Olympic golds
23
Olympic medals
28
World titles (LC)
26
World records set
39
Olympic Games
5
Golds in one Games
8
Category profile
- Dominance
- 99
- Peak
- 100
- Longevity
- 93
- Honours
- 100
- Statistics
- 98
Career timeline · Form index per season
Editorial season form index (0–100), not raw goals or points. Raw season-by-season statistics are shown only where fully verified.
| Season | Form index per season | Share of career |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 42 | |
| 2001 | 64 | |
| 2002 | 78 | |
| 2003 | 86 | |
| 2004 | 96 | |
| 2005 | 90 | |
| 2006 | 92 | |
| 2007 | 96 | |
| 2008 | 100 | |
| 2009 | 94 | |
| 2010 | 88 | |
| 2011 | 90 | |
| 2012 | 96 | |
| 2013 | 60 | |
| 2014 | 70 | |
| 2015 | 84 | |
| 2016 | 95 |
Data sources
- World Aquatics
- Olympedia
- IOC
Last verified: 2026-09-14
Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method
Why Michael Phelps ranks #1 in Swimming
Michael Phelps ranks #1 in Swimming and #3 of 5087 across all sports. The verified GOAT Score is 98.1/100.
The verified career covers 2000–2016 and 17 documented seasons. Peak is 100/100, with Peak the strongest category at 100/100 (20% weight). Key metrics: Olympic golds 23, Olympic medals 28, World titles (LC) 26, World records set 39.
Nearest context: ahead —; behind Katie Ledecky (94.8). Rankings update whenever verified records change.
Michael Phelps GOAT Score explained
- Dominance99/100 · weight 25%
- Dominance: 99/100, based on the verified career record.
- Peak100/100 · weight 20%
- Peak: 100/100, based on the verified career record.
- Longevity93/100 · weight 20%
- Longevity: 93/100, based on the verified career record.
- Honours100/100 · weight 20%
- Honours: 100/100, based on the verified career record.
- Statistics98/100 · weight 15%
- Statistics: 98/100, based on the verified career record.
Top Phelps comparisons
Michael Phelps — frequently asked
- Is Michael Phelps the GOAT?
- According to GOAT Rank's current data model, Michael Phelps ranks #1 in Swimming with a GOAT Score of 98.1/100 and #3 of 5087 across all sports.
- What is Michael Phelps's GOAT Score?
- 98.1/100, calculated from the verified career record: Dominance 99 (25%), Peak 100 (20%), Longevity 93 (20%), Honours 100 (20%), Statistics 98 (15%).
- Where does Michael Phelps rank all time?
- #3 of 5087 eligible athletes across all sports and #1 in Swimming.
- Michael Phelps vs Katie Ledecky: who ranks higher?
- Michael Phelps ranks higher at 98.1 versus Katie Ledecky at 94.8, a margin of 3.3 points.