Governing body World Rugby said the tournament was the most-watched event in the history of the sport.

More than 857 million people around the world are said to have tuned in across the various broadcast partners.

This represents an increase of 26 per cent from the 2015 World Cup in England, while the cumulative live audience rose by five per cent from 479 million to 501 million.

South Africa's victory over England has been declared as the most-watched Rugby World Cup final ever, with an average live audience of 44.9 million fans.

This is an 83 per cent increase from the 2015 final, while the total viewing figure was up by 63 per cent to 51.3 million.

Holding the World Cup in Japan – the first in Asia – was seen as a chance for rugby to infiltrate new markets.

A total cumulative audience of 425 million watched the tournament in the host nation as the Japanese side embarked on a fine run to the quarter-finals.

This was more than five times the Japanese viewership for the 2015 World Cup.

Germany, which is not a traditional rugby power and did not play at the event, was seventh in the list of highest-viewing territories with 10.82 million cumulative viewers.

This placed them ahead of big rugby market Ireland and came about due to a free-to-air television deal.

World Rugby are particularly pleased that the figures occurred despite the Japanese time-zone not suiting many countries around the world.

They have also pointed to growth in other markets such as India and the rest of Asia.

The tournament, held between September 20 and November 2, faced challenges as Typhoon Hagibis forced the cancellation of three matches.

However, it ended with a great sporting story as South Africa's Siya Kolisi, who grew up in an impoverished township, became the first black captain to lift the trophy.

"These exceptional broadcast figures reaffirm our belief that Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan will be remembered as one of the great, if not the greatest of all Rugby World Cups," said World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont.

"It had everything – exceptional rugby on the field, a host nation team that exceeded all expectations, capturing hearts and minds, and the inspiring story of Siya Kolisi – all creating an incredible story that captured the imagination of people around the world in record numbers.

"Overall audience growth is just one part of the story. 

"It is particularly pleasing for the future development of the sport that Rugby World Cup 2019 broadcast success was driven by younger people in emerging markets such as India, Germany and across Asia, while Japan is now a major broadcast market for rugby – generating a sustainable audience legacy for the sport."