Top of the class: Which country finished top of the medal table at each Olympic Games?

The battle to finish first in the medal table at the Paris 2024 Olympics was intense. Here is a list of who has finished first in the medal table at every edition of the Summer Olympics

Gold Medalists Regan Smith, Lilly King, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske of Team United States pose with the national flag following the Swimming medal ceremon at the Olympic Games. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Every Olympics sees a tough competition to finish top of the Olympics medal table, and the Paris 2024 Olympics was no exception.

USA, which has finished top of the medal table 19 times now, beat China to top spot with a dramatic late victory in the women’s basketball final. It is one of seven nations to finish top of the Olympic medal table.  

Here is a list of every topper of the medal table at the Olympics since 1896:

Athens 1896 - USA - 11 gold, 7 silver, 2 bronze

Paris 1900 - France

St. Louis 1904 - USA

London 1908 - Great Britain - 56 gold, 51 silver, 39 bronze

Stockholm 1912 - USA - 26 gold, 19 silver, 19 bronze

Antwerp 1920 - USA - 41 gold, 27 silver, 27 bronze

Paris 1924 - USA - 45 gold, 27 silver, 27 bronze

Amsterdam 1928 - USA - 22 gold, 18 silver, 16 bronze

Los Angeles 1932 - USA - 44 gold, 36 silver, 30 bronze

Berlin 1936 - Germany - 38 gold, 31 silver, 32 bronze

London 1948 - USA - 38 gold, 27 silver, 19 bronze

Helsinki 1952 - USA - 40 gold, 19 silver, 17 bronze

Melbourne 1956 - Soviet Union - 37 gold, 29 silver, 32 bronze

Rome 1960 - Soviet Union - 43 gold, 29 silver, 31 bronze

Tokyo 1964 - USA - 36 gold, 26 silver, 28 bronze

Mexico City 1968 - USA - 45 gold, 28 silver, 34 bronze

Munich 1972 - Soviet Union - 50 gold, 27 silver, 22 bronze

Montreal 1976 - Soviet Union - 49 gold, 41 silver, 35 bronze

Moscow 1980 - Soviet Union - 80 gold, 69 silver, 46 bronze

Los Angeles 1984 - USA - 83 gold, 61 silver, 30 bronze

Seoul 1988 - USA - 55 gold, 31 silver, 46 bronze

Barcelona 1992 - Unified Team* - 45 gold, 38 silver, 29 bronze

Atlanta 1996 - USA - 44 gold, 32 silver, 25 bronze

Sydney 2000 - USA - 37 gold, 24 silver, 32 bronze

Athens 2004 - USA - 36 gold, 39 silver, 26 bronze

Beijing 2008 - China - 48 gold, 22 silver, 30 bronze

London 2012 - USA - 48 gold, 26 silver, 30 bronze

Rio 2016 - USA - 46 gold, 37 silver, 38 bronze

Tokyo 2020 - USA - 39 gold, 41 silver, 33 bronze

Paris 2024 - USA - 40 gold, 44 silver, 42 bronze

It is difficult to find accurate nation-wise data on the 1900 Paris Olympics and the 1904 St. Louis Olympics due to the existence of mixed teams, or teams composed of athletes from multiple countries.

  *Unified Team consisted of former Soviet republics except for Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia