Yes, China won the most gold medals at the Olympics and the United States won the most total medals. But is that really the best way to measure Olympic success?

The guys over at Freakonomics say probably not.

If you look at gold medals per million inhabitants, the rankings look much different:

So if you're keeping score, it's:

1. Jamaica

2. Bahrain

3. Estonia

....

33. United States

...

47. China

Well, better luck next time.

For more data about the real Olympic winners (including the results compared to GDP), go here.

See Also:

Coca-Cola's (KO) China Gambit Working: $400 Million Olympic Bet Wallops Pepsi (KO, PEP)

Phelps' 8 Golds To Net 8 Figures In Endorsements

Huge Olympic Success To Add One Penny To GE's (GE) Bottom Line (GE)