World Rugby: an estimated $1.5bn in healthcare savings from playing rugby & a social value of $8.4bn

"Global rugby participation is estimated to generate $8.4bn (€7.72bn) in value to society based on a range of health, social and economic factors and $1.5bn (€1.38bn) in healthcare savings," said World Rugby, which published its first Sustainability Report, covering the 2024 financial year, on 12/03/2025.

97% of World Rugby's annual carbon footprint, calculated for the first time (for the year 2023), came from the transport and accommodation required to host the Rugby World Cup 2023 (808,000 tCO2e), while the remaining 3% came from the running of the body (1.7%) and the organisation of other events (1.3%).

The Rugby World Cup also enabled 210 impact projects to be supported via the "Rugby au Cœur" endowment fund, to the tune of €1.5bn. In total, more than 160,000 people have benefited from the initiatives put in place as part of the Rugby World Cup 2023's social programme.

The document highlights the "significant progress in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives as the international federation continues to drive positive change across the sport". World Rugby's…