This list shows each country which has a union affiliated to World Rugby , the international governing body for rugby union . It also shows the number of registered clubs playing in each country, official referees and the number of registered players broken down by gender and age group.
In 2023, the total number of registered players increased from 5.82 million to 8.4 million. South Africa has the most with 804,279. These numbers are all estimates and the correct number of registered players is likely higher. [ 1]
Country
No. of Clubs
Registered players
Referees
Under 13 boys
Under 13 girls
Teen males
Teen females
Senior (Adult) males
Senior (Adult) females
Total males
Total females
Total players
American Samoa [ 2]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Andorra [ 3]
2
213
1
70
5
65
4
54
15
189
24
213
Argentina [ 4] [ 5]
420
152790
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
152543
247
152790
Armenia [ 6]
3
250
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
250
Australia [ 7] [ nb 1]
767
170952
4900
26664
0
19239
0
39380
1669
85283
1669
170952
Austria [ 8]
26
5676
18
80
35
190
42
1327
73
1597
150
5676
Azerbaijan [ 9]
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Bahamas[ 10]
6
1635
20
10
10
150
15
400
50
1560
75
1635
Barbados[ 11]
6
321
7
26
0
123
14
135
23
284
37
321
Belgium [ 12]
58
35266
192
4564
857
3580
503
4121
641
33265
2001
35266
Bermuda [ 13]
8
901
11
220
33
125
40
192
91
737
164
901
[ 14]
9
911
23
292
54
186
71
245
63
723
188
911
Botswana [ 15]
12
9395
20
260
70
2800
1500
630
135
7690
1705
9395
Brazil [ 16]
230
69130
74
800
100
2915
150
5541
624
60256
8874
69130
British Virgin Islands[ 17]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Bulgaria [ 18]
36
3121
48
1225
182
1109
177
367
61
2701
420
3121
Burundi [ 19]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Cambodia[ 20]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Cameroon [ 21]
32
3722
37
212
12
375
22
1049
52
1636
86
3722
Canada [ 22]
309
47853
605
3337
411
5999
1997
9032
3077
18368
5485
47853
Cayman Islands[ 23]
4
2200
30
388
182
961
251
305
113
1654
546
2200
Chile [ 24]
26
42755
338
8049
127
5448
168
4830
133
38327
2428
42755
China [ 25]
15
6430
70
70
60
600
200
3900
600
5570
7860
6430
Chinese Taipei [ 26]
13
2800
101
200
0
500
0
1000
100
2700
100
2800
Colombia [ 27]
76
14214
88
450
0
1924
21
2784
235
11158
3111
14214
Cook Islands [ 28]
21
4258
82
675
434
469
104
526
50
3670
588
4258
Croatia [ 29]
21
6142
23
809
25
511
22
733
42
5053
189
6142
Czech Republic [ 30]
22
13382
110
1843
201
1321
149
1697
171
12861
521
13282
Denmark [ 31]
27
4606
74
203
52
296
56
1766
233
4265
341
4606
England [ 32]
1809
382154
9207
694899
408072
602564
129121
131399
24933
1428862
562126
382154
Fiji [ 33]
490
136030
309
22500
0
5200
60
8000
270
135700
330
136030
Finland [ 34]
18
770
35
0
0
25
4
265
80
290
84
770
France [ 35]
1798
670847
2095
165497
4444
57557
2360
124079
6910
597133
13714
670847
Georgia [ 36]
46
65381
45
940
12
2332
5
878
14
65150
331
65381
Germany [ 37]
108
45656
319
2083
333
3301
527
4639
773
43023
1633
45656
Ghana [ 38]
5
1250
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1250
0
1250
Greece[ 39]
0
220
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
220
Guam [ 40]
3
912
12
162
112
284
230
96
28
542
370
912
Guyana[ 41]
3
1324
25
400
105
315
75
295
134
1010
314
1324
Hong Kong [ 42]
59
10525
86
1998
1332
1270
500
1813
612
8081
2444
10525
Hungary [ 43]
33
2207
34
181
21
865
59
1002
79
2048
159
2207
India [ 44]
96
22282
98
2936
1367
9481
4806
2982
710
15399
6883
222282
Indonesia[ 45]
16
830
6
40
3
291
72
402
22
733
97
830
Iran [ 46]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Ireland [ 47]
221
157080
2380
57409
6900
57867
2700
25440
2764
140716
17364
157080
Israel [ 48]
12
755
15
60
0
300
20
300
75
660
95
755
Italy [ 49]
784
168176
857
28364
3240
17220
488
15848
1016
161432
7744
168176
Ivory Coast [ 50]
14
47383
45
1905
142
2645
201
470
20
45020
2363
47383
Jamaica [ 51]
9
2090
30
484
117
1120
56
276
37
1880
210
2090
Japan [ 52]
1522
270368
4545
31945
3937
37294
352
48470
370
254709
15659
270368
Kazakhstan [ 53]
12
4650
21
525
380
588
470
344
343
3457
1193
4650
Kenya [ 54]
60
65904
518
4446
2518
27930
580
6772
658
59148
5756
65904
Korea [ 55]
5
12620
80
200
150
880
10
1300
80
10380
2500
12620
Kyrgyzstan[ 56]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Lao [ 57]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Latvia [ 58]
16
995
21
50
13
290
52
372
18
912
83
995
Lithuania [ 59]
16
9544
22
112
0
670
18
730
14
8512
32
9544
Luxembourg [ 60]
3
5437
7
721
402
625
276
348
65
4694
743
5437
Madagascar [ 61]
410
42540
160
1080
170
3600
170
16750
770
41430
1110
42540
Malaysia [ 62]
300
60030
702
15000
0
20000
0
25000
30
60000
30
60030
Mali [ 63]
0
230
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
230
230
Malta [ 64]
7
3785
8
69
0
135
8
292
81
3496
89
3785
Mauritania [ 65]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Mauritius [ 66]
7
910
9
50
0
160
30
155
15
865
45
910
Mexico [ 67]
26
3454
54
665
476
831
350
968
164
2464
990
3454
Moldova [ 68]
7
7610
55
490
242
1138
281
379
80
7007
603
7610
Monaco [ 69]
2
165
4
52
0
59
0
52
2
163
2
165
Morocco[ 70]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Morocco [ 71]
20
11331
80
748
30
2934
30
3489
100
10171
160
11331
Namibia [ 72]
27
34226
26
8000
0
5000
18
1084
124
33084
142
34226
Netherlands [ 73]
82
27869
260
1432
101
2202
155
4386
593
26020
849
27869
New Zealand [ 74]
600
156893
2255
64794
9540
40390
3521
27726
922
132910
13983
156893
Nigeria [ 75]
17
9198
10
915
572
3421
720
510
60
8846
1352
9196
Niue Islands [ 76]
6
405
9
70
40
80
40
150
25
300
105
405
Norway [ 77]
27
1502
24
168
47
369
120
612
186
1149
353
1502
Pakistan [ 78]
49
4012
21
300
0
1810
25
1859
18
3969
43
4012
Papua New Guinea [ 79]
72
7200
52
150
50
400
100
2290
210
6840
360
7200
Paraguay [ 80]
21
22568
39
200
0
1820
80
1420
48
31440
128
22568
Peru [ 81]
11
950
15
150
10
220
0
500
70
870
80
950
Philippines [ 82] [ 83]
17
4300
11
300
75
200
75
500
150
4000
300
4300
Poland [ 84]
58
28963
59
1075
59
1541
48
3143
97
27559
804
28963
Portugal [ 85]
46
52270
52
1152
0
2749
0
1040
329
49541
3329
52270
Romania [ 86]
83
40512
199
4915
320
3067
150
1048
112
40030
382
40512
Russia [ 87]
105
42519
89
2878
0
6853
835
3633
320
41364
1155
42519
Rwanda [ 88]
0
380
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
380
380
Samoa [ 89]
140
53372
600
9279
4149
1792
212
7690
250
48761
4611
53372
Scotland [ 90]
251
62500
360
9541
324
15009
1297
11687
642
60237
2263
62500
Senegal [ 91]
13
8350
19
1400
50
1000
110
720
70
8120
230
8350
Serbia [ 92]
12
5352
25
273
72
360
19
605
23
5238
114
5352
Singapore [ 93]
24
9690
90
2448
918
3366
1428
1020
510
6834
2856
9690
Slovenia [ 94]
7
480
5
140
10
30
10
260
30
430
50
480
Solomon Islands [ 95]
48
3158
75
324
20
766
108
1800
140
2890
268
3150
South Africa [ 96]
1526
804279
3460
320842
4522
199213
4906
113174
8489
733229
17917
804279
Spain [ 97]
210
60016
311
1812
129
7426
354
9588
707
49826
1190
60016
Sri Lanka [ 98]
98
153325
396
35200
14110
48552
958
3850
655
138602
15723
153325
[ 99]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
[ 100]
6
1036
3
205
109
415
127
140
40
760
276
1036
Eswatini [ 101]
14
18920
43
4700
5100
4850
3100
740
430
10290
8630
18920
Sweden [ 102]
41
3507
63
350
110
850
244
1452
501
2652
855
3507
Switzerland [ 103]
30
18384
52
456
28
484
18
1274
124
1814
170
18384
Tahiti[ 104]
18
4617
14
492
216
328
96
403
82
4223
394
4617
Tanzania [ 105]
5
1120
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1120
1120
Thailand [ 106]
169
17732
104
2541
385
5522
1663
5716
1905
13779
3953
17732
Tonga [ 107]
82
17891
8
370
0
3472
0
3049
0
17891
0
17891
[ 108]
14
5060
58
1038
422
1798
341
1336
125
4172
888
5060
Tunisia [ 109]
74
26218
93
4489
1304
5622
1958
1919
926
22030
4188
26218
Uganda [ 110]
17
35110
114
4900
2200
5900
400
560
150
32360
2750
35110
Ukraine [ 111]
44
8880
68
800
50
1100
30
800
100
8700
180
8880
Uruguay [ 112]
23
30065
64
2896
10
1803
98
1219
39
29918
147
30065
United States [ 113]
2588
126151
2061
178819
150267
47323
19594
50211
11769
126353
181630
126983
Uzbekistan[ 114]
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Vanuatu [ 115]
12
2520
22
500
50
720
60
1100
90
2320
200
2520
Venezuela [ 116]
34
4415
30
60
20
380
25
1650
280
4090
325
4415
Wales [ 117] [ 118]
250
160557
12053
112318
1100
114500
1492
122408
1739
159226
11331
160557
Zambia [ 119]
20
20200
40
4100
400
3600
300
1600
200
19300
900
20200
Zimbabwe [ 120]
17
47541
44
7900
0
12975
425
768
95
47541
520
47541
Totals [ nb 2]
148,633
8,404,445
182,972
4,552,495
976,498
4,337,930
581,589
972,443
190,443
6,965,411
1,338,034
8,404,445
Notes
^ Australia: Data listed in the table, including the total of 86,952 registered players, is from the archived IRB webpage as at 25 September 2011,[ 7] which allows for comparison to figures from other countries sourced from the same website in the same time frame. Participation figures recorded in later archives from the IRB include both registered and unregistered players (totals over 297,000 in 2012,[ 121] and over 482,000 in 2014,[ 122] and are therefore not useful in comparison to the rest of the table). Other sources, such as Ausport, put the overall number of rugby players as low as 42,100 but this is based on older data from 1999–2000.[ 123] [ 124]
^ The totals for all the age groups combined fail to match the total due to Argentina's failure to supply breakdown figures for age group and gender. Assuming total players as correct figure.
References