Boy band One Direction have been named the most popular artistes in the world by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

The 'Best Song Ever' hitmakers got the recognition following analysis of digital downloads, streaming and physical sales, reported Contactmusic.

"It's great to have a chart that includes everything from iTunes and record stores, to YouTube and Spotify. Again a huge thank you to all of our fans for such an amazing 2013," Niall Horan said. One Direction, which comprises Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles, clocked up almost 200 million views of the 'Best Song Ever' video on YouTube, and their album 'Midnight Memories' topped the Billboard 100, making them the first group to debut at number one with their first three albums.

"Many congratulations to One Direction who topped a talented field to become the IFPI Global Recording Artists of 2013. This is a global IFPI award for a new era of music consumption, based on a new metric of global success. "Our chart for the first time measures the popularity of artists across the many different ways in which fans choose their music," said IFPI chief executive Frances Moore.