World Rugby: 793 million people are interested in rugby around the world (24% more than in 2013)

"793 million people are interested in rugby around the world, of which more than 338 million declare themselves to be true fans, which is a 24% increase compared to the previous report of 2013," announced World Rugby on 07/08/2018, based on a survey of 88 markets and 36 countries by Nielsen Sports (a division of Nielsen Holdings PLC), a sports marketing consulting and evaluation firm.

"India, China and the United States account for 33% of all people who are interested in rugby, and the number of fans in emerging markets (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and the United States) has increased by 50% since 2013," says the regulatory body.

"Of the 338 million fans surveyed with interest, China and the United States have 33 million, India 25 million and France 20 million. Japan, which hosts Rugby World Cup 2019, is in the top 10 countries where growth is strongest with 14 million fans," said World Rugby.

"Asia, North America, South America, and Africa are experiencing the fastest growth rates with 112.5 million fans, 52.8 million, 38.2 million, and 32.7 percent, respectively," added the…