Asian Games: Which Countries are Ahead of India in the All-Time Medals Tally?

Infographic: After its best-ever show at the Asian Games, where does India stand in the all-time medals tally?

India at Asian Games 2023: After its best-ever performance at the Asian Games, winning over 100 medals, where does India stand in the all-time medals tally of the continental games?

See in the below infographic bar-chart race.

(Note: The infographic focuses on the total medals tally. It does not distinguishes countries on the basis of the number of gold or silver or bronze medals won by them)

Which are the Top Countries in All-Time Medals Tally of the Asian Games?

At the conclusion of the 19th edition of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, this is the country-wise position–

1. China: 3648 total medals

2. Japan: 3242 total medals

3. South Korea (Republic of Korea): 2415 total medals

4. India: 772 total medals

5. Thailand: 643 total medals

6. Iran: 596 total medals

7. Kazakhstan: 569 total medals

8. Indonesia: 519 total medals

9. Taiwan (Chinese Taipei): 499 total medals

10. North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea): 437 total medals

India is one of the handful of countries that has competed in all the editions of the Asian Games, since the games began in 1951. And India has won at least one gold medal in each edition of the Asian Games.

India won its highest-ever medals – 70 medals – in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. In the 2023 Asian Games, India has broken that feat by a huge margin, winning 107 medals in total – 52 medals in team events and 55 medals in individual events.

India's total medals tally after the 2018 Asian Games stood at 665. The record-breaking streak in the 2023 Asian Games brought that figure up to 772.

However, despite the record medals in 2023, India continues to remain at the fourth position in the all-time total medals tally of the Asian Games.

South Korea, the country holding the third position, has three-times more medals (2415 medals) than India.

The top-two countries – China (3648 medals) and Japan (3242 medals) has a huge edge against other countries in the all-time total medals tally of the Asian Games.

In the opening edition of the Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1951, India was the second-highest medal winner. Japan was the only nation ahead of India in the 1951 games that saw participation of just eight countries in total.

India maintained its second spot till the second edition of the games in 1954. But as the Asian Games saw participation of growing number of countries, India fell below in the rankings in the later editions of this multi-sport event.

As the bar-chart race depicts, the fall was more pronounced due to the entry of China and South Korea more than any nation.

At the end of the 1974 Asian Games, India reached its lowest position of fifth in the all-time medals tally. But it soon recovered from this fall by the end of the 1982 Asian Games, which were held in New Delhi.

India continues to maintain its fourth rank in the all-time medals tally of the Asian Games till date.