As the 2024 Olympics enter their ninth day, the United States tops the overall Olympic medals tally with 71 medals and shares the lead in gold medals with China, each country boasting 19 golds. Despite its leading position, the U.S. ranks 34th globally in medals per capita, with a medal for every 4,662,009 people.
In stark contrast, some nations have achieved remarkable medal counts relative to their populations. Dominica leads the pack, with one medal per 71,986 residents, the highest ratio of any country in the 2024 Olympics. Grenada follows closely, with one medal per 112,523 people, while St. Lucia comes in third with one medal per 183,627 people. Each of these Caribbean countries has earned just one medal, underscoring their impressive per capita rates.
Notably, Dominica’s gold medalist, Thea LaFond, who won in the women’s triple jump, grew up in Maryland and attended high school and college there. Similarly, St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred, who clinched gold in the women’s 100m, studied at the University of Texas and is a three-time NCAA Division I champion.
On the other end of the spectrum, India, with a population of over 1.38 billion, has won three medals, resulting in a ratio of one medal per 460,001,461 people. Ethiopia, the Philippines, and Egypt also have high medals per capita ratios, each exceeding one medal per 100 million people.
China, with a population of approximately 1.44 billion, has secured 45 medals, translating to one medal per 31,984,972 people.
When it comes to gold medals per capita, Ireland stands out with three golds, giving it a ratio of one gold medal per 1,645,928 people. The U.S., with 19 golds, has a ratio of one gold medal per 17,421,192 people.
The data highlights how some smaller nations have managed to excel in the arena relative to their size, while larger countries face a more challenging ratio of Olympic medals to population.