Who is the SEA Games’ most successful country?

This year’s edition builds on Thailand’s long-standing relationship with the regional competition. The country has not only participated in every SEA Games since 1959 but has also hosted the event seven times, more than any other nation. 

The Games were first launched in Bangkok as the “SEAP Games,” before expanding in 1977 to include all Southeast Asian nations.

Across 32 completed editions, Southeast Asia has seen a wide range of records set. 

Thailand remains the winningest nation in SEA Games history, with 13 overall titles, ahead of Indonesia’s 10 and Vietnam’s three. 

Vietnam holds the mark for the most gold medals in a single edition, winning 205 golds at the 2021 Hanoi Games. It was the first time any country surpassed 200 gold medals.

The SEA Games have grown not only in the level of competition but also in scale. The 2023 Phnom Penh SEA Games recorded 6,210 athletes — the highest participation on record — and marked Cambodia’s return as host after six decades.

Individual athletes have contributed their own milestones. Singapore’s Joscelin Yeo remains the most successful SEA Games athlete with 40 gold medals from eight appearances. Fellow Singaporean Eileen Chai Ee Juang is the youngest athlete ever to compete, joining the 1985 Games at age seven.

Conversely, Filipino billiards icon Efren Reyes competed at the 2021 Games at 68, making him the oldest known SEA Games athlete. Since his debut in 1987, Reyes has taken part in 11 editions and won six gold medals.

Host nations have also played a major role in shaping the competition. Manila holds the record for the most sports in a single edition, staging 56 events in 2019. This year’s Games in Thailand feature 50 sports and four demonstration events, with 574 gold medals at stake.

As competition continues across Thailand, the 2025 SEA Games are poised to add another chapter to a regional sporting tradition now more than six decades old.