View source for PDC Order of Merit

{{Short description|World ranking system for darts}}
The '''PDC Order of Merit''' is the world ranking system for professional darts players used by the [[Professional Darts Corporation]] (PDC), which ranks players according to the prize money won in PDC ranking tournaments. These world rankings are used to determine qualification and seeding for the televised ranking tournaments as well as the awarding of PDC Tour Cards at the end of the season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PDC Order of Merit {{!}} PDC |url=https://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit/pdc-order-merit |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=www.pdc.tv}}</ref> The Order of Merit format has been used since the [[2007 PDC World Darts Championship]], superseding the original PDC World Ranking system established in 1993, where points awarded for performances in tournaments according to their relative prestige.<ref>{{cite web |title=PDC Rankings |url=http://globaldarts.de/globalDartsEN/global/Rankingpdc.html |website=Global Darts |access-date=18 October 2020}}</ref><ref name="OOMRules">{{cite web |title=PDC Order of Merit Rules |url=https://www.pdc.tv/pdc-order-merit-rules |access-date=21 June 2025 |website=PDC}}</ref> Upon the introduction of the rankings, the first player to hold the number one rank was [[Alan Warriner-Little|Alan Warriner]].<ref name="PDPANo1"/> Since 1993, twelve other players have held the top spot, including [[Luke Humphries]], the current world number one.<ref name="LHNo1"/>  Alongside the main Order of Merit, the PDC also operate several secondary Orders of Merit which count prize money won on specific PDC Tours and may also offer qualification to specific televised events.

==Methodology==
[[File:PDC World Darts Championship 2016.jpg|alt=A distant view of the World Championship stage from a table in the crowd.|thumb|The [[PDC World Darts Championship]] offers the highest amount of prize money of any event contributing to the Order of Merit.]]
The Professional Darts Corporation adopted the current Order of Merit system in 2007. In this system, the total prize money won in PDC ranking events over the eligibility period is counted. For PDC Tour Card holders, this eligibility period is either the previous two years or since the player was awarded a tour card, whichever is shorter.<ref name="OOMRules" /> The [[PDC World Darts Championship]] is considered last event of the season, after which the year-end Order of Merit is calculated and players in the top 64 offered a [[PDC Tour Card|Tour Card]] for the following year.<ref name="OOMRules" /> New Tour Card holders start on £0, even if they held a Tour Card in the previous season but failed to make the top 64, resulting in them having to regain their Tour Card through the qualifying tournament, Q School.<ref name="OOMRules" /> Players without Tour Cards who earn money in ranking tournaments (such as [[Luke Littler]] in the [[2024 PDC World Darts Championship]]) are eligible to be ranked during the season,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=Kieran |date=4 January 2024 |title=PDC Order of Merit after World Darts Championship 2024: Luke Humphries new number one, Luke Littler and Scott Williams into top-32, Peter Wright down to 8th |url=https://dartsnews.com/pdc/pdc-order-of-merit-after-world-darts-championship-2024-luke-humphries-new-number-one-luke-littler-and-scott-williams-into-top-32-peter-wright-down-to-8th |access-date=21 June 2025 |website=Darts News}}</ref> though if they fail to reach the top 64 at the end of the year, their ranking money is reset to £0.<ref name="OOMRules" /> If two players are tied and need separating for seeding or event qualification,  the tie is broken by player with the highest total earnings across the previous four ranking tournaments. If this fails to break the tie, players' prize money is counted back from the most recent event until a tie can be broken, with the possibility of a play-off if this cannot break the tie.<ref name="OOMRules" />

===Ranking tournaments===
The PDC holds ranked and unranked tournaments. Ranking tournaments are those which all PDC Tour Card holders are eligible to participate in or qualify for, while unranked tournaments are invitational and do not count toward the Order of Merit. Currently, the [[Premier League Darts|Premier League]], [[World Series of Darts]] events and the [[PDC World Cup of Darts|World Cup of Darts]] are the only unranked PDC tournaments with Tour Card Holder participation outside of the secondary tours.<ref name="OOMRules" />

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:right"
|+ Prize money awarded towards 2025 PDC Order of Merit in ranking tournaments (£1000s)<ref name="OOMRules" />
! Tournament
! Total
! Winner
! Finalist
! Semi-finalists
! Top 8
! Top 16
! Top 32
! Top 64
! Top 96
! Top 128
! Prelim. Top 16
! Prelim. Top 32
! Prelim. Top 64
|-
| colspan="14" align="left" |'''PDC Premier Events (2025)'''
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[PDC World Darts Championship|World Championship]]}}
| 5,000
| 1,000
| 400
| 200
| 100
| 60
| 35
| 25
| {{N/A}}
| 15
| colspan=3 {{N/A}}
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[PDC World Masters|World Masters]]}}{{efn-ua|name=masters|Prior to 2025, the World Masters was an invitational tournament for 24 players which did not contribute to the Order of Merit.<ref>{{cite web |last=Allen |first=Dave |date=29 August 2024 |title=The Masters expands to 32-player ranked event in 2025 |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/2024/08/29/masters-expands-32-player-ranked-event-2025 |publisher=[[Professional Darts Corporation]] |access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref><ref name="2025PDCCal">{{cite web |last=Allen |first=Dave |date=29 August 2024 |title=More darts than ever in 2025 as PDC calendar released |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/2024/08/29/more-darts-ever-2025-pdc-calendar-released |access-date=22 June 2025 |website=PDC}}</ref>}}
|500
|100
|50
|30
|12.5
|10
|5
| colspan=3 {{N/A}}
|2.5
|1
|0.75
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[UK Open]]}}
| 600
| 110
| 50
| 30
| 15
| 10
| 5
| 2.5
| 1.5
| 1
| colspan=3 {{N/A}}
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[World Matchplay (darts)|World Matchplay]]}}
| 800
| 200
| 100
| 50
| 30
| 15
| 10
| colspan=6 {{N/A}}
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[World Grand Prix (darts)|World Grand Prix]]}}
| 600
| 120
| 60
| 40
| 25
| 15
| 7.5
| colspan=6 {{N/A}}
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[European Championship (darts)|European Championship]]}}
| 600
| 120
| 60
| 40
| 25
| 15
| 7.5
| colspan=6 {{N/A}}
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap| [[Grand Slam of Darts]]}}{{efn-ua|name=GS32|An additional £3,500 is awarded to the 8 group winners.}}
| 650
| 150
| 70
| 50
| 25
| 12
| 5{{efn-ua|name=GS |£8,000 and £5,000 are awarded to the third and fourth place finishers respectively in the group stage, which comprise the top 32.}}
| colspan=6 {{N/A}}
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[Players Championship Finals]]}}
| 600
| 120
| 60
| 30
| 20
| 10
| 6.5
| 3
| colspan=5 {{N/A}}
|-
| colspan="14" align="left" |'''[[PDC Pro Tour]]'''{{efn-ua|name=protour|In 2025, the Pro Tour expanded from 13 European Tour events to 14 and 30 Players Championship events to 34.<ref name="2025PDCCal"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gill |first=Samuel |date=29 August 2024 |title=PDC announces 2025 Calendar with over 130 days of ranking action including expanded ProTour confirmed |url=https://dartsnews.com/pdc/pdc-announces-2025-calendar-with-over-130-days-of-ranking-action-including-expanded-protour-confirmed |access-date=22 June 2025 |website=Darts News}}</ref>}}
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|14 [[PDC European Tour#|European Tour events]]}}
| 175
| 30
| 12
| 8.5
| 6
| 4
| 2.5{{efn-ua|name=euro32|Seeded players at European Tour events automatically qualify to the top 32, and do not receive money toward Order of Merit if they lose at this stage.}}
| 1.25{{efn-ua|name=euro48|European Tour events only have 48 players.}}
| colspan=5 {{N/A}}
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|34 [[PDC Pro Tour#Players Championships|Players Championship events]]}}
| 125
| 15
| 10
| 5
| 3.5
| 2.5
| 1.5
| 1.0
| colspan=5 {{N/A}}
|- class="static-row-header " style="font-weight:bold;"
|-
! scope="row" | '''Total 2025 payouts'''
! style="text-align:right" | 14,625
! style="text-align:right" | 2,670
! style="text-align:right" | 1,246
! style="text-align:right" | 1,401
! style="text-align:right" | 1,682
! style="text-align:right" | 2,102
! style="text-align:right" | 2,448
! style="text-align:right" | 1,956
! style="text-align:right" | 48
! style="text-align:right" | 992
! style="text-align:right" | 20
! style="text-align:right" | 16
! style="text-align:right" | 24
|-
| colspan="14" align="left" |''Prize money from the 2023 and 2024 seasons still contributing to the Order of Merit, where differing from 2025 prize money''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chiu |first=Nigel |date=13 December 2024 |title=World Darts Championship: Schedule, format, previous winners and nine darters at Alexandra Palace |url=https://www.skysports.com/darts/news/12288/13267430/world-darts-championship-schedule-format-previous-winners-and-nine-darters-at-alexandra-palace |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250318063658/https://www.skysports.com/darts/news/12288/13267430/world-darts-championship-schedule-format-previous-winners-and-nine-darters-at-alexandra-palace |archive-date=18 March 2025 |access-date=22 June 2025 |work=Sky Sports}}</ref><ref name=2023Money>{{Cite web |title=PDC Order of Merit Rules {{!}} PDC |url=https://www.pdc.tv/pdc-order-merit-rules-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218150905/https://www.pdc.tv/pdc-order-merit-rules-1 |archive-date=18 December 2023 |access-date=26 June 2025 |website=PDC}}</ref>
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|World Championship}}
| 2,500
| 500
| 200
| 100
| 50
| 35
| 25
| 15
| 7.5
| colspan=4 {{N/A}}
|-
| colspan="14" align="left" |''Prize money from the 2023 season still contributing to the Order of Merit, where differing from 2024 and 2025 prize money''<ref name=2023Money />
|-
| align="left" |Players Championship events{{efn-ua|name=2023Events|Only events which are less than 104 weeks old count to the Order of Merit.}}
|100
|12
|8
|4
|3
|2
|1.25
|0.75
|colspan=5 {{N/A}}
|}
{{notelist-ua}}

==PDC Order of Merit==
[[File:2025-04-03 Premier League Darts Berlin 2025 by Sandro Halank–104.jpg|thumb|[[Luke Humphries]], the current PDC world number one]]
<div style="font-size: 88%;">
{{Col-float}}
{{#invoke:DartsRankings|list |PDC Rankings |1 |32 |
|header1=<small>Players ranked 1 - 32</small>
|footer1=<small>*Change since INSERT_LAST_DATE.</small>
}}
{{Col-float-break}}
{{#invoke:DartsRankings|list |PDC Rankings |33 |64 |
|header1=<small>Players ranked 33 - 64 </small>
|footer1=<small>*Change since INSERT_LAST_DATE.</small>
}}
{{Col-float-end}}
</div>

{{hidden begin|titlestyle=text-align:center;background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#CE1126 3px solid; border-bottom:#CE1126 3px solid;|title=Click "show" to view players ranked outside top 64}}
<div style="font-size: 88%;">
{{Col-float}}
{{#invoke:DartsRankings|list |PDC Rankings |65 |1000 |
|header1=<small>Players ranked 65th or lower</small>
|footer1=<small>*Change since INSERT_LAST_DATE.</small>}}
{{Col-float-end}}
{{hidden end}}
</div>

==Secondary Orders of Merit==
<!-- {{#invoke:DartsRankings|list |PDC Pro Tour Rankings |1 |16 
|style=float:right; margin-left:1em
|footer1=<small>*Change since INSERT_LAST_DATE</small>
|footer2=<small>Earnings calculated on 1 year rolling period of Pro Tour events</small>
}}
 -->
In addition to the main two-year Order of Merit, the PDC also operates three Orders of Merit for subsets of the PDC Tour and four Orders of Merit for secondary tours. These rankings offer qualification to televised events and are the basis for [[Seeding (sports)|seeding]] in tournaments. Additionally, some secondary tours offer Tour Cards. These are secondary Orders of Merit are the:
* '''[[PDC Pro Tour|Pro Tour]] Order of Merit''', which counts money earned in Players Championships and European Tour events over a 12-month rolling period. In addition to qualification for televised tournaments, this ranking determines the seedings for Players Championship events.<ref>{{cite web |title=ProTour Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit/protour-order-of-merit |website=PDC |access-date=7 January 2021}}</ref>
* '''[[PDC European Tour|European Tour]] Order of Merit''', which counts money earned in European Tour events during the calendar year. The top 32 on this ranking list qualify for the [[European Championship (darts)|European Championship]] at the end of the year, where all players are seeded according to their European Tour ranking.<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 European Tour Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/2020-european-tour-order-merit |website=PDC |access-date=7 January 2021}}</ref>
* '''Players Championship Order of Merit''', which counts money earned in Player Championship events during the calendar year. The top 64 on this ranking qualify for the [[Players Championship Finals]]. Similarly to the European Championship, all players are seeded according to their rank.<ref>{{cite web |title=Players Championship Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit/players-championship-order-of-merit |website=PDC |access-date=7 January 2021}}</ref> 
* '''Challenge Tour Order of Merit''', which counts money earned in a calendar year on the Challenge Tour, a secondary tour open to players without Tour Cards that participated in the most recent Q-School. Top ranked players at the end of the year may qualify for televised tournaments and receive Tour Cards, depending on their rank.<ref>{{cite web |title=Challenge Tour Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit/challenge-tour-order-merit |website=PDC |access-date=7 January 2021}}</ref> The Challenge Tour Order of Merit also acts as a reserve list for Pro Tour events.<ref name="OOMRules" />
* '''Development Tour Order of Merit''', which counts money earned in a calendar year on the Development Tour, a secondary open to some Tour Card holders and players without Tour Card aged 16–23. Top ranked players at the end of the year may qualify for televised tournaments and receive Tour Cards, depending on their rank.<ref>{{cite web |title=Development Tour Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit/development-tour-order-of-merit |website=PDC |access-date=7 January 2021}}</ref>
* '''Women's Series Order of Merit''', which counts money earned in a calendar year on the Women's Series, a secondary tour for female players.<ref name="OOMRules" /> Top ranked players at the end of the year may qualify for televised tournaments and receive Tour Cards, depending on their rank.<ref>{{cite web |title=2024 PDC Women's Series Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/WomensSeriesOOM |access-date=15 October 2023}}</ref>
* '''Women's World Matchplay Order of Merit''', which counts money earned on the Women's Series earned over an approximately 12-month period prior to the [[PDC Women's World Matchplay|Women's World Matchplay]], to the which the top 8 players are invited.<ref name="OOMRules" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Qualification and seedings to PDC events via PDC Orders of Merit<ref name="OOMRules" />
! rowspan="3" style="width:200px;" | Tournament
! colspan="9" | Qualifiers {{small|(seeds)}}
|-
! colspan="8" | By Order of Merit
! rowspan="2" style="width:50px;" | Other
|-
! Main
! style="width:50px;" | {{abbr|PT|ProTour}}
! style="width:50px;" | {{abbr|ET|European Tour}}
! style="width:50px;" | {{abbr|PC|Players Championship}}
! style="width:50px;" | {{abbr|WS|World Series}}
! style="width:50px;" | {{abbr|CT|Challenge Tour}}
! style="width:50px;" | {{abbr|DT|Development Tour}}
! style="width:50px;" | {{abbr|WO|Women's Series}}

|-
| colspan="10" align="left" |'''Ranked televised events'''
|-
| align="left" | [[PDC World Darts Championship|World Championship]]
| 40 {{small|(32)}}
| 40
| colspan=3 {{n/a}}
| 3
| 3
| 3
| 39
|-
| align="left" | [[PDC World Masters|World Masters]]
| 24 {{small|(16)}}{{efn|Players Ranked 25–56 will enter at the last 64 of the preliminary round, while Players Ranked 57–88 will be seeded in the preliminary round group stage, and Players Ranked 89–128 will enter at the preliminary rounded group stage non-seeded<ref name=SetsFormat>{{cite web |last=Gill |first=Samuel |date=25 December 2024 |title=Format confirmed for 2025 Winmau World Masters including much-loved sets returning |url=https://dartsnews.com/pdc/format-confirmed-for-2025-winmau-world-masters-including-much-loved-sets-returning |publisher=Darts News |access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>}}
| colspan=4 {{n/a}}
|{{efn|name=Prelim |The top 8 eligible players from the Secondary Tours holders enter at the preliminary round group stage}}
| {{efn|name=Prelim}}
| {{efn|name=Prelim}}
| 8{{efn|The 8 qualifiers from the preliminary round.}}
|-
| align="left" | [[UK Open]]
| {{abbr|TCH|All Tour Card holders}}
| colspan=4 {{n/a}}
| 8
| 8
| {{n/a}}
| 16
|-
| align="left" | [[World Matchplay (darts)|World Matchplay]]
| 16 {{small|(16)}}
| 16
| colspan=7 {{n/a}}
|-
| align="left" | [[World Grand Prix (darts)|World Grand Prix]]
| 16 {{small|(16)}}
| 16
| colspan=7 {{n/a}}
|-
| align="left" | [[European Championship (darts)|European Championship]]
| colspan=2 {{n/a}}
| 32 {{small|(32)}}
| colspan=6 {{n/a}}
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[Grand Slam of Darts]]}}
| 0 {{small|(8)}}
| colspan=4 {{n/a}}
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 21
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[Players Championship Finals]]}}
| colspan=3 {{n/a}}
| 64 {{small|(64)}}
| colspan=5 {{n/a}}
|-
| colspan="10" align="left" |'''[[PDC Pro Tour]]'''
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[PDC European Tour#|European Tour events]]}}
| 16 {{small|(16)}}
| 16 
| colspan=6 {{n/a}}
| 16
|-
| align="left" | {{nowrap|[[PDC Pro Tour#Players Championships|Players Championship events]]}}
| {{abbr|TCH|All Tour Card Holders}} 
| 0 {{small|(32)}}
| colspan=7 {{n/a}}
|-
| colspan="10" align="left" |'''Non-ranked televised events'''
|-
| align="left" | [[Premier League Darts]]
| 4
| colspan=7 {{n/a}}
| 4
|-
| align="left" | [[World Series of Darts Finals]]
| colspan=4 {{n/a}}
| 8 {{small|(8)}}
| colspan=3 {{n/a}}
| 24
|-
| align = "left" | [[PDC World Cup of Darts|World Cup of Darts]]
| {{efn|name=WorldCup |Customarily, up to 2 Tour Card Holders are invited where possible from each nation, with priority for selection given to the highest-ranked players in the main Order of Merit. However, on some occasions (such as [[John Henderson (darts player)|John Henderson's]] defence of Scotland's [[2021 PDC World Cup of Darts|2021]] title), a lower-ranked player is invited. Where no Tour Card holders are available for a participating nation, players are invited directly by the PDC or through national qualifiers.<ref name="OOMRules" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Christie |first=Craig |date=31 May 2022 |title=John Henderson relishing opportunity to defend Cazoo World Cup of Darts title with Peter Wright |url=https://www.northern-scot.co.uk/sport/john-henderson-relishing-opportunity-to-defend-cazoo-world-c-276843/ |access-date=23 June 2025 |website=Northern Scot}}</ref>}}
| colspan=7 {{n/a}}
| {{efn|name=WorldCup}}
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Tour Cards
! 64
! colspan=4 {{n/a}}
! 2
! 2
! {{n/a}}
! 60{{efn|Players who have one year remaining of a two-year Tour Card and players qualifying through Q-school.}}
|}

{{note list}}

==Previous world ranking system==
Prior to 2007, a ranking point system was used where ranking points were awarded according to the stage reached in a tournament and the relative prestige of the tournament.<ref name=OldPDC>{{Cite web |title=Planetdarts : The Official Site of the Professional Darts Corporation Ltd. |url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk:80/article.asp?id=102097&Nv=4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030627080633/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk:80/article.asp?id=102097&Nv=4 |archive-date=2003-06-27 |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=www.planetdarts.co.uk}}</ref> There was no limit on the number of tournaments which counted to the tally, which meant that the top-ranked players were not necessarily the best-performing in the major tournaments. For instance, [[Colin Lloyd]] was the world number one player in the PDC for most of 2005 and 2006, despite most of the major titles being shared between [[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]], [[Raymond van Barneveld]] and [[John Part]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=PDC Roll of Honour, Darts Championships - PDC |url=https://www.pdc.tv/players/pdc-roll-honour |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=www.pdc.tv}}</ref>  
{| class="wikitable"
|+PDC World Rankings Points System, 2003<ref name=OldPDC />
!Tournament Category
!Winner
!Runner-up
!Top 4
!Top 8
!Top 16
!Top 32
!Top 40
!Top 64
|-
|World Championship
|50
|40
|35
|30
|24
|16
|12
|{{efn |2, 4 or 6 points for players who reached the later rounds of qualifying.}}
|-
|Premier Event
|30
|24
|20
|16
|12
|8
|{{n/a}}
|{{efn |For events with more than 128 players, 4 points.}}{{efn |1, 2, or 4 points for players who reached the later rounds of qualifying for the World Matchplay.}}
|-
|Category One
|16
|12
|10
|8
|6
|4
|{{n/a}}
|{{efn |For events with more than 128 players, 2 points.}}
|-
|Category Two
|8
|6
|4
|3
|2
|1
|colspan=2 {{n/a}}
|-
|Category Three
|5
|4
|3
|2
|1
|colspan=3 {{n/a}}
|}

{{notelist}}

==Previous World Number Ones==
<div style="text-align:center; float:right; clear: right; margin-left: 1em"> '''PDC Ranking Leaders Timeline'''<ref name="PDPANo1">{{cite web|title=World Number 1 (PDC) |url=https://pdpa.co.uk/world-no-1/ |work=[[Professional Dart Players Association]] |access-date=10 October 2020}}</ref><ref name=SLifeNo1>{{cite web |last=Nicholson |first=Paul |date=29 November 2023 |title=World number ones in darts: Michael Smith joins illustrious list of 12 players to reach the top of the PDC rankings including Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price |url=https://www.sportinglife.com/darts/news/world-number-ones-in-darts-michael-smith-joins-illustrious-list-of-12-players-to-reach-the-top-of-the-pdc-rankings-including-phil-taylor-michael-van-gerwen-and-gerwyn-price/199023 |publisher=Sporting Life |access-date=5 January 2025}}</ref><br />{{PDC Rankings Leaders}}</div>
13 players have held the position of World Number One since the World Darts Council started new rankings in 1993. Seven different players held the position in the old points system, and seven players have held the position since the PDC switched to the two-year earnings based Order of Merit system in 2007, with Phil Taylor being the only player to have been number one in both eras.

{| class="wikitable"
!Player
!{{abbr|#|total number of years}}
!Years in which player stood Number 1
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]]
|style="text-align: center;" |13
|{{hlist|''1996''|''2000''|'''''2002'''''|2003|'''''2004'''''|''2006''|'''2007'''|2008|'''''2009'''''|'''''2010'''''|'''2011'''|'''2012'''|'''''2013'''''}}
|-
|{{flagicon|NED}} [[Michael van Gerwen]]
|style="text-align: center;" |7
|{{hlist|'''''2014'''''|'''2015'''|'''2016'''|'''''2017'''''|'''2018'''|'''''2019'''''|'''2020'''}}
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alan Warriner-Little|Alan Warriner]]
|style="text-align: center;" |6
|{{hlist|1993|'''1994'''|'''1997'''|'''1998'''|2001|'''2002'''}}
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Rod Harrington]]
|style="text-align: center;" |5
|{{hlist|1995|'''1996'''|1998|'''1999'''|'''2000'''}}
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Colin Lloyd]]
|style="text-align: center;" |3
|{{hlist|2005|'''2006'''|2007}}
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Dennis Priestley]]
|style="text-align: center;" |2
|{{hlist|''1994''|'''1995'''}}
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Manley]]
|style="text-align: center;" |2
|{{hlist|2000|'''2001'''}}
|-
|{{flagicon|WAL}} [[Gerwyn Price]]
|style="text-align: center;" |2
|{{hlist|'''''2021'''''|'''2022'''}}
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Luke Humphries]]
|style="text-align: center;" |2
|{{hlist|'''''2024'''''|'''2025'''}}
|-
|{{flagicon|NED}} [[Raymond van Barneveld]]
|style="text-align: center;" |1
|'''2008'''
|-
|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[John Part]]
|style="text-align: center;" |1
|'''''2003'''''
|-
|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Peter Wright (darts player)|Peter Wright]]
|style="text-align: center;" |1
|''2022''
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Michael Smith (darts player)|Michael Smith]]
|style="text-align: center;" |1
|'''''2023'''''
|-
|style="text-align: center;" colspan=3 |<small>''Italic'' indicates the player was reigning world champion that year</small><br><small>'''Bold''' indicates the player stood number one at the conclusion of that year's world championship</small>
|}

===Periods===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No.
! Player(s)
! colspan=2 | From
! Length
! {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|01|1}}
|{{PDCFlag|Alan Warriner}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|1993|January|}}
| Incarnation of the WDC
|{{age in days|1 Jan 1993|6 November 1994}} days{{efn-ua|name=unk}}
|<ref name="PDPANo1" />
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|02|2}}
|{{PDCFlag|Dennis Priestley}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|1994|November|06}}
|1994 Lada UK Masters
|{{age in days|6 Nov 1994|10 Apr 1995}}
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats">{{cite web |title=Darts Database Player Stats |url=https://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/PlayerStats.aspx |website=Darts Database |access-date=14 November 2020}}</ref>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|03|3}}
|{{PDCFlag|Rod Harrington}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|1995|April|10}}
| 1995 UK Matchplay
|{{age in days|10 Apr 1995|1 Aug 1996}} days{{efn-ua|name=unk}}
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|04|4}}
|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|1996|August|}}
|
|{{age in days|1 Aug 1996|1 Sep 1996}} days{{efn-ua|name=unk}}
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Alan Warriner}} <small>(2)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|1996|September|}}
|
|{{age in days|1 Sep 1996|1 Aug 1998}} days{{efn-ua|name=unk}}
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Rod Harrington}} <small>(2)</small> 
|{{dts|format=dmy|1998|August|1}}
| [[1998 World Matchplay]]
|{{age in days|1 Aug 1998|29 Jul 2000}} days
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} <small>(2)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2000|July|29}}
| [[2000 World Matchplay]]
|{{age in days|29 Jul 2000|24 Sep 2000}} days
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|05|5}}
|{{PDCFlag|Peter Manley}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|2000|September|24}}
| 2000 Windy City Open
|{{age in days|24 Sep 2000|28 Oct 2001}} days
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Alan Warriner}} <small>(3)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2001|October|28}}
| [[2001 World Grand Prix (darts)|2001 World Grand Prix]]
|{{age in days|28 Oct 2001|5 Jan 2002}} days
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" |
|{{flagdeco|ENG}} {{sortname|Alan|Warriner-Little}} <small>(4)</small> and {{sortname|Phil|Taylor|Phil Taylor (darts player)}} <small>(3)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2002|January|5}}
| [[2002 PDC World Darts Championship|2002 World Championship]]
|{{age in days|5 Jan 2002|2 Feb 2002}} days
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Alan Warriner}} <small>(5)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2002|February|02}}
| 2002 Eastbourne Open
|{{age in days|2 Feb 2002|1 May 2002}} days{{efn-ua|name=unk}}
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} <small>(4)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2002|May|}}
|
|{{age in days|1 May 2002|4 Jan 2003}} days{{efn-ua|name=unk}}
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|06|6}}
|{{PDCFlag|John Part}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|2003|January|4}}
| [[2003 PDC World Darts Championship|2003 World Championship]]
|{{age in days|4 Jan 2003|26 Jul 2003}} days
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} <small>(5)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2003|July|26}}
| 2003 [[Bobby Bourn Memorial Players Championship|Bobby Bourn Memorial Trophy]]
|{{age in days|26 Jul 2003|27 Feb 2005}} days
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|07|7}}
|{{PDCFlag|Colin Lloyd}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|2005|February|27}}
| 2005 West Tyrone Open
|{{age in days|27 Feb 2005|11 June 2006}} days
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Lloydy on top of the World |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/lloydy-on-top-of-the-world |website=PDC |date=3 August 2005 |access-date=13 November 2020}}</ref><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} <small>(6)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2006|June|11}}
| [[2006 UK Open]]
|{{age in days|11 June 2006|18 June 2006}} days
|<ref name="PT7">{{cite web |title=Taylor Regains Number One Spot |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/taylor-regains-number-one-spot |website=PDC |access-date=13 November 2020 |date=12 June 2006}}</ref><ref name="CL2"/>
|-style="background:#FFFFCC;" <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Colin Lloyd}} <small>(2)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2006|June|18}}
| 2006 Players Championship 3
|{{age in days|18 June 2006|1 Jan 2007}} days
|<ref name="CL2">{{cite web |title=Lloyd Confirmed As Number One |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/lloyd-confirmed-as-number-one |website=PDC|date=20 June 2006 }}</ref><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-
|text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} <small>(7)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2007|January|01}}
| [[2007 PDC World Darts Championship|2007 World Championship]]
|{{age in days|1 Jan 2007|1 Jan 2008}} days
|<ref name="PDPANo1" /><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|08|8}}
|{{PDCFlag|Raymond van Barneveld}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|2008|January|1}}
| [[2008 PDC World Darts Championship|2008 World Championship]]
|{{age in days|1 Jan 2008|8 June 2008}} days
| <ref name="PT8"/><ref name="DDBstats"/>
|-
|text-align: center;" |
|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} <small>(8)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2008|June|8}}
| [[2008 UK Open]]
|{{age in days nts|8 June 2008|1 Jan 2014}} days
|<ref name="PT8">{{cite web |title=Taylor Back on Top |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/taylor-back-on-top |website=PDC |access-date=13 November 2020 |date=9 June 2008}}</ref><ref name="MVG1"/>
|-
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|09|9}}
|{{PDCFlag|Michael van Gerwen}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|2014|January|01}}
| [[2014 PDC World Darts Championship|2014 World Championship]]
|{{age in days nts|1 Jan 2014|3 Jan 2021}} days
| <ref name="MVG1">{{cite web |last1=Walters |first1=Mike |title=Michael van Gerwen is Ladbrokes PDC World Darts Champion after beating Peter Wright |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/darts/ladbrokes-pdc-world-championships-michael-2979439 |website=Mirror |access-date=13 November 2020 |date=1 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="GP">{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Dave |title=A number one hit! Price joins exclusive list to top rankings |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/2021/01/04/number-one-hit-price-joins-exclusive-list-top-rankings |website=PDC |date=4 January 2021}}</ref>
|- <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|10|10}}
|{{PDCFlag|Gerwyn Price}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|2021|January|03}}
| [[2021 PDC World Darts Championship|2021 World Championship]]
|{{age in days|3 Jan 2021|6 Mar 2022}} days
|<ref name="GP" /><ref name="PW"/>
|- <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|11|11}}
|{{PDCFlag|Peter Wright}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|2022|March|06}}
| [[2022 UK Open]]
|{{age in days|6 Mar 2022|24 July 2022}} days
|<ref name="PW">{{cite web |title=Peter Wright is world number one darts player after Gerwyn Price fails to reach UK Open final |url=https://www.sportinglife.com/darts/news/peter-wright-is-world-number-one-darts-player-after-gerwyn-price-fails-to-reach-uk-open-final/198961 |website=Sporting Life |access-date=6 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="GP2">{{cite web |last1=Gorton |first1=Josh |title=Price denies De Sousa in Winter Gardens thriller to seal semi-final spot |date=22 July 2022 |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/2022/07/22/price-denies-de-sousa-winter-gardens-thriller-seal-semi-final-spot |publisher=[[Professional Darts Corporation|PDC]] |access-date=24 July 2022}}</ref>
|- <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | 
|{{PDCFlag|Gerwyn Price}} <small>(2)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2022|July|24}}
| [[2022 World Matchplay]]
|{{age in days|24 July 2022|9 Oct 2022 }} days
|<ref name="GP2" />
|- <!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | 
|{{PDCFlag|Peter Wright}} <small>(2)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2022|October|9}}
| [[2022 World Grand Prix (darts)|2022 World Grand Prix]]
|{{age in days|9 Oct 2022|30 Oct 2022}} days
|<ref name="PriceEuro">{{cite web |date=31 October 2022 |last=Gill |first=Samuel |title=Price regains World Number One spot, Ross Smith into top 20 after maiden major win in updated PDC Order of Merit after European Championship |url=https://dartsnews.com/pdc/price-regains-world-number-one-spot-ross-smith-into-top-20-after-maiden-major-win-in-updated-pdc-order-of-merit-after-european-championship |website=Darts News |access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref>
|-<!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | 
|{{PDCFlag|Gerwyn Price}} <small>(3)</small>
|{{dts|format=dmy|2022|October|30}}
| [[2022 European Championship (darts)|2022 European Championship]]
|{{age in days|30 Oct 2022|03 January 2023 }} days
|<ref name="PriceEuro"/><ref name="SmithWC">{{cite web |title=Michael Smith beats Michael van Gerwen to win first world title with 'best leg of darts ever' |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/35376632/michael-smith-beats-michael-van-gerwen-win-first-world-title-best-leg-darts-ever |website=ESPN |date=4 January 2023 |access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref>
|- #<!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|12|12}}
|{{PDCFlag|Michael Smith}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|2023|January|3}}
| {{nowrap|[[2023 PDC World Darts Championship|2023 World Championship]]}}
|{{age in days|03 January 2023 |03 January 2024}} days
|<ref name="SmithWC"/>
|- style="font-weight:bold; background:#DDFFFF;"<!-- new row-->
|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|13|13}}
|{{PDCFlag|Luke Humphries}}
|{{dts|format=dmy|2024|January|3}}
| {{nowrap|[[2024 PDC World Darts Championship|2024 World Championship]]}}
|{{age in days |03 January 2024}} days
|<ref name="LHNo1">{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Kieran |title=Luke Humphries the new world number one after World Darts Championships |date=3 January 2024 |url=https://dartsnews.com/pdc/luke-humphries-the-new-world-number-one-after-world-darts-championships |publisher=Darts News |access-date=5 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gill |first=Samuel |date=4 January 2025 |title=PDC Order of Merit Update: Luke Littler passes Michael van Gerwen but World Number One out of reach for now |url=https://dartsnews.com/pdc/pdc-order-of-merit-update-luke-littler-passes-michael-van-gerwen-but-world-number-one-out-of-reach-for-now |work=Darts News |access-date=5 January 2025}}</ref>
|}
{{notelist-ua|refs=
{{efn-ua|name=unk|Uses 1st of month where exact date unknown.}}
}}

;Key
{|class="wikitable"
|style=background:#FFFFCC|Before January 2007
|Used old points system
|- 
| style="font-weight:bold; background:#DDFFFF;"|Current
| Reigning number one on Order of Merit
|}

===Total Days at No. 1===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col" style="width:500"|Player
!scope="col" style="width:175"|Total Days at No 1
!scope="col" style="width:175"|Longest Consecutive Run
|-
|1 ||style="text-align:left; | [[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]] || style="text-align:center" |3323 || style="text-align:center" | 2033
|- 
|2 ||style="text-align:left"|'''[[Michael van Gerwen]]''' ||style="text-align:center" |2559 || style="text-align:center"| 2559
|-
|3 ||style="text-align:left"| [[Alan Warriner-Little]] ||style="text-align:center" |1558 || style="text-align:center"|699
|-
|4 ||style="text-align:left"| [[Rod Harrington]] ||style="text-align:center" |1207 || style="text-align:center"| 728
|-
|5 ||style="text-align:left"| [[Colin Lloyd]] ||style="text-align:center" |666 || style="text-align:center"| 469
|-
|6 ||style="text-align:left"| '''[[Gerwyn Price]]''' ||style="text-align:center" |569 || style="text-align:center"| 427
|-
|7 ||style="text-align:left;  background-color: #DDFFFF"| '''[[Luke Humphries]]''' ||style="text-align:center" |'''{{age in days |03 January 2024}}''' <!--DO NOT EDIT: number of days will automatically update--> || style="text-align:center" |'''{{age in days |03 January 2024}}''' 
|-
|8 ||style="text-align:left"| [[Peter Manley]] ||style="text-align:center" |399 || style="text-align:center"| 399
|-
|9 ||style="text-align:left"| '''[[Michael Smith (darts player)|Michael Smith]]''' ||style="text-align:center" |365 || style="text-align:center"| 365
|-
|10 ||style="text-align:left"| [[John Part]] ||style="text-align:center" |203 || style="text-align:center"|203
|-
|11 ||style="text-align:left"| '''[[Peter Wright (darts player)|Peter Wright]]''' ||style="text-align:center" |161 || style="text-align:center"|140
|-
|12 ||style="text-align:left"| '''[[Raymond van Barneveld]]''' ||style="text-align:center" |159 || style="text-align:center"| 159
|-
|13 ||style="text-align:left"| [[Dennis Priestley]] ||style="text-align:center" |155 || style="text-align:center"|155
|-
|colspan=3 |Active players in '''bold'''.
|}

==First WDC/PDC rankings==
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2025}}
Following the [[Professional Darts Corporation|World Darts Council]] split from the [[British Darts Organisation]] between 1992 and 1994, the WDC drew up its first ranking list in the run-up to its inaugural [[1994 PDC World Darts Championship|1994 World Championship]]. [[Mike Gregory (darts player)|Mike Gregory]] and [[Chris Johns (darts player)|Chris Johns]] later went back to the BDO set up, and [[Bobby George]] and many of the non-UK players never competed in the early days of the WDC.{{citation needed|date=August 2010}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ranking
! Player
! width=10 rowspan=16|&nbsp;
! Ranking
! Player
|-
!1
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alan Warriner-Little|Alan Warriner]]
!16
|{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Jann Hoffmann]]
|-
!2
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Rod Harrington]]
!=
|{{flagicon|WAL}} [[Chris Johns (darts player)|Chris Johns]]
|-
!3
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Phil Taylor (darts player)|Phil Taylor]]
!=
|{{flagicon|NED}} [[Roland Scholten]]
|-
!4
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Lowe (darts player)|John Lowe]]
!19
|{{flagicon|NED}} [[Raymond van Barneveld]]
|-
!5
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mike Gregory (darts player)|Mike Gregory]]
!=
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Keith Deller]]
|-
!6
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Evison]]
!21
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bobby George]]
|-
!7
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Kevin Spiolek]]
!22
|{{flagicon|DEN}} Per Skau
|-
!=
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Dennis Priestley]]
!23
|{{flagicon|GER}} [[Bernd Hebecker]]
|-
!9
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bob Anderson (darts player)|Bob Anderson]]
!= 
|{{flagicon|GER}} [[Andree Welge]]
|-
!10
|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Jocky Wilson]]
!= 
|{{flagicon|BEL}} Pascal Rabau
|-
!11
|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Jamie Harvey]]
!26
|{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Leo Laurens]]
|-
!12
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Eric Bristow]]
!= 
|{{flagicon|NED}} [[Bert Vlaardingerbroek]]
|-
!13
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Cliff Lazarenko]]
!=
|{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Tom Kirby (darts player)|Tom Kirby]]
|-
!14
|{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Magnus Caris]]
!=
|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Wayne Weening]]
|-
!= 
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Steve Beaton]]
!= 
|{{flagicon|FIN}} Mauro Levy
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.pdc.tv/pdc-order-of-merit Official PDC Order of Merit]

{{PDC Top 20}}
{{PDC Darts}}
{{Darts}}
{{Sport world rankings}}

[[Category:Darts]]
[[Category:Professional Darts Corporation]]
[[Category:Lists of darts players]]
[[Category:Sports world rankings|Darts]]