With the Paris 2024 Olympics underway, the Caribbean region is once again showcasing its athletic talent on the global stage. Despite our relatively small populations, Caribbean nations have a history of producing world-class athletes who excel in a variety of sports (who can forget Jamaica’s Usain Bolt?).
In this blog post, I am interested in the number of athletes that each country has sent, not only in terms of absolute numbers, but also relative to each other, and for that, I am looking at per capita numbers.
| Country | Athletes | Population | Athletes/Pop. | Athletes per 100K |
| British Virgin Islands | 4 | 31,538 | 0.00013 | 12.68 |
| Bermuda | 8 | 63,489 | 0.00013 | 12.60 |
| St. Kitts & Nevis | 3 | 47,755 | 0.00006 | 6.28 |
| Cayman Islands | 4 | 69,310 | 0.00006 | 5.77 |
| Dominica | 4 | 73,040 | 0.00005 | 5.48 |
| Antigua & Barbuda | 5 | 93,759 | 0.00005 | 5.33 |
| Bahamas, The | 20 | 412,623 | 0.00005 | 4.85 |
| Grenada | 6 | 126,183 | 0.00005 | 4.75 |
| St. Vincent & The Grenadines | 4 | 103,698 | 0.00004 | 3.86 |
| Jamaica | 70 | 2,825,544 | 0.00002 | 2.48 |
| St. Lucia | 4 | 180,251 | 0.00002 | 2.22 |
| Barbados | 4 | 281,995 | 0.00001 | 1.42 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 17 | 1,534,937 | 0.00001 | 1.11 |
| Suriname | 5 | 623,236 | 0.00001 | 0.80 |
| Guyana | 5 | 813,834 | 0.00001 | 0.61 |
| Belize | 1 | 410,825 | 0.00000 | 0.24 |
| Haiti | 7 | 11,724,763 | 0.00000 | 0.06 |
Notes: I define the Caribbean as countries who are either members or associate members of CARICOM. Athlete numbers were obtained from the Olympics.com website. Population numbers were obtained from the World Bank website (2023 values), except in the case of Antigua and Barbuda where I used a Google search and used a 2022 value.
Analyzing the table of Caribbean countries, we can see notable differences when comparing the number of athletes sent to the Paris 2024 Olympics relative to their population sizes. Here’s a look at some key observations:
High Per Capita Representation
British Virgin Islands
Athletes: 4
Population: 31,538
Athletes per 100K: 12.68
Despite having a small population, the British Virgin Islands have sent 4 athletes to the Olympics. This results in a high per capita representation, with approximately 12.68 athletes per 100,000 people. This is the highest athlete per capita rate in the table.
Bermuda
Athletes: 8
Population: 63,489
Athletes per 100K: 12.60
Similarly, Bermuda has sent 8 athletes from a population of 63,489, giving them a per capita rate of 12.60 athletes per 100,000 people, closely following the British Virgin Islands.
Lower Per Capita Representation
Jamaica
Athletes: 70
Population: 2,825,544
Athletes per 100K: 2.48
Jamaica, known for its strong athletic tradition, has sent 70 athletes. However, due to its larger population, the per capita representation is 2.48 athletes per 100,000 people.
Trinidad & Tobago
Athletes: 17
Population: 1,534,937
Athletes per 100K: 1.11
Trinidad & Tobago has sent 17 athletes, resulting in a lower per capita rate of 1.11 athletes per 100,000 people.
The analysis reveals that smaller countries like the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda have a higher per capita representation of athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics compared to larger countries like Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. This indicates that even with smaller populations, some Caribbean nations can manage to produce a relatively higher number of Olympic athletes, showing their commitment and dedication to sports and athletic development. Best of luck to all of our Caribbean athletes!