Which country has won the most Summer Olympic medals overall?

Which country has won the most Summer Olympic medals overall? The United States has won the most Summer Olympic medals overall.

The United States has built the largest cumulative Summer Olympic medal total across the modern Games, helped by its long participation, large delegations, and strength across many sports. American athletes have traditionally been especially successful in athletics, swimming, gymnastics, and team sports, which offer numerous medal opportunities.

This question refers to total medals rather than gold medals alone. The United States also leads the all-time Summer Olympic gold-medal count, but the rankings can look different when countries are compared by medals per capita, a single Games, or performance in a particular sport. Medal tables also require historical decisions about how to treat mixed teams, dissolved nations, and successor states.

Great Britain is a frequent alternative because it has competed at every modern Summer Olympics and has a strong historical record. Russia and China are also major Olympic powers, but their totals are lower in the all-time Summer Games table. The United States topped the medal table at the 2024 Paris Olympics as well.