Characteristics of Olympic medallists, 1896–2010*
| No (%) of medallists (n=15 174) | |
|---|---|
| Demographics | |
| Male | 11 619 (77) |
| Age at competition, mean (SD) | 26 (6) |
| Deceased | 5095 (34) |
| Medal type | |
| Gold | 5180 (34) |
| Silver | 4925 (32) |
| Bronze | 5069 (33) |
| Country group | |
| US | 3410 (22) |
| Nordic countries | 2619 (17) |
| Russia/former Soviet Union† | 2181 (14) |
| Germany† | 1906 (13) |
| UK | 1305 (9) |
| France | 1048 (7) |
| Italy | 957 (6) |
| Canada | 879 (6) |
| Australia and New Zealand | 869 (6) |
| Sports | |
| Athletics | 1782 (12) |
| Rowing | 1515 (10) |
| Swimming | 1032 (7) |
| Ice hockey | 915 (6) |
| Gymnastics | 770 (5) |
| Sailing | 709 (5) |
| Cycling | 593 (4) |
| Fencing | 530 (3) |
| Football | 513 (3) |
| Other | 6815 (45) |
| Olympic season | |
| Summer | 12 660 (83) |
| Winter | 2514 (17) |
| Olympic periods | |
| 1896–1928 (9 summers, 2 winters) | 3222 (21) |
| 1932–60 (6 summers, 6 winters) | 2781 (18) |
| 1964–88 (7 summers, 7 winters) | 4876 (32) |
| 1992–2010 (5 summers, 6 winters) | 4295 (28) |
*For medallists involved with multiple Olympics, sports, and medals, all characteristics pertain to the first medal won.
†Excludes medallists after 1950, and 214 medallists with missing birth dates.