Swimming at the World Aquatics Championships
Aquatics · World Aquatics (formerly FINA)
2025LatestSingapore 2025: 42 events; the United States won 9 golds, Australia 8
The first World Aquatics Championships were held in Belgrade in 1973. Singapore 2025 was the 22nd edition, with 20 men's, 20 women's and 2 mixed pool events.
- Next
- Budapest 2027, 26 June to 18 July; Beijing 2029
- Most golds (nation)
- United States, 263; then Australia, 109
- Most golds (swimmer)
- Michael Phelps (United States), 26; Katie Ledecky (United States), 23 women's
- India
- No medal
- Cycle
- Every two years in most periods, with gaps before 2001; yearly from 2022 to 2025
India at the World Championships
India has no medal at the World Aquatics Championships in the pool events.
More about this tournament
Singapore 2025 champions (individual events)
| Event | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle | Cameron McEvoy (Australia) | Meg Harris (Australia) |
| 100 m freestyle | David Popovici (Romania) | Marrit Steenbergen (Netherlands) |
| 200 m freestyle | David Popovici (Romania) | Mollie O'Callaghan (Australia) |
| 400 m freestyle | Lukas Märtens (Germany) | Summer McIntosh (Canada) |
| 800 m freestyle | Ahmed Jaouadi (Tunisia) | Katie Ledecky (United States) |
| 1500 m freestyle | Ahmed Jaouadi (Tunisia) | Katie Ledecky (United States) |
| 50 m backstroke | Kliment Kolesnikov (Neutral Athletes B) | Katharine Berkoff (United States) |
| 100 m backstroke | Pieter Coetze (South Africa) | Kaylee McKeown (Australia) |
| 200 m backstroke | Hubert Kós (Hungary) | Kaylee McKeown (Australia) |
| 50 m breaststroke | Simone Cerasuolo (Italy) | Rūta Meilutytė (Lithuania) |
| 100 m breaststroke | Qin Haiyang (China) | Anna Elendt (Germany) |
| 200 m breaststroke | Qin Haiyang (China) | Kate Douglass (United States) |
| 50 m butterfly | Maxime Grousset (France) | Gretchen Walsh (United States) |
| 100 m butterfly | Maxime Grousset (France) | Gretchen Walsh (United States) |
| 200 m butterfly | Luca Urlando (United States) | Summer McIntosh (Canada) |
| 200 m individual medley | Léon Marchand (France) | Summer McIntosh (Canada) |
| 400 m individual medley | Léon Marchand (France) | Summer McIntosh (Canada) |
Medal table (1973 to 2025, top 10)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 263 | 216 | 159 | 638 |
| 2 | Australia | 109 | 113 | 75 | 297 |
| 3 | China | 64 | 37 | 61 | 162 |
| 4 | East Germany | 50 | 40 | 25 | 115 |
| 5 | Hungary | 36 | 19 | 29 | 84 |
| 6 | Great Britain | 28 | 24 | 47 | 99 |
| 7 | Italy | 27 | 34 | 35 | 96 |
| 8 | France | 26 | 24 | 30 | 80 |
| 9 | Germany | 24 | 41 | 40 | 105 |
| 10 | Russia | 20 | 36 | 28 | 84 |
Pool events only.
Most medals (swimmers)
| Swimmer | Nation | Years | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Phelps | United States | 2001 to 2011 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 33 |
| Katie Ledecky | United States | 2013 to 2025 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 30 |
| Ryan Lochte | United States | 2005 to 2015 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 27 |
| Sarah Sjöström | Sweden | 2009 to 2024 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 25 |
History
How it began
Belgrade 1973 held 15 men's and 14 women's pool events. Mixed relays were added at Kazan 2015.
Champions by era
East Germany won 50 golds at the championships from 1973 to 1986. Michael Phelps won 26 golds from 2001 to 2011, and Katie Ledecky 23 from 2013 to 2025.
Firsts and facts
- First championships: Belgrade, 1973.
- Mixed relays: from Kazan 2015.
- Held four years running: 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.