Rio 2016 alternative medal table: How countries rank when we adjust for population and GDP

Rio 2016 alternative Olympic medal table

The Rio Olympics has been dominated by the United States, Great Britain and China, which between them claimed 99 golds and a total of 258 medals  throughout the Games. 

The 2016 contest, which has been graced by stars like Usain Bolt and Mo Farah, saw Japan and New Zealand exceed expectations while Australia and China disappointed. 

The United States finished the Olympics at the top of the medal table, with Great Britain beating China for second place.

But what happens when we consider other factors, such as countries' population size and GDP, to level the playing field?

Bahamas and Grenada top for medals per capita

When population size is taken into account, the Bahamas dominates the Olympics.

It has only won one gold medal in the Games, when Shaunae Miller dived across the line to claim first place in the 400 metres race.

The island nation has a population of just 388,000 - meaning that there has been 2.6 gold medals for every million people.

Grenada is top when it comes to total medals per capita. The country has only won one silver, but its small population means that it has won 9.4 medals per million population.

The top three countries - the United States, Great Britain and China - struggle when it comes to measuring against their population.

Great Britain has achieved one medal per million people, while the USA won 0.4 medals per million and China - the world's largest country in population - gained 0.05 medals per million.

For economy, Grenada and Jamaica perform well

Jamaica is known for its heroic Olympian sprinters, but it also does well when it comes to medals per £100bn in GDP. 

The country has won 79 medals and 43 golds per $100bn GDP, boosting it towards the top of the GDP table.

With its silver medal, the Bahamas comes top for medals compared to its GDP. It has won a rate of 102 medals a per $100bn GDP - despite just winning just one overall. 

The United States and China perform poorly when comparing their medal count to GDP, with 0.7 and 0.6 medals per £100bn of GDP respectively.

Great Britain, however, has gained 2.4 medals - of which one is gold - for every £100bn of its GDP.

Azerbaijan is the most efficient team for medals per athlete

When it comes to the size of the teams each country has taken to Rio, Azerbaijan emerges as the most efficient team. 

The country has won 0.3 medals per athlete, with its relatively small team of 56 athletes.

North Korea is also high in this league, winning a total of seven medals with its team of 35 athletes - meaning the country has won a medal for every five of its athletes. 

The biggest teams in the competition are the United States, Brazil and Germany, with 554, 465 and 425 athletes respectively. 

Great Britain took 366 athletes to Rio - leading to the team winning 0.2 medals per athlete, a similar rate to China and the USA.

How countries rank when adjusted for GDP and population

Team GB medals are compared against statistics for the whole of the UK. GDP statistics are for the latest year available through the World Bank (usually 2015, but some are from 2013 or 2014)

License this content