Transfer spending around the world hit a record $4.18 billion in 2015 and has grown by nearly half in five years, FIFA said Thursday.

With television and sponsorship money rocketing, there were an all-time high 13,558 transfers in 2015, up 3.1 percent compared with the previous year, said FIFA's Global Transfer Market report which monitored 6,500 clubs around the world.

Some $4.18 billion (3.83 billion euros) in transfers were registered by FIFA, up 2.6 percent on 2014 and more than 44 percent higher than 2011 spending.

English Premier League clubs are still the main spenders but China's Super League is showing the biggest growth, the report said.

According to the Deloitte consultancy, English clubs spent $1.2 billion (1.1 billion euros) in the summer transfer window last year.