Sailing is most popular in the United Kingdom, France and the United States. All 10 countries ranked by sailors, clubs, Olympic golds and Cup wins.
Sailing as a sport has its strongest roots in the United Kingdom, the United States and France. Great Britain has the most Olympic sailing gold medals in history, the United States has won 30 of the 38 America’s Cup matches, and France has produced every winner of the Vendee Globe.
Below you will find the full ranking, a table with the key numbers, a profile of every country and a separate list of the nations that win the most Olympic medals and America’s Cups.
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Countries where sailing is most popular:
Sailing Popularity by Country at a Glance
| Rank | Country | Olympic gold medals | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | United Kingdom | 31 | Most Olympic sailing medals, Cowes Week |
| #2 | France | 17 | Vendee Globe, 17 Olympic golds |
| #3 | United States | 19 | America’s Cup, 30 wins |
| #4 | Australia | 14 | Sydney to Hobart, won the Cup in 1983 |
| #5 | Germany | 3 | Kieler Woche, big club scene |
| #6 | New Zealand | 9 | City of Sails, five America’s Cups |
| #7 | Italy | 6 | Luna Rossa, Barcolana, Nacra 17 gold |
| #8 | Spain | 14 | 14 Olympic golds, Barcelona 1992 and 2024 Cup |
| #9 | Netherlands | 10 | Water nation, Medemblik, IJsselmeer |
| #10 | Sweden | 10 | Fourth most Olympic sailing medals |
How We Ranked the Countries
We weighed four things: how many people sail (club and federation memberships reported by the national sailing authorities), how many clubs and major regattas a country has, how much sailing matters in its sporting culture, and how successful its sailors are at the Olympics, the America’s Cup and ocean racing.
Membership figures are not directly comparable, because federations count members, licences and participants differently, and some countries report all water sports together. The comparable number in the table is the count of Olympic sailing gold medals through Paris 2024 according to Wikipedia’s all-time table.
#1 United Kingdom
- ⛵ Sailors: the RYA has over 100,000 members
- ⚓ Clubs: more than 1,500 affiliated clubs and class associations
- 🏅 Olympics: 31 gold and 65 medals in total, the most of any nation
- ⭐ Stars: Ben Ainslie, Ellen MacArthur
- 📅 Big event: Cowes Week, first held in 1826
Great Britain is the most successful sailing nation in Olympic history, and the Royal Yachting Association is one of the largest national sailing bodies in the world. Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight, first held in 1826, still draws more than 600 boats and about 5,000 sailors every summer.
Ben Ainslie won five Olympic medals, four of them gold, and later led the INEOS Britannia challenge for the America’s Cup. In 2024 his team lost the final in Barcelona to Emirates Team New Zealand by 7 to 2. Ellen MacArthur finished second in the 2000-01 Vendee Globe at the age of 24.
#2 France
- ⛵ Licences: more than 333,000 licences and titles in 2023 (FFVoile)
- ⚓ Clubs: 1,083 affiliated clubs and structures
- 🏅 Olympics: 17 gold and 53 medals in total
- ⭐ Stars: Eric Tabarly, Francois Gabart, Charlie Dalin
- 📅 Big event: Vendee Globe, solo and non-stop around the world
France is the country of ocean racing. All ten editions of the Vendee Globe, the solo non-stop race around the world, have been won by French sailors, most recently Charlie Dalin in the 2024-25 edition.
The French sailing federation reported more than 333,000 licences and other memberships in 2023, an increase of 16 percent on the year before. France has won 17 Olympic gold medals, and the sailing events of the Paris 2024 Games were held in Marseille.
#3 United States
- ⛵ Members: tens of thousands of US Sailing members
- 🏅 Olympics: 19 gold and 62 medals in total
- 🏆 America’s Cup: 30 of 38 matches won
- ⚓ Clubs: New York Yacht Club, founded in 1844
- 📍 Hubs: Newport, Annapolis, San Francisco Bay
The America’s Cup is named after the schooner America, which beat 15 British yachts around the Isle of Wight in 1851. The New York Yacht Club then defended the trophy for 132 years, until Australia II won it in 1983.
American teams have won the Cup 30 times in 38 matches, and the country has 62 Olympic sailing medals, second only to Great Britain. Newport in Rhode Island, Annapolis and San Francisco Bay are the main sailing centres.
#4 Australia
- ⛵ Participants: a large recreational scene, with no single official participation count
- 🏅 Olympics: 14 gold and 31 medals in total
- 🏆 America’s Cup: won in 1983 with Australia II
- ⭐ Stars: Tom Slingsby, Mat Belcher
- 📅 Big event: Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, first held in 1945
Sydney Harbour is one of the great sailing cities in the world, and Australia ended the longest winning streak in sport in 1983 when Australia II won the America’s Cup. The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, which starts every year on 26 December, has been run since 1945 and covers about 630 nautical miles.
Wild Oats XI holds the record with nine line honours wins in the race. Australia has 14 Olympic sailing gold medals, among them Tom Slingsby’s win in the Laser at London 2012, and Slingsby later won the America’s Cup in 2013 with Oracle Team USA.
#5 Germany
- ⛵ Members: more than 190,000 members in the German Sailing Association
- ⚓ Clubs: about 1,200 to 1,300 clubs
- 🏅 Olympics: 3 gold and 15 medals (West Germany listed separately)
- 📍 Hubs: Kiel, Hamburg, Lake Constance
- 📅 Big event: Kieler Woche, first held in 1882
Germany has one of the largest sailing memberships in Europe. The German Sailing Association (Deutscher Segler-Verband) reports more than 190,000 members, organised in around 1,200 to 1,300 clubs.
Kieler Woche, first held in 1882, brings together about 5,000 sailors and 2,000 boats every June and is one of the biggest sailing events in the world. Kiel also hosted the Olympic sailing events in 1936 and 1972.
#6 New Zealand
- 👥 Population: about five million people
- 🏅 Olympics: 9 gold and 25 medals in total
- 🏆 America’s Cup: 5 wins (1995, 2000, 2017, 2021, 2024)
- ⭐ Stars: Peter Burling, Blair Tuke
- 📍 Hub: Auckland, the City of Sails
Sailing is a national sport in New Zealand. Auckland is known as the City of Sails, and Emirates Team New Zealand has won the America’s Cup five times, most recently in Barcelona in October 2024 by 7 to 2 against INEOS Britannia.
For a country of about five million people, 9 Olympic gold medals is a strong record. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, who sail the Cup boat as well, dominated the 49er class and won Olympic gold in 2016.
#7 Italy
- ⛵ Members: more than 150,000 members in the Italian Sailing Federation
- 🏅 Olympics: 6 gold and 17 medals in total
- 🏆 America’s Cup: Luna Rossa challenges regularly
- ⭐ Stars: Ruggero Tita, Caterina Banti, Alessandra Sensini
- 📅 Big event: Barcolana regatta in Trieste
Italy has a long coastline, a strong boatbuilding industry and a federation with more than 150,000 members. The Barcolana in Trieste, held every October, is one of the largest regattas in the world by number of boats.
Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti won Olympic gold in the Nacra 17 mixed multihull class at Tokyo 2020 and again at Paris 2024. Alessandra Sensini, a windsurfer, collected four Olympic medals, among them gold in 2000.
#8 Spain
- 🏅 Olympics: 14 gold and 22 medals in total
- 📍 Hubs: Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia
- ⭐ Stars: Theresa Zabell
- 📅 Big events: America’s Cup in Barcelona in 2024, Copa del Rey in Palma
Spain has won 14 Olympic gold medals in sailing, as many as Australia, with a very high gold-to-medal ratio. The sailing events of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics set off a surge of interest, and Theresa Zabell won two Olympic golds in the 1990s.
In 2024 Barcelona hosted the America’s Cup, the match between Emirates Team New Zealand and INEOS Britannia. Mallorca and Valencia are among the busiest sailing destinations in the Mediterranean.
#9 Netherlands
- ⛵ Water sports members: about 60,000 members in the Watersportverbond
- ⚓ Clubs: a dense network of sailing and watersport clubs
- 🏅 Olympics: 10 gold and 30 medals in total
- 📍 Hubs: IJsselmeer, Medemblik, Zeeland
- 📅 Big event: Medemblik regatta for Olympic classes
The Dutch have sailed for centuries. The Royal Netherlands Sailing and Rowing Association was founded in 1847, and today the national watersport federation counts about 60,000 members.
The shallow IJsselmeer and the Zeeland delta are among the busiest inland and coastal sailing areas in Europe. Medemblik hosts an international regatta for Olympic classes every spring, and the Netherlands has won 10 Olympic gold medals.
#10 Sweden
- ⛵ Members: about 100,000 in the Swedish Sailing Association
- ⚓ Clubs: about 320 clubs
- 🏅 Olympics: 10 gold and 39 medals in total, fourth most of any nation
- 📍 Hubs: Gothenburg, Stockholm archipelago
- 🌊 Coast: thousands of islands in the Stockholm archipelago
Sweden has a tradition that goes back more than a century, and its Olympic record shows it. The country has won 39 Olympic sailing medals, the fourth most behind Great Britain, the United States and France.
Sailing is part of everyday summer life along the west coast near Gothenburg and in the Stockholm archipelago, where holiday boats are common. The national association reports roughly 100,000 members in about 320 clubs.
Which Countries Are Best at Sailing?
This table counts all-time Olympic sailing medals through Paris 2024 (Wikipedia’s medal table) and America’s Cup match wins through the 2024 edition in Barcelona. Norway and Denmark are shown because their Olympic records are among the best, even though their club scenes are smaller.
| Country | Olympic gold | Olympic medals total | America’s Cup wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 31 | 65 | 0 |
| United States | 19 | 62 | 30 |
| France | 17 | 53 | 0 |
| Norway | 17 | 33 | 0 |
| Australia | 14 | 31 | 1 |
| Spain | 14 | 22 | 0 |
| Denmark | 13 | 32 | 0 |
| Sweden | 10 | 39 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 10 | 30 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 9 | 25 | 5 |
| Italy | 6 | 17 | 0 |
| Germany | 3 | 15 | 0 |
Other Countries Where Sailing Is Growing
These countries just missed the ranking but have a strong sailing scene.
| Country | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Norway | Has won 17 Olympic sailing gold medals, the same as France, with only about 33 medals in total. |
| Denmark | Has won 13 Olympic gold medals and 32 medals in total, with a dense network of local sailing clubs. |
| Brazil | Has won 8 Olympic gold medals, with Torben Grael and Robert Scheidt each winning five Olympic medals. |
| Switzerland | Won the America’s Cup twice with Alinghi, in 2003 and 2007, despite having no sea coast. |
| Canada | Has a large club network across one of the longest coastlines and largest lake systems in the world. |
More About Sailing
FAQ
Which country is sailing most popular in?
Sailing is most popular in the United Kingdom, France, the United States and Australia, as measured by clubs, members and major events. Germany, Italy and the Netherlands also have large sailing communities.
Which country has won the most Olympic sailing medals?
Great Britain has won the most Olympic sailing medals, with 31 gold and 65 in total through Paris 2024. The United States is second with 62 medals and France third with 53.
Which country has won the most America’s Cups?
The United States has won the America’s Cup 30 times in 38 matches. New Zealand has won it five times, Switzerland twice and Australia once. Emirates Team New Zealand won the most recent match in Barcelona in October 2024.
Where did yacht racing begin?
Organised yachting began in northern Europe. The Royal Cork Yacht Club in Ireland, founded in 1720, is widely acknowledged as the oldest yacht club in the world, and the Royal Yacht Squadron in England and the New York Yacht Club (1844) were also early centres.
Which country has won the Vendee Globe?
Only France. All ten editions of the solo non-stop round-the-world race since 1989 have been won by French sailors, the latest being Charlie Dalin in 2024-25.
How many countries are in World Sailing?
World Sailing, the international governing body, has more than 140 member national authorities. It was founded in Paris in 1907.
Which country has the most sailors?
There is no global count. France reported more than 333,000 licences and other memberships in 2023, Germany has more than 190,000 members, Italy more than 150,000 and the Royal Yachting Association in the United Kingdom more than 100,000 members.
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