How many countries have hosted the Summer Olympics till now

The modern Olympics have been inspired by the Ancient Olympics which were held in Greece. Since the inception of the modern Olympics in 1896, there have been 28 Summer Olympics held in 23 cities. In addition, three Summer Olympics were canceled due to the outbreak of the World Wars - 1916 Berlin Olympics, 1940 Tokyo-Helsinki Olympics, and 1944 London Olympics. Moreover, both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics are held once every four years but alternated at two years apart.

Notably, the Summer Olympics have been held at least once in every continent except in Africa and Antarctica. Let's take a look at the number of countries which have hosted the Olympics.

List of Countries who have hosted the Summer Olympics

#1 Europe

Europe leads the world by hosting 17 Summer Olympics in different countries. The first modern Olympics was held in Europe at Athens, Greece in 1896. The second modern Olympics was passed to Paris, France in 1900. Later, from 1908 to 1928, all Summer Olympics were held in Europe (1908 London Olympics, 1912 Stockholm Olympics, 1920 Antwerp Olympics, 1924 Paris Olympics, and 1928 Amsterdam Olympics).

The 1916 Berlin Olympics were canceled due to the outbreak of the First World War. Later, the 1940 Helsinki Olympics and 1944 London Olympics were canceled again due to World War II. However, the next edition (1948) of the Summer Olympics was held in London which was the second time it was organizing the Olympics, the first being in 1908.

The 1952 Olympics were held in Helsinki for the first time after the 1940 edition was canceled due to World War II. Further, the 1960 Olympics were held in Rome, Italy. The 1972 Summer Olympics were the second Olympics to be held in Germany after the 1936 Games in Berlin. The 1972 Games were held in Munich, West Germany. The 1980 Moscow Olympics, 1992 Barcelona Olympics, 2004 Athens Olympics, and the 2012 London Olympics were the other Summer Olympics that were held in Europe.

#2 North America

The 1904 Summer Olympics was the first time that the Olympics were held out of Europe. They were held in St. Louis, USA. Later, the 1932 Olympics were held in Los Angeles, USA. The third time that North America hosted the Olympics was at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Moreover, the 1976 Montreal Olympics, 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and 1996 Atlanta Olympics were held in this continent.

#3 Asia

Japan was the first Asian country to host the Summer Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo. The 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea were the second Olympics to be hosted in Asia. China hosted the Olympics for the first time ever at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2021, Japan will become the first Asian country to host the Summer Olympics twice at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

#4 Australia

The 1956 Summer Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia with the exception of Equestrian events that were held in Stockholm, Sweden. This was the first time that Australia hosted the Summer Olympics.

The second time Australia hosted the Summer Olympics was at the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney.

#5 South America

The 2016 Rio Olympics were the first Olympic Games to be held in South America.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 2024 Paris Olympics, and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are the host countries decided by the IOC for the upcoming editions of the Olympics.