Per Capita Olympic Medal Table

Which is the most successful Olympic Nation ?

Few would doubt that the former East Germany would have been a major contender for this title. Indeed, this country of 16 million inhabitants competed at par with giants USA and USSR.

Yet it is tiny Liechtenstein that takes this honour. Having won 9 olympic medals is a major achievement for a country of 31.000 inhabitants.

The following list shows the relative number of medals won by each country:

Column 'years' lists the years during which the country competed in the Olympics - countries no longer active are not numbered in the ranking.
Column 'med' shows the number of medals won (since 1948).
Column 'inh' is the number of inhabitants (mid 1996, x000) Column 'N-Oly' is the number of Olympic games that the country has competed in, adjusted for medal count per olympiad. The 1996-98 Olympics (Atlanta and Nagano combined) count for 1 = 1047 medals, but the 1948 Games count only .457 (479 medals). The last column should be read : medals per 10 million inhabitants per standard Olympiad.

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
1 1 Liechtenstein 48 98 9 31 8.927 321.06


East Germany 68 88 515 17525 4.246 69.20
2 2 Norway 48 98 225 4382 8.927 57.52
3 3 Finland 48 98 230 5132 8.927 50.20
4 4 Hungary 48 98 336 10201 8.927 36.90
5 6 Sweden 48 98 278 8858 8.927 35.15
6 5 Tonga 88 98 1 101 2.949 33.57
7 7 Switzerland 48 98 164 7087 8.927 25.92
8 8 Bulgaria 48 98 185 8366 8.927 24.77
9 10 Austria 48 98 160 8102 8.927 22.12
10 9 New Zealand 48 98 65 3619 8.927 20.12

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
11 11 Bermuda 48 98 1 61 8.927 18.24
12 13 Denmark 48 98 82 5244 8.927 17.52
13 12 Slovenia 92 98 7 1959 2.117 16.88
14 14 Bahamas 52 98 4 280 8.470 16.87
15 16 Virgin Islands (US) 68 98 1 98 6.363 16.10
16 17 Australia 48 98 254 18287 8.927 15.56
17 15 Belarus 94 98 19 10442 1.175 15.49
18 18 Jamaica 48 98 31 2505 8.927 13.86
19 19 Germany 92 98 228 81891 2.117 13.15
20 22 Netherlands 48 98 168 15589 8.927 12.07

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
21 21 Romania 48 98 238 22670 8.927 11.76
22 23 Czech Rep. 94 98 14 10316 1.175 11.55
23 20 Namibia 92 98 4 1709 2.117 11.06


Czecho-Slowakia 48 92 134 15688 7.753 11.02
24 24 Cuba 48 98 103 11117 8.927 10.38


West Germany 68 88 238 64366 4.246 8.71
25 25 Mongolia 64 98 14 2334 6.943 8.64
26 27 Iceland 48 98 2 270 8.927 8.30
27 26 Kazakhstan 94 98 16 16677 1.175 8.17
28 28 Luxembourg 48 98 3 415 8.927 8.10
29 30 Trinidad & Tobago 48 98 9 1262 8.927 7.99


Germany (E+W) 48 64 167 81891 2.564 7.95
30 29 Latvia 92 98 4 2490 2.117 7.59

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
31 33 Canada 48 98 198 29784 8.927 7.45
32 32 Italy 48 98 375 57500 8.927 7.31
33 31 Surinam 68 98 2 436 6.363 7.21
34 34 Estonia 92 98 2 1475 2.117 6.41


Soviet-Union 52 88 1193 293439 6.353 6.40
35 37 Poland 48 98 208 38731 8.927 6.02
36 39 Russia 94 98 104 148070 1.175 5.98
37 35 Qatar 88 98 1 590 2.949 5.75
38 43 France 48 98 298 58392 8.927 5.72
39 38 Netherl. Antilles 52 98 1 208 8.470 5.68
40 36 Djibouti 88 98 1 604 2.949 5.61

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
41 44 U.S.A. 48 98 1285 265455 8.927 5.42
42 45 Belgium 48 98 49 10185 8.927 5.39
43 46 Great-Britain 48 98 263 58784 8.927 5.01
44 47 Ireland 48 98 16 3599 8.927 4.98


Unified Team CIS 92 92 134 285767 0.942 4.98
45 40 Croatia 92 98 5 4775 2.117 4.95


Yugoslavia (ex) 48 88 75 22699 6.811 4.85
46 42 Slovakia 94 98 3 5372 1.175 4.75
47 41 Armenia 94 98 2 3765 1.175 4.52
48 48 Ukraine 94 98 26 51273 1.175 4.32
49 49 Moldova 94 98 2 4372 1.175 3.89
50 50 Lithuania 92 98 3 3707 2.117 3.82

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
51 52 Korea, Republic 48 98 142 44834 8.927 3.55


South Africa (- 56) 48 56 21 41743 1.473 3.42
52 51 Georgia 94 98 2 5361 1.175 3.18
53 53 Yugoslavia 92 98 7 10473 2.117 3.16
54 54 Japan 48 98 266 125612 8.927 2.37
55 55 Greece 48 98 21 10493 8.927 2.24
56 56 Uruguay 48 98 6 3140 8.927 2.14
57 57 Korea, People's Dem Rep 72 98 28 23904 5.758 2.03
58 59 Kenya 56 98 46 29137 7.968 1.98
59 60 Puerto Rico 48 98 6 3766 8.927 1.78
60 61 Spain 48 98 62 39270 8.927 1.77

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
61 58 Burundi 96 98 1 5943 1.000 1.68
62 63 Guyana 48 98 1 712 8.927 1.57
63 64 Portugal 48 98 12 9927 8.927 1.35
64 62 Lebanon 48 98 4 3776 8.927 1.19
65 65 Azerbaijan 94 98 1 7570 1.175 1.12
66 66 Uzbekistan 94 98 3 23206 1.175 1.10
67 67 Turkey 48 98 57 62650 8.927 1.02
68 68 Tunisia 60 98 6 9057 7.455 0.89
69 70 Panama 48 98 2 2674 8.927 0.84
70 71 Argentina 48 98 26 34995 8.927 0.83

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
71 69 South Africa 92 98 7 41743 2.117 0.79
72 72 Costa Rica 48 98 2 3400 8.927 0.66
73 74 Iran 48 98 36 62231 8.927 0.65
74 73 Israel 52 98 3 5481 8.470 0.65
75 75 Morocco 60 98 11 26736 7.455 0.55
76 76 Singapore 64 98 1 3045 6.943 0.47
77 77 Chili 48 98 6 14375 8.927 0.47
78 78 Mexico 48 98 36 92711 8.927 0.43
79 79 Venezuela 48 98 8 22311 8.927 0.40
80 80 Uganda 56 98 6 20158 7.968 0.37

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
81 81 Brazil 48 98 51 157872 8.927 0.36
82 82 Ethiopia 56 98 16 56713 7.968 0.35
83 83 Algeria 64 98 7 28566 6.943 0.35
84 84 China 80 98 179 1218709 4.393 0.33
85 85 Zambia 64 98 2 9715 6.943 0.30
86 86 Taiwan 56 98 5 21463 7.968 0.29
87 87 Ghana 52 98 4 16904 8.470 0.28
88 88 Syria 48 98 3 14798 8.927 0.23
89 89 Cameroon 64 98 2 13609 6.943 0.21
90 90 Zimbabwe 80 98 1 11515 4.393 0.20

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
91 95 Dominican Rep. 64 98 1 7502 6.943 0.19
92 91 Colombia 48 98 6 35652 8.927 0.19
93 93 Hong Kong 52 98 1 6304 8.470 0.19
94 92 Peru 48 98 4 23947 8.927 0.19
95 94 Malaysia 56 98 3 20359 7.968 0.18
96 96 Senegal 64 98 1 8532 6.943 0.17
97 97 Nigeria 52 98 14 103912 8.470 0.16
98 98 Niger 64 98 1 9465 6.943 0.15
99 99 Egypt 48 98 8 60896 8.927 0.15
100 100 Mozambique 80 98 1 17878 4.393 0.13

rank rk96 country years med inh N-Oly rel
101 101 Thailand 52 98 6 60003 8.470 0.12
102 102 Ecuador 60 98 1 11698 7.455 0.11
103 103 Tanzania 64 98 2 28838 6.943 0.10
104 104 Côte d'Ivoire 64 98 1 14733 6.943 0.10
105 105 Pakistan 48 98 10 133500 8.927 0.08
106 106 Philippines 48 98 4 71750 8.927 0.06
107 107 Sri Lanka 48 98 1 18318 8.927 0.06
108 108 Indonesia 52 98 10 196189 8.470 0.06
109 109 Iraq 48 98 1 21422 8.927 0.05
110 110 India 48 98 10 952969 8.927 0.01

Other countries.

I have compiled this list by myself. I do not claim it is completely correct, but have worked hard at making it as correct as possible.

Check my Home Page for my other intrests (including two non-olympic Sports, Bridge and Cricket)

Adapted after Nagano 1998-02-22 / Last modified 2000-06-16

hermandw@village.uunet.be / Copyright ©1996-2000.

This Olympics site is owned by
Herman De Wael.

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