Although over 150 countries and territories have claimed a medal since the modern Olympic Games began in 1896, nearly 43 nations and territories—about a third of all participants—have yet to celebrate an Olympic medalist in any discipline, whether summer or winter.
Bolivia, a South American country with a population of 12 million, attended its first Olympics in 1936. Despite participating in 22 Games (15 Summer and 7 Winter), it has never had an athlete stand on the medal podium.
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), only Monaco, with 32 appearances, and Andorra, with 25, have competed in more Olympics without winning a medal.
The list of nations and territories that have yet to secure a medal reflects a combination of political, economic, and historical factors. Among them are small nations like Eswatini, Bhutan, and Tuvalu; impoverished countries like the Central African Republic, Yemen, and Honduras; and newer states such as the Seychelles, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Belize.
Here is a list of some countries that have never won a Summer Olympic medal:
- Andorra
- Angola
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Cambodia
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Congo (Brazzaville)
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the (Kinshasa)
- Eswatini (Swaziland)
- Guinea
- Honduras
- Iraq
- Laos
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Myanmar
- North Macedonia
- Palestine
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Kitts and Nevis
- Vincent and the Grenadines
- Timor-Leste
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
- Yemen
