Comparison of Demographic Ranking Systems at the Olympics
The USA and China, and in the past USSR have dominated the Olympic medal tables. One thing these countries have in common is large resources, including a large population from which to discover and develop Olympic medalists.
To some people just counting the medals won does not seem fair, and a more reasonable way of ranking the performance of countries at the Olympics is to compare the results based on demographic factors such as population size and economic factors such as gross domestic product (GDP). We have used the all-time medal count and 2008 medal table as examples to compare these ranking systems. See also the comparison of the alternative weighted points ranking systems.
Demographic Ranking Systems
- per-capita demographic ranking — comparing the number of medals won divided by the population of the country. See all-time medals and 2008 results.
- per-GDP demographic ranking — compars the number of medals relative to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. See all-time medals and 2008 results.
Related Pages
- About Olympic Medal Ranking Systems
- Comparison of weighted points ranking systems.
- Poll: which medal ranking system is best?
- Medal tables from all Olympic Games
- About Olympic Medals
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