New Zealand first competed in the Olympics as its own team in 1908, and people often wonder how many medals they would have if counted by population. Many Kiwis are currently searching for “per capita medal tally” online to see how New Zealand could rank higher, especially compared to Australia.
In the official medal count for the Paris Olympics, only the number of gold medals matters. If countries tie, silver and bronze medals determine their rank. So far, the US has 30 golds, China has 29, and Australia has 18, while New Zealand is in 12th place.
However, if we look at medals based on population, New Zealand comes out on top compared to countries like China and the US. A website called Medals Per Capita, created by a New Zealand scientist, shows New Zealand ranking fifth, while Australia is eighth, the US is 42nd, and China is 67th.
The top countries for medals per capita are Dominica and Saint Lucia. Saint Lucia recently won its first Olympic gold medal thanks to Julien Alfred in the women’s 100 meters.
Some American news outlets rank total medals equally, giving gold, silver, and bronze the same value. This way, the US leads with 103 medals, and China is second with 73, a method that has faced criticism for promoting American exceptionalism. Many argue that the focus should be on gold medals since that’s the standard worldwide.
