impact to queue times.
Premade Parity: Similar to Autofill Parity, Premade Parity strives to make matches with an equal number of premades on each side. We activated this feature in 10.7, and since then we’ve gone from 54% of premade matches having imbalanced premades to 6%, with little to no impact on queue times depending on skill level.
New matchmaking algorithm
The new matchmaking algorithm (check out the explanation below, in May 2020) replaced the old system in patch 10.10, however, currently it is limited to normal queues.
The developers confirmed that the new system is showing improvements in most regions, and it will find its way to ranked queues in the next preseason, as they want to avoid a major impact to ranked MMR during the current season.
July 2020
| Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 0.36% | Silver II | 8.8% | Diamond IV | 1.4% |
| Iron III | 0.89% | Silver I | 6.1% | Diamond III | 0.52% |
| Iron II | 1.5% | Gold IV | 11% | Diamond II | 0.29% |
| Iron I | 2.8% | Gold III | 6.4% | Diamond I | 0.17% |
| Bronze IV | 4.9% | Gold II | 4.8% | Master | 0.037% |
| Bronze III | 4.1% | Gold I | 2.8% | GrandMaster | 0.031% |
| Bronze II | 5.9% | Platinum IV | 5.0% | Challenger | 0.013% |
| Bronze I | 6.9% | Platinum III | 1.8% | ||
| Silver IV | 11% | Platinum II | 1.2% | ||
| Silver III | 8.1% | Platinum I | 1.2% |
Distribution:
Iron: 5.6%
Bronze: 22%
Silver: 34%
Gold: 26%
Platinum: 9.4%
Diamond: 2.4%
Master: 0.037%
GrandMaster: 0.031%
Challenger: 0.013%
Top percentage of players
| Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 98 | Silver II | 51.5 | Diamond IV | 2.4 |
| Iron III | 97.6 | Silver I | 42.7 | Diamond III | 1.06 |
| Iron II | 96.7 | Gold IV | 36.6 | Diamond II | 0.54 |
| Iron I | 95.2 | Gold III | 25.6 | Diamond I | 0.25 |
| Bronze IV | 92.4 | Gold II | 19.2 | Master | 0.081 |
| Bronze III | 87.5 | Gold I | 14.4 | GrandMaster | 0.044 |
| Bronze II | 83.4 | Platinum IV | 11.6 | Challenger | 0.013 |
| Bronze I | 77.5 | Platinum III | 6.6 | ||
| Silver IV | 70.6 | Platinum II | 4.8 | ||
| Silver III | 59.6 | Platinum I | 3.6 |
May 2020
| Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 0.42% | Silver II | 9.0% | Diamond IV | 1.4% |
| Iron III | 1.0% | Silver I | 6.3% | Diamond III | 0.55% |
| Iron II | 1.8% | Gold IV | 10% | Diamond II | 0.31% |
| Iron I | 3.3% | Gold III | 6.1% | Diamond I | 0.18% |
| Bronze IV | 5.4% | Gold II | 4.6% | Master | 0.034% |
| Bronze III | 4.2% | Gold I | 2.8% | GrandMaster | 0.036% |
| Bronze II | 5.9% | Platinum IV | 4.4% | Challenger | 0.015% |
| Bronze I | 6.9% | Platinum III | 1.7% | ||
| Silver IV | 11% | Platinum II | 1.2% | ||
| Silver III | 8.6% | Platinum I | 1.0% |
Top percentage of players
| Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 98.12 | Silver II | 49.6 | Diamond IV | 2.5 |
| Iron III | 97.7 | Silver I | 40.6 | Diamond III | 1.12 |
| Iron II | 96.7 | Gold IV | 34.3 | Diamond II | 0.57 |
| Iron I | 94.9 | Gold III | 24.3 | Diamond I | 0.26 |
| Bronze IV | 91.6 | Gold II | 18.2 | Master | 0.085 |
| Bronze III | 86.2 | Gold I | 13.6 | GrandMaster | 0.051 |
| Bronze II | 82 | Platinum IV | 10.8 | Challenger | 0.015 |
| Bronze I | 76.1 | Platinum III | 6.4 | ||
| Silver IV | 69.2 | Platinum II | 4.7 | ||
| Silver III | 58.2 | Platinum I | 3.5 |
Distribution:
Iron: 6.6%
Bronze: 22%
Silver: 35%
Gold: 24%
Platinum: 8.4%
Diamond: 2.5%
Master: 0.034%
GrandMaster: 0.036%
Challenger: 0.015%
Matchmaking algorithm
The developers are working on an improved matchmaking algorithm that will determine at a quicker speed the real skill of a player.
This will reduce the initial calibration period of each player, and will directly help fighting against smurfs as they won’t play for a long time in matches well below their skill level.
Ranked seeding
In the past, all new ranked players started with a fresh rating (around high silver) which led to problems with both smurfs and truly new players.
Ranked seeding will utilize data from normal matches to “seed” a player with a realistic rating when they first start playing ranked games.
We’re planning to iterate on and test these changes slowly to make sure that they don’t have any unknown negative effects, but our goal is to have these fully rolled out some time this summer.
— Mark “RiotScruffy” Yetter - Lead Gameplay Designer
April 2020
| Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 0.44% | Silver II | 9.1% | Diamond IV | 1.4% |
| Iron III | 1.1% | Silver I | 6.4% | Diamond III | 0.55% |
| Iron II | 2.0% | Gold IV | 10% | Diamond II | 0.32% |
| Iron I | 3.5% | Gold III | 5.9% | Diamond I | 0.18% |
| Bronze IV | 5.5% | Gold II | 4.6% | Master | 0.034% |
| Bronze III | 4.2% | Gold I | 2.9% | GrandMaster | 0.040% |
| Bronze II | 5.8% | Platinum IV | 4.0% | Challenger | 0.017% |
| Bronze I | 7.0% | Platinum III | 1.6% | ||
| Silver IV | 11% | Platinum II | 1.2% | ||
| Silver III | 8.9% | Platinum I | 0.94% |
Top percentage of players
| Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 98.5 | Silver II | 49.1 | Diamond IV | 2.5 |
| Iron III | 98.1 | Silver I | 40 | Diamond III | 1.14 |
| Iron II | 97 | Gold IV | 33.6 | Diamond II | 0.59 |
| Iron I | 95 | Gold III | 23.6 | Diamond I | 0.27 |
| Bronze IV | 91.5 | Gold II | 17.7 | Master | 0.091 |
| Bronze III | 86 | Gold I | 13.1 | GrandMaster | 0.057 |
| Bronze II | 81.8 | Platinum IV | 10.2 | Challenger | 0.017 |
| Bronze I | 76 | Platinum III | 6.2 | ||
| Silver IV | 69 | Platinum II | 4.6 | ||
| Silver III | 58 | Platinum I | 3.4 |
Distribution:
Iron: 7.2%
Bronze: 22%
Silver: 35%
Gold: 23%
Platinum: 7.9%
Diamond: 2.5%
Master: 0.034%
GrandMaster: 0.040%
Challenger: 0.017%
Matchmaking changes in 2020
On February 28th, Cody “Riot Codebear” Germain, Product Lead for Competitive Gameplay, revealed all the matchmaking improvements they are working on, and when to expect them. I have quoted his words on the topic.
Incoming
These features are in testing and should be released within the next few patches:
Autofill Balance. As announced in Season Start, these updates aim to balance the number of autofilled players on each team.
Duo Balance. This update aims to balance the number of premades on each team.
In development
Currently, the developers are exploring methods to achieve the following goals:
New Account Seeding. For players entering ranked for the first time, we think we can better identify true skill level by looking more holistically at their playstyle.
Position Informed Autofill. We’re balancing the number of autofills on each team, but we would also like to balance the positions autofilled if we can.
Second half of 2020 and preseason
Finally, the Riot dev team is doing their best to find viable solutions for many issues, but due to their complexity the investigations may require months.
Game Ruining Behavior. We’re attempting to develop better ways of dealing with disruptive behavior.
Rank and Matchmaking Rating (MMR) Transparency. We’d like to provide more clarity to players around their rank and updates to where we can fix the disconnect in meaningful ways.
Promotion Series. We’re seriously examining the current promotion system and will be making changes to shift the role it plays in our competitive ecosystem.
Flex Queue and Organization. We’re taking an immediate look at loosening up restrictions for group formation to make it easier to play with your friends, and how we can tie Flex to the greater competitive ecosystem.
March 2020
| Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 0.44% | Silver II | 9.3% | Diamond IV | 1.3% |
| Iron III | 1.2% | Silver I | 6.9% | Diamond III | 0.53% |
| Iron II | 2.2% | Gold IV | 9.3% | Diamond II | 0.32% |
| Iron I | 3.7% | Gold III | 5.7% | Diamond I | 0.18% |
| Bronze IV | 5.6% | Gold II | 4.5% | Master | 0.030% |
| Bronze III | 4.4% | Gold I | 3.0% | GrandMaster | 0.048% |
| Bronze II | 5.8% | Platinum IV | 3.5% | Challenger | 0.021% |
| Bronze I | 7.3% | Platinum III | 1.4% | ||
| Silver IV | 11.0% | Platinum II | 1.2% | ||
| Silver III | 9.3% | Platinum I | 0.92% |
Top percentage of players
| Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 98.84 | Silver II | 47.9 | Diamond IV | 2.1 |
| Iron III | 98.4 | Silver I | 38.9 | Diamond III | 0.85 |
| Iron II | 97.2 | Gold IV | 31.7 | Diamond II | 0.60 |
| Iron I | 95.0 | Gold III | 22.4 | Diamond I | 0.28 |
| Bronze IV | 91.3 | Gold II | 16.7 | Master | 0.099 |
| Bronze III | 85.7 | Gold I | 12.1 | GrandMaster | 0.069 |
| Bronze II | 81.3 | Platinum IV | 9.1 | Challenger | 0.021 |
| Bronze I | 75.5 | Platinum III | 6.0 | ||
| Silver IV | 68.2 | Platinum II | 4.2 | ||
| Silver III | 57.2 | Platinum I | 3.0 |
Distribution:
Iron: 7.6%
Bronze: 23%
Silver: 36%
Gold: 22%
Platinum: 7.2%
Diamond: 2.4%
Master: 0.030%
GrandMaster: 0.048%
Challenger: 0.021%
February 2020
| Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage | Rank | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 0.43% | Silver II | 9.5% | Diamond IV | 1.1% |
| Iron III | 1.3% | Silver I | 7.5% | Diamond III | 0.44% |
| Iron II | 2.4% | Gold IV | 8.3% | Diamond II | 0.30% |
| Iron I | 3.9% | Gold III | 5.4% | Diamond I | 0.17% |
| Bronze IV | 5.6% | Gold II | 4.2% | Master | 0.017% |
| Bronze III | 4.7% | Gold I | 3.0% | GrandMaster | 0.050% |
| Bronze II | 5.9% | Platinum IV | 2.8% | Challenger | 0.028% |
| Bronze I | 7.9% | Platinum III | 1.2% | ||
| Silver IV | 10% | Platinum II | 1.2% | ||
| Silver III | 9.8% | Platinum I | 1.0% |
Top percentage of players
| Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% | Rank | Top% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron IV | 98.1 | Silver II | 46.2 | Diamond IV | 2.1 |
| Iron III | 97.7 | Silver I | 36.7 | Diamond III | 1.0 |
| Iron II | 96.4 | Gold IV | 29.2 | Diamond II | 0.56 |
| Iron I | 94.0 | Gold III | 20.9 | Diamond I | 0.26 |
| Bronze IV | 90.1 | Gold II | 15.5 | Master | 0.095 |
| Bronze III | 84.5 | Gold I | 11.3 | GrandMaster | 0.078 |
| Bronze II | 79.8 | Platinum IV | 8.3 | Challenger | 0.028 |
| Bronze I | 73.9 | Platinum III | 5.5 | ||
| Silver IV | 66.0 | Platinum II | 4.3 | ||
| Silver III | 56.0 | Platinum I | 3.1 |
From Season 9 to 10
The 10th League of Legends ranked season started only one month ago, so the data might differ in the following months as more summoners will play their placement matches, but so far there have been several changes in the ranked distribution.
The average rank moved from Gold IV to Silver II-III.
Gold isn’t anymore the most populated rank as it contains “only” 21% of the players (down from 33%). Now, Silver holds the crown with 37%.
In the previous season, about 15% of the player base was ranked at Bronze and below, while now the number of people at lower ranks doubled to 32%.
The changes affected also the higher area of the matchmaking that saw Platinum and Diamond reduced to a half, from 15% to 6.4% and from 3.6% to 2%, respectively.
The population at Master also decreased, but, on the other hand, there are now more summoners both at GrandMaster and Challenger.
Distribution:
Iron: 8.1%
Bronze: 24%
Silver: 37%
Gold: 21%
Platinum: 6.4%
Diamond: 2.0%
Master: 0.017%
GrandMaster: 0.050%
Challenger: 0.028%
Statistics from LeagueOfGraphs - Header image: Riot
