World Rugby: 405 million fans worldwide in 2019 (+18%), women's rugby on the rise

"A new global study from Nielsen has recorded 877 million followers (on social networks) and 405 million fans of rugby union worldwide (according to a survey of 85 countries conducted by the agency, see below) in 2019, up 11% and 18% on 2018 figures respectively," announced World Rugby, which published a report titled "Global Reach of Rugby 2019" on 02/11/2020, one year to the day after the 2019 Rugby World Cup final in Japan (England - South Africa, 12-32).

"In a game-changing year for the sport, there was a significant increase in the perceived attractiveness of the sport resulting in a sharp increase in interest, inspired by the rise of women in rugby and a trail-blazing Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. The World Cup, the first held in Asia, broke fan engagement records and boosted rugby’s profile across the continent," said the body.

"In 2019, there were an estimated 405 million rugby fans, and 126 million avid fans, marking an 18% and 17% increase since 2018, respectively. Across 36 surveyed markets, there were over 140 million female rugby fans in 2019, which marks a 29…