Smaller Nations Excel in Olympic Medal Counts Per Capita
In this new metric, Olympic superpowers are nowhere to be seen and some tiny nations took a great leap, including our near neighbours.
United States, China and Japan have officially dominated the 2024 Olympic medal count, but these small nations demonstrated success at the Games can be measured in more ways than one.
And in this new metric, the aforementioned sporting superpowers are nowhere to be seen.
At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, some of the smallest nations by population emerged as the biggest winners when medals are measured per capita.
Dominica, a small Caribbean island nation with a population of approximately 66,170, topped the chart thanks to a single historic victory by Thea LaFond.
Competing in the women’s triple jump, LaFond not only secured her country’s first-ever Olympic medal but also propelled Dominica to the top spot for Olympic gold medals per head of population.
Grenada, another Caribbean neighbour with a population of around 117,220, took the crown for the most total Olympic medals per capita.
The nation celebrated two bronze medals, which placed it ahead of Dominica and St. Lucia in the same ranking.
St. Lucia, with a population of about 179,790, also shone brightly at the Games, winning gold and silver in track events, further cementing the region’s per capita medal race dominance.
The success of these small nations contrasts sharply with the overall Olympic medal tally, which was dominated by global powerhouses like the United States and China.
