Average number of medals won per game in the Summer Olympics per country 1896-2020
When the all-time Summer Olympic medal table is re-organized to show the average number of medals per tournament, the most successful team is the Soviet Union, who won an average of 112 medals per Olympic Games. The Soviet Union also has the highest number of each medal, with 44 golds, 36 silver and 33 bronze medals. The leaders of the overall medal table, the United States, are in second place, with just over 93 medals per tournament, however they have competed in 27 out of 28 Olympic Games, while the Soviet Union competed in just 10 Olympic Games (including the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where athletes from ex-Soviet nations participated as one Unified Team).
Another factor that skews the data, is the fact that there were much fewer events (and therefore medals) on offer in earlier tournaments, which lowers the average of countries who have participated in more tournaments. For example, the total number of events was just 150 in the 1960 Games in Rome, while the number of events since 2000 has consistently remained over 300.
Another factor that skews the data, is the fact that there were much fewer events (and therefore medals) on offer in earlier tournaments, which lowers the average of countries who have participated in more tournaments. For example, the total number of events was just 150 in the 1960 Games in Rome, while the number of events since 2000 has consistently remained over 300.
