1978 World Aquatics Championships

! width=50 | Place

! width=200 | Nation

! width=50 | {{gold1}}

! width=50 | {{silver2}}

! width=50 | {{bronze3}}

! width=50 | Total

| 1

| align="left" | {{USA}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 23*

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 14

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 7

| 44

| 2

| align="left" | {{URS}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 6

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 4

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 6

| 16

| 3

| align="left" | {{CAN}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 3

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 1

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 5

| 9

| 4

| align="left" | {{AUS}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 2

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 0

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 0

| 2

| 5

| align="left" | {{GDR}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 1

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 10

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 4

| 15

| 6

| align="left" | {{FRG}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 1

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 2

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 4

| 7

| 7

| align="left" | {{ITA}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 1

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 0

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 1

| 2

| 8

| align="left" | {{JPN}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 2

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 1

| 3

| 9

| align="left" | {{flag|Hungary}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 1

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 2

| 3

| 10

| align="left" | {{YUG}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 1

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 1

| 2

| rowspan="2" valign="center"| 11

| align="left" | {{NOR}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 1

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 0

| 1

| align="left" | {{NZL}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 1

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 0

| 1

| rowspan="2" valign="center"| 13

| align="left" | {{GBR2}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 0

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 2

| 2

| align="left" | {{SWE}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 0

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 2

| 2

| rowspan="2" valign="center"| 15

| align="left" | {{BRA}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 0

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 1

| 1

| align="left" | {{DEN}}

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 0

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 1

| 1

| colspan="2" bgcolor=D3D3D3| Total

| style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 37

| style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 37

| style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 37

| bgcolor=D3D3D3|111

|3 m springboard

| {{flagathlete|Phil Boggs|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Falk Hoffmann|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Giorgio Cagnotto|ITA}}

|10 m platform

| {{flagathlete|Greg Louganis|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Falk Hoffmann|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Vladimir Aleynik|URS}}

|3 m springboard

| {{flagathlete|Irina Kalinina|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|Cynthia Potter|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Jennifer Chandler|USA}}

|10 m platform

| {{flagathlete|Irina Kalinina|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|Martina Jäschke|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Melissa Briley|USA}}

|100 m freestyle

| {{flagathlete|David McCagg|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Jim Montgomery|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Klaus Steinbach|FRG}}

|200 m freestyle

| {{flagathlete|Bill Forrester|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Rowdy Gaines|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Sergey Kopliakov|URS}}

|400 m freestyle

| {{flagathlete|Vladimir Salnikov|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|Jeff Float|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Bill Forrester|USA}}

|1500 m freestyle

| {{flagathlete|Vladimir Salnikov|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|Borut Petrič|YUG}}

| {{flagathlete|Bobby Hackett|USA}}

|100 m backstroke

| {{flagathlete|Bob Jackson|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Peter Rocca|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Romulo Arantes|BRA}}

|200 m backstroke

| {{flagathlete|Jesse Vassallo|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Gary Hurring|NZL}}

| {{flagathlete|Zoltán Verrasztó|HUN}}

|100 m breaststroke

| {{flagathlete|Walter Kusch|FRG}}

| {{flagathlete|Graham Smith|CAN}}

| {{flagathlete|Gerald Mörken|FRG}}

|200 m breaststroke

| {{flagathlete|Nick Nevid|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Arsens Miskarovs|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|Walter Kusch|FRG}}

|100 m butterfly

| {{flagathlete|Joe Bottom|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Greg Jagenburg|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Pär Arvidsson|SWE}}

|200 m butterfly

| {{flagathlete|Mike Bruner|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Steve Gregg|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Roger Pyttel|GDR}}

|200 m individual medley

| {{flagathlete|Graham Smith|CAN}}

| {{flagathlete|Jesse Vassallo|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Aleksandr Sidorenko|URS}}

|400 m individual medley

| {{flagathlete|Jesse Vassallo|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Sergey Fesenko|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|András Hargitay|HUN}}

|4 × 100 m freestyle relay

| {{flagteam|USA}}
Jack Babashoff
Rowdy Gaines
Jim Montgomery
David McCagg

| {{flagteam|FRG}}
Andreas Schmidt
Ulrich Temps
Peter Knust
Klaus Steinbach

| {{flagteam|SWE}}
Per Holmertz
Dan Larsson
Per-Ola Quist
Per-Alvar Magnusson

|4 × 200 m freestyle relay

| {{flagteam|USA}}
Bruce Furniss
Bill Forrester
Bobby Hackett
Rowdy Gaines

| {{flagteam|URS}}
Sergey Rusin
Andrey Krylov
Vladimir Salnikov
Sergey Kopliakov

| {{flagteam|FRG}}
Andreas Schmidt
Peter Knust
Karsten Lippmann
Frank Wennmann

|4 × 100 m medley relay

| {{flagteam|USA}}
Bob Jackson
Nick Nevid
Joe Bottom
David McCagg

| {{flagteam|FRG}}
Klaus Steinbach
Walter Kusch
Michael Kraus
Andreas Schmidt

| {{flagteam|GBR}}
Gary Abraham
Duncan Goodhew
John Mills
Martin Smith

|100 m freestyle

| {{flagathlete|Barbara Krause|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Lene Jenssen|NOR}}

| {{flagathlete|Larisa Tsaryova|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|Cynthia Woodhead|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Barbara Krause|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Larisa Tsaryova|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|Tracey Wickham|AUS}}

| {{flagathlete|Cynthia Woodhead|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Kim Linehan|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Tracey Wickham|AUS}}

| {{flagathlete|Cynthia Woodhead|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Kim Linehan|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Linda Jezek|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Birgit Treiber|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Cheryl Gibson|CAN}}

| {{flagathlete|Linda Jezek|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Birgit Treiber|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Cheryl Gibson|CAN}}

| {{flagathlete|Yuliya Bogdanova|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|Tracy Caulkins|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Margaret Kelly|GBR}}

| {{flagathlete|Lina Kačiušytė|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|Yuliya Bogdanova|URS}}

| {{flagathlete|Susanne Nielsson|DEN}}

| {{flagathlete|Joan Pennington|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Andrea Pollack|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Wendy Quirk|CAN}}

| {{flagathlete|Tracy Caulkins|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Nancy Hogshead|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Andrea Pollack|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Tracy Caulkins|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Joan Pennington|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Ulrike Tauber|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Tracy Caulkins|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Ulrike Tauber|GDR}}

| {{flagathlete|Petra Schneider|GDR}}

|4 × 100 m freestyle relay

| {{flagteam|USA}}
Tracy Caulkins
Stephanie Elkins
Jill Sterkel
Cynthia Woodhead

| {{flagteam|GDR}}
Heike Witt
Caren Metschuck
Barbara Krause
Petra Priemer

| {{flagteam|CAN}}
Gail Amundrud
Nancy Garapick
Sue Sloan
Wendy Quirk

|4 × 100 m medley relay

| {{flagteam|USA}}
Linda Jezek
Tracy Caulkins
Joan Pennington
Cynthia Woodhead

| {{flagteam|GDR}}
Birgit Treiber
Ramona Reinke
Andrea Pollack
Barbara Krause

| {{flagteam|URS}}
Elena Kruglova
Yuliya Bogdanova
Irina Aksenova
Larisa Tsaryova

|Solo routine

| {{flagathlete|Helen Vanderburg|CAN}}

| {{flagathlete|Pam Tryon|USA}}

| {{flagathlete|Yasuko Unezaki|JPN}}

|Duet routine

| {{flagathlete|Michelle Calkins|CAN}}
{{flagathlete|Helen Vanderburg|CAN}}

| {{flagathlete|Masako Fujiwara|JPN}}
{{flagathlete|Yasuko Fujiwara|JPN}}

| {{flagathlete|Michele Barone|USA}}
{{flagathlete|Pam Tryon|USA}}

|Team routine

| {{flagteam|USA}}

| {{flagteam|JPN}}

| {{flagteam|CAN}}

| Team

| {{wp|ITA}}

| {{wp|HUN|1957}}

| {{wp|YUG}}