2012 London Olympics by the Numbers

Every four years, the summer Olympics captivates audiences around the world with incredible athletic feats, exciting international competition, and a strong sense of pageantry and tradition. But the sheer size and scale of the event can be awe-inspiring, as these remarkable Olympics statistics reveal.

The Olympics constitute the largest sports spectacle in the world, and the 2012 Summer Games in London was no exception. From massive architecture and infrastructure projects to the huge influx of tourists from around the globe, these fascinating figures shed light on the amazing work that goes into making the Olympics a success.

Building the Games

8,800,000

Total number of tickets sold for the London Olympic Games, compared to 7 million for the Beijing 2008 Olympics

200,000

Total workforce for the London Games, including 6,000 staff, 70,000 volunteers and 100,000 contractors

4,000,000,000

Estimated global audience for the 2012 opening ceremonies

700,000

Total capacity for all Olympics venues this year

80,000
Total capacity for the main Olympic Stadium

46,000
Number of workers it took to construct the Olympic Stadium and grounds

1,500

Number of United Kingdom-based companies that have won contracts with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) worth over $10 billion dollars, with an additional $1.5 billion soon to be awarded to 600 firms

Number of global companies that have signed on as domestic sponsors for the Olympics

30,000 sq. ft.

Size of the McDonald’s restaurant at the London Games, with seating for 1,500 people, the largest location the company has ever opened

14,000,000
Number of meals that will be served in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with residents of the Olympic Village expected to eat 330 tons of fruits and vegetables alone

1,000,000 sq. ft.
Amount of warehouse space reserved for logistics, with an expected 15,000 deliveries to be made by a truck fleet with 300 vehicles

A Competitive Field

26
Number of sports in the Summer Olympics

204
Number of nations participating in the 2012 Games

10,500
Number of athletes competing in the 2012 London Games, supported by 7,500 team officials and judged by 3,000 technical officials

302
Number of medal-awarding events, with a total of 2,100 medals up for grabs

1.34%
Percentage of actual gold in a gold medal, the rest is copper

2,617
As of publication, the total number of gold, silver and bronze medals won by the United States, the all-time world leader in Olympic medals, followed by the Soviet Union (1,204), Germany (918), France (805) and Great Britain (793)

1,000,000
Pieces of sports equipment being sourced by the London Organising Committee

510
Number of adjustable hurdles being used for the Games

600
Number of basketballs purchased for the Games

26,400
Number of tennis balls bought for the events

766
Miles of fabric needed to create the Olympics uniforms

375
Number of doctors that will on hand for the competition

10,000,000
Liters of water in the pools used for swimming events

53
Number of lane ropes that will be used for swimming events, along with 541 life jackets

60
Number of routines memorized by elite Olympic divers

The World Heads to London

29,400,000
Estimated number of overseas tourists coming to the U.K. for the Olympic Games and surrounding events

23,700
Estimated number of people in the security detail for the Games

3
Number of times London has hosted the Olympics (1900, 1948 and 2012)

120,000
Number of people who will travel on up to 200 trains every hour from Stratford Regional Station during the peak hours of the Game

$15,600,000
Amount spent on over 100 walking and cycling routes to enhance facilities for 385,000 spectators who will "ride or stride” to the Games.

20,000,000
Number of spectator journeys expected to be made in London during the Olympics, including 3 million on the busiest day

25,000
Estimated number of journalists expected to arrive in London to report on the 2012 Olympics

5
Number of jumbo jets that could be lined up wing-to-wing inside the International Broadcast Center

800
Number of workstations in the press workroom at the International Broadcast Center

8,000
Number of torchbearers who carried the Olympic flame across the U.K.

Sources: Visual.ly, BBC News, NBC News, IET, LOCOG, Time Out London, Daily Mail Online, The Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Transport for the Olympics, Gadling.com, and Olympics Statistics and History