List of rugby union playing countries


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, these numbers are all estimates.
CountryClubsplayersRefereesUnder 13 boysUnder 13 girlsTeen malesTeen femalesSenior malesSenior femalesTotal malesTotal femalesTotal players
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
2 213 1 70 5 65 4 54 15 189 24213
420 152790 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 152543 247152790
3 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0250
767 170952 4900 26664 0 19239 0 39380 1669 85283 1669170952
26 5676 18 80 35 190 42 1327 73 1597 1505676
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
Bahamas 6 1635 20 10 10 150 15 400 50 1560 751635
Barbados 6 321 7 26 0 123 14 135 23 284 37321
58 35266 192 4564 857 3580 503 4121 641 33265 200135266
8 901 11 220 33 125 40 192 91 737 164901
Bosnia & Herzegovina 9 911 23 292 54 186 71 245 63 723 188911
Botswana 12 9395 20 260 70 2800 1500 630 135 7690 17059395
230 69130 74 800 100 2915 150 5541 624 60256 887469130
British Virgin Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
36 3121 48 1225 182 1109 177 367 61 2701 4203121
Burundi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
Cambodia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
Cameroon 32 3722 37 212 12 375 22 1049 52 1636 863722
Canada 309 47853 605 3337 411 5999 1997 9032 3077 18368 548547853
Cayman Islands 4 2200 30 388 182 961 251 305 113 1654 5462200
26 42755 338 8049 127 5448 168 4830 133 38327 242842755
15 6430 70 70 60 600 200 3900 600 5570 78606430
13 2800 101 200 0 500 0 1000 100 2700 1002800
76 14214 88 450 0 1924 21 2784 235 11158 311114214
21 4258 82 675 434 469 104 526 50 3670 5884258
21 6142 23 809 25 511 22 733 42 5053 1896142
22 13382 110 1843 201 1321 149 1697 171 12861 52113282
Denmark 27 4606 74 203 52 296 56 1766 233 4265 3414606
England 1809 3821549207 694899 408072 602564 129121 131399 24933 1428862 562126382154
490 136030 309 22500 0 5200 60 8000 270 135700 330136030
18 770 35 0 0 25 4 265 80 290 84770
1798 670847 2095 165497 4444 57557 2360 124079 6910 597133 13714670847
46 65381 45 940 12 2332 5 878 14 65150 33165381
108 45656 319 2083 333 3301 527 4639 773 43023 163345656
Ghana 5 1250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1250 01250
Greece 0 220 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0220
3 912 12 162 112 284 230 96 28 542 370912
Guyana 3 1324 25 400 105 315 75 295 134 1010 3141324
59 10525 86 1998 1332 1270 500 1813 612 8081 244410525
33 2207 34 181 21 865 59 1002 79 2048 1592207
96 22282 98 2936 1367 9481 4806 2982 710 15399 6883222282
Indonesia 16 830 6 40 3 291 72 402 22 733 97830
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
221157080 2380 57409 6900 57867 2700 25440 2764 140716 17364157080
12 755 15 60 0 300 20 300 75 660 95755
784 168176 857 28364 3240 17220 488 15848 1016 161432 7744168176
Ivory Coast 14 47383 45 1905 142 2645 201 470 20 45020 236347383
9 2090 30 484 117 1120 56 276 37 1880 2102090
1522 270368 4545 31945 3937 37294 352 48470 370 254709 15659270368
12 4650 21 525 380 588 470 344 343 3457 11934650
Kenya 60 65904 518 4446 2518 27930 580 6772 658 59148 575665904
5 12620 80 200 150 880 10 1300 80 10380 250012620
Kyrgyzstan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
16 995 21 50 13 290 52 372 18 912 83995
16 9544 22 112 0 670 18 730 14 8512 329544
3 5437 7 721 402 625 276 348 65 4694 7435437
Madagascar 410 42540 160 1080 170 3600 170 16750 770 41430 111042540
300 60030 702 15000 0 20000 0 25000 30 60000 3060030
Mali 0 230 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 230230
7 3785 8 69 0 135 8 292 81 3496 893785
Mauritania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
Mauritius 7 910 9 50 0 160 30 155 15 865 45910
26 3454 54 665 476 831 350 968 164 2464 9903454
7 7610 55 490 242 1138 281 379 80 7007 6037610
2 165 4 52 0 59 0 52 2 163 2165
Morocco 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
Morocco 20 11331 80 748 30 2934 30 3489 100 10171 16011331
Namibia 27 34226 26 8000 0 5000 18 1084 124 33084 14234226
82 27869 260 1432 101 2202 155 4386 593 26020 84927869
New Zealand 600 156893 2255 64794 9540 40390 3521 27726 922 132910 13983156893
Nigeria 17 9198 10 915 572 3421 720 510 60 8846 13529196
6 405 9 70 40 80 40 150 25 300 105405
27 1502 24 168 47 369 120 612 186 1149 3531502
49 4012 21 300 0 1810 25 1859 18 3969 434012
72 7200 52 150 50 400 100 2290 210 6840 3607200
21 22568 39 200 0 1820 80 1420 48 31440 12822568
11 950 15 150 10 220 0 500 70 870 80950
17 4300 11 300 75 200 75 500 150 4000 3004300
58 28963 59 1075 59 1541 48 3143 97 27559 80428963
46 52270 52 1152 0 2749 0 1040 329 49541 332952270
83 40512 199 4915 320 3067 150 1048 112 40030 38240512
105 42519 89 2878 0 6853 835 3633 320 41364 115542519
Rwanda 0 380 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 380380
140 53372 600 9279 4149 1792 212 7690 250 48761 461153372
251 62500 360 9541 324 15009 1297 11687 642 60237 226362500
Senegal 13 8350 19 1400 50 1000 110 720 70 8120 2308350
12 5352 25 273 72 360 19 605 23 5238 1145352
24 9690 90 2448 918 3366 1428 1020 510 6834 28569690
7 480 5 140 10 30 10 260 30 430 50480
48 3158 75 324 20 766 108 1800 140 2890 2683150
South Africa 1526 804279 3460 320842 4522 199213 4906 113174 8489 733229 17917804279
Spain 210 60016 311 1812 129 7426 354 9588 707 49826 119060016
98 153325 396 35200 14110 48552 958 3850 655 138602 15723153325
St Lucia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
St. Vincent & The Grenadines 6 1036 3 205 109 415 127 140 40 760 2761036
14 18920 43 4700 5100 4850 3100 740 430 10290 863018920
41 3507 63 350 110 850 244 1452 501 2652 8553507
30 18384 52 456 28 484 18 1274 124 1814 17018384
Tahiti 18 4617 14 492 216 328 96 403 82 4223 3944617
Tanzania 5 1120 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11201120
169 17732 104 2541 385 5522 1663 5716 1905 13779 395317732
82 17891 8 370 0 3472 0 3049 0 17891 017891
Trinidad & Tobago 14 5060 58 1038 422 1798 341 1336 125 4172 8885060
Tunisia 74 26218 93 4489 1304 5622 1958 1919 926 22030 418826218
Uganda 17 35110 114 4900 2200 5900 400 560 150 32360 275035110
44 8880 68 800 50 1100 30 800 100 8700 1808880
23 30065 64 2896 10 1803 98 1219 39 29918 14730065
2588 126151 2061 178819 150267 47323 19594 50211 11769 126353 181630126983
Uzbekistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
12 2520 22 500 50 720 60 1100 90 2320 2002520
34 4415 30 60 20 380 25 1650 280 4090 3254415
Wales 250 160557 12053 112318 1100 114500 1492 122408 1739 159226 11331160557
Zambia 20 20200 40 4100 400 3600 300 1600 200 19300 90020200
Zimbabwe 1747541 44 7900 0 12975 425 768 95 47541 52047541
Totals 148,633 8,404,445 182,972 4,552,495 976,498 4,337,930 581,589 972,443 190,443 6,965,411 1,338,0348,404,445