Five Top Olympic Medal-Winning Countries by Continent

For each continent, name the five countries that have won the most total medals in the modern Summer and Winter Olympics.
According to Wikipedia. One country does not exist anymore.
Not counting the combined team of Australasia.
Quiz by PanosG31
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Last updated: August 8, 2021
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First submittedSeptember 30, 2016
Times taken91,169
Average score83.3%
Rating4.94
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Europe
1,339
Soviet Union / Unified Team
1,272
Germany / West Germany
948
Great Britain
888
France
742
Italy
 
 
Asia
696
China
497
Japan
357
South Korea
104
Turkey
80
Kazakhstan
Africa
102
Kenya
86
South Africa
53
Ethiopia
32
Egypt
25
Nigeria
 
 
North America
2,941
United States
525
Canada
241
Cuba
87
Jamaica
73
Mexico
South America
150
Brazil
77
Argentina
33
Colombia
19
Venezuela
13
Chile
 
 
Oceania
562
Australia
140
New Zealand
3
Fiji
1
Samoa
1
Tonga
+20
Level ∞
Oct 3, 2018
Sorry for all the problems with this quiz. When we transitioned our quizzes to the new format maybe 0.1% of them got screwed up. It should be fixed now.
+9
Level 63
Oct 3, 2018
Thanks for fixing!
+14
Level 77
Oct 3, 2018
always grateful for your hard work, Quizmaster!
+26
Level 85
Oct 4, 2018
As a Turkish person, I always forget Turkey in Asia segment. Yeah, I know Turkey is classified as an Asian nation in JetPunk but in sports competitions and other cultural events It generally lays in Europe.
+15
Level 89
Oct 4, 2018
So....Cyprus IS in Europe.
+13
Level 62
Oct 5, 2018
Sorry, but Turkey - at the moment - has in a cultural way nothing in common with the rest of europe. Thanks to your GOD-like president.
+48
Level 76
Oct 6, 2018
Heracles96 was talking about sporting connection, not political.
+45
Level 82
Oct 7, 2018
Even so "nothing in common" is a bit much, one president doesn't wipe out the whole culture.
+6
Level 56
Nov 16, 2020
Turkey has more in common with central asians than with europeans.
+1
Level 50
Nov 22, 2023
I'd argue its 50/50 or 60/40 for Turkic vs. European influence, especially because of the influence on Southeastern European culture
+2
Level 59
Dec 22, 2020
What does president have to do with who Turkish people are.
+2
Level 59
Aug 13, 2021
the Turkish people are the people who vote in the Turkish president I think
+5
Level 26
Aug 27, 2019
This is wear Jetpunk's inisistence that Turkey is treated as an Asian country falls down. To pick just three Olympic sports at random - Turkey competes in the official European Championships for athletics, swimming and wrestling.
+6
Level 59
Aug 29, 2020
So is Israel, Qatar was playing in Copa America and Australia sometimes is in Asian competitions.
+2
Level 61
Mar 15, 2021
Australia competes in the eurovision songfestival, but I have never heard someone say that Australia is in Europe
+1
Level 66
Aug 11, 2021
Same for Kazakhstan.
+1
Level 66
Dec 6, 2021
*where
+2
Level 62
Aug 29, 2019
Turkey is culturally more Asian but geographically European I would say
+16
Level 59
Sep 30, 2019
How can it be geographically European? That's like saying Spain is geographically African because of Melilla and Ceuta.
+3
Level 62
Sep 30, 2019
As it’s part of that region, north of the Mediterranean. It also borders the Aegean, and the Black Sea. It also historically ruled lots of Europe.
+5
Level 62
Aug 22, 2020
What? How is Turkey geographically Europe? Eastern Thrace is, but that's only a small part of their land and population. Anatolia is completelly in Asia by pretty much every definition of Europe
+1
Level 42
Feb 6, 2024
The population of Turkey that lives in Thrace is more than basically any Balkan country
+2
Level 57
Jul 24, 2021
That's like saying Morocco is European because historically they ruled iberia
+1
Level 38
Aug 11, 2021
Other way around, in fact.
+1
Level 66
Aug 11, 2021
Turkey is even in the Council of Europe so are Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Cyprus.
+2
Level 59
Aug 13, 2021
turkey smells
+4
Level 77
Oct 18, 2018
A nice, non-political quiz. My non-political comment is that it's time those Pacific island nations (New Zealand excepted) started winning a few more medals.
+2
Level 64
Sep 20, 2021
I got so excited when Fiji won a medal this year
+2
Level 28
Jan 22, 2019
I got USSR With 0:01 left!
+2
Level 48
Mar 24, 2019
Got all but Samoa. Didn't know Kazakhstan had that many.
+40
Level 82
Aug 2, 2019
Kazakhstan greatest country in the world

All other countries are run by little girls

Kazakhstan #1 exporter of potassium

Other countries have inferior potassium

+15
Level 70
Sep 30, 2019
That time Kuwait accidently played the Borat satirical anthem for a Kazakh gold medalist.
+2
Level 47
Mar 20, 2022
he he you're so funny i forgot to laugh :}
+9
Level 66
Aug 26, 2019
Kazakhs are phenomenal ass-kickers. Most of their medals are in combat sports or weightlifting.
+1
Level 54
Nov 14, 2021
Probably a lot of wrestling
+6
Level 65
Aug 14, 2019
Can someone explain why huge countries like Indonesia & India are comparatively so bad at sports?
+9
Level 74
Aug 26, 2019
Lack of government investment in Olympic sport, focus on other sports/cultural activity, talented athletes having a lack of time and resources to train and compete...
+12
Level 82
Aug 26, 2019
Because success at the Olympics has almost nothing at all to do with population or the size of your country which is why looking at per-capita figures is nonsensical. Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, the Philippines, the Democratic Republic of Congo, etc also have virtually no presence at the Olympic games. It's much more about economics, physical geography (hard to get a ski jumping team going in Namibia), politics (how interested a country is in the Olympics, how much support the government gives to its athletes), athletic tradition, and competitive spirit than population. Also a bit to do with genetics (a big part of why Kenya shows up here). Population doesn't start being a factor until you look at some micronations.
+3
Level 46
Nov 29, 2019
Well, it's debatable... Having more people also mean you have more athletes to choose from, more genetic diversity, more competition inside your country... Big olympic nations tend to have a big population (China, USA, Japan, France, Germany...).

It's not the only factor certainly, but going as far as saying it's a non factor is a bit much

+12
Level 62
Apr 19, 2020
Also for that fact that the most popular sports in India don't show up at the Olympics
+2
Level 82
Jun 30, 2021
It's really not debatable. The statistics do not support your (isdaril) opinion at all, while they lend enormous weight to my own. It's only a factor, like I said, with micronations where there just aren't enough people to find enough skilled athletes to field a team. I think the primary reason people want to believe it is a factor is so that they can dismiss the huge number of medals that the USA has gotten as some kind of irrelevant fluke of demography... but... these people are ignorant, biased, and wrong and the numbers bear this out very clearly.

Also I said "almost nothing" not "nothing"... the stats suggest "almost nothing" is accurate.

+2
Level 56
Nov 16, 2020
Because Indians give way too much importance to cricket which sadly is not even featured in Olympics.
+1
Level 71
Aug 11, 2021
Some truth in this, look at Australia where the main sport is Australian Rules Football (a mixture of rugby, football and basketball played with a rugby ball). If the younger population of Australia was to play other world-wide sports instead of Aussie Rules they would win many more medals at Olympics.
+2
Level 71
Aug 11, 2021
I think India will improve in the future--it's not unheard of it. Case in point: Brazil. For most of history they haven't had much of a presence at the Olympics, but in the past decade they've improved significantly, coming in 12th in Tokyo (just behind Canada). I think growing interest in the games and the development of better sports infrastructure (especially due to the fact they hosted in 2016) helped with this.

From what I've heard, India is taking more interest in the Olympics now, and as they become more developed, I think their sports infrastructure will improve. I'm not sure we'll ever see India on the level of China or America, but I could see them being the next "Brazil."

+3
Level 17
Aug 27, 2019
I got all the countries right, but I almost missed one because I consider Turkey a European country!
+3
Level 68
Sep 30, 2019
Just saying, it’s Capital is in Asia, most of it’s area is in Asia, most of the population is in Asia and they are culturally Asian. You MIGHT consider it historically European due to Constantinople, but this is nothing to do with History.
+1
Level 68
Sep 30, 2019
Got them all with 3 seconds to go, the last one being... ahh, Turkey!
+1
Level 75
Sep 30, 2019
Really wish I'd read the caveat. I couldn't figure out which European country I was missing that was number one. Sigh. (It finally dawned on me it must be a former country as time was running out, but unfortunately West Germany was the first one that came to mind.)
+1
Level 62
Sep 30, 2019
isn't turkey considered to be in europe?
+5
Level 82
Sep 30, 2019
Only a small part of it.
+1
Level 50
Dec 9, 2019
I got the last one (Tonga) with 10 seconds left on the clock... lol
+3
Level 59
Dec 31, 2019
Though geographically an Asian country, in sports Turkey is a European country. Also a member of European Olympic Comittee.

I'd suggest, replace it with a country that competes in Asian games, not European games.

+1
Level 52
Mar 24, 2020
How come Kazakhstan is not included in the USSR ?!?
+3
Level 70
Apr 12, 2020
Post Soviet/Unified team.
+1
Level 56
Jul 1, 2020
kazakhstan and turkey both with 5 seconds left
+2
Level 72
Aug 14, 2020
What's the policy on why West Germany and Germany are put together (but not East Germany?) while USSR and current-day Russia don't have their totals combined?
+5
Level 64
Sep 27, 2020
West Germany and Germany are the same country. The BRD annexed the DDR and Germany is still BRD today.
+2
Level 72
Oct 6, 2020
Thanks, that makes sense!
+3
Level 68
Feb 15, 2021
Exactly. Some quizzes used to count both separately, but now, jetpunk seems to have come to the right conclusion - maybe my relentless and passionate arguing has in a small way contributed to this change (or maybe my insufferable comments have actually delayed it, who knows). Anyway, cool quiz!
+1
Level 82
Jun 30, 2021
West Germany and Germany being counted together is debatable. It may be the right thing to do. Germany and East Germany being combined is not debatable. That would be clearly and obviously wrong. But you've argued in favor of this point, before, too.
+1
Level 46
Aug 11, 2021
to be honest- I feel kind of sad for the East German athletes who competed so hard and so professionally but now can not be part of the German count but rather have to be part of a ghost team doomed to slowly fall down until their dedication and hard work is forgotten forever; sort of like the whole reunification, which was overall great news for Germany but rushed too much to incorporate the good sides of the DDR and form a more sustainable structure for both states as equals rather than directly annexing.
+2
Level 77
Aug 11, 2021
Really? If modern drug testing technology was available when East Germany was an independent country they would have won exactly zero medals due to disqualification. East Germany athletes were systemically doped harder than the Soviets/Russians.
+1
Level 44
Aug 11, 2021
Are you able to add Russian Olympic Committee ?

Thanks

+1
Level 70
Aug 11, 2021
No because they only have 71 medals.
+2
Level 45
Aug 11, 2021
Plz add Russia as a type in
+1
Level 71
Aug 11, 2021
I agree
+1
Level 77
Aug 11, 2021
It goes to show the massive imbalance between medals given out at Summer Olympics versus Winter Olympics. Norway has more winter olympic medals than any country in the WORLD, but don't even crack the top 5 of EUROPE when summer and winter are added together.
+1
Level 41
Aug 11, 2021
I enjoy watching arguments about which continent Turkey and Israel belong to.

As for Australians, we also find it amusing that we have been included in Eurovision, and know that we will never actually be permitted to win. Hell, we may only be there so that the Europeans have another nation to give a vote to instead of the U.K.

+1
Level 77
Aug 12, 2021
Agree, particularly when there is no geographic basis for dividing Eurasia into two continents to begin with.
+4
Level 43
Aug 13, 2021
I feel like Russia should be accepted for the USSR entry. I know the USSR was more than just Russia, but they contribute the majority that total
+1
Level 36
Nov 4, 2021
yes
+1
Level 47
Apr 25, 2022
yes.
+1
Level 72
Mar 21, 2023
But Russia also can't participate in the Olympics.
+1
Level 46
Dec 23, 2021
more people got Samoa than turkey
+2
Level 67
Oct 17, 2022
Asia has much more countries than Oceania.
+1
Level 68
Jan 29, 2023
Surprisingly easy. Only Kazakhstan took a while
+1
Level 35
Sep 28, 2023
for oceania im guessing that the countries like fiji , samoa just won it from rugby?