Which Countries Have Won the Most Olympic Medals?

The Summer and Winter Olympic Games are the premier international sporting events in the world. More than 200 nations compete in the Olympics, and winning an Olympic medal is a huge achievement. But which country has the highest Olympic medal count?

The team at WizardPins reviewed data from Olympedia.org (a database operated by Olympic statisticians and members of the International Society of Olympic Historians) to determine which countries have earned the most Olympic medals through the years. The data includes medals awarded during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

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Olympic Medals by Country

Including the 2022 Beijing Olympic results, these are the 10 countries that have won the most Olympic medals:

1. United States: 2,976
2. Soviet Union: 1,204
3. Germany: 1,082
4. Great Britain: 966
5. France: 909
6. Italy: 770
7. China: 702
8. Sweden: 680
9. Japan: 575
10. Norway: 566

The United States has a significant lead over every other country, with nearly 3,000 medals. Of those medals, 1,180 are gold, 959 are silver, and 837 are bronze. The U.S. also has more gold medals than any other country in the world. Team USA has sent athletes to every modern Olympic Games since 1896 expect the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, which the U.S. boycotted due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 

The nation with the second-most Olympic medals is the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union, which earned 1,204 medals, only competed in 18 Olympic Games before it ceased to exist in 1991. The nation’s first appearance was in 1952, and Nina Romashkova won the first gold medal for the Soviets, participating in the women’s discus throw.

Third on the list of countries with the highest medal count at the Olympics is Germany. Through the years, the nation of Germany has been split into different teams, including Germany (GER), East Germany (GDR), and West Germany (FRG).

Countries With the Most Summer Olympics Medals

The following are the top countries with the most Olympic medals won during the Summer Olympics:

1. United States: 2,655
2. Soviet Union: 1,010
3. Great Britain: 932
4. Germany: 797
5. France: 772
6. China: 634
7. Italy: 632
8. Australia: 541
9. Hungary: 515
10. Sweden: 507

The United States has the highest Summer Olympics medal count at 2,655 medals. This includes 1,069 gold medals, 842 silver medals, and 744 bronze medals.

Countries With the Most Winter Olympic Medals

These are the countries that have won the most medals in the Winter Olympics, counting the most recent Winter Olympic results:

1. Norway: 404
2. United States: 321
3. Germany: 285
4. Austria: 250
5. Canada: 217
6. Soviet Union: 194
7. Sweden: 173
8. Finland: 173
9. Switzerland: 163
10. Netherlands: 143

Norway has the most Winter Olympics medals at 404. This includes 147 gold medals, 133 silver medals, and 124 bronze medals. Norway is also at the top of the list for the highest Olympic gold medal count during the Winter Olympics. While earning any medal is an incredible achievement, gold medals are especially impressive!

Complete Olympic Medal Count by Country

Notes:

• The Unified Team was the name used for the team of the former Soviet Union (except the Baltic states) at both the 1992 Winter Olympics and the 1992 Summer Olympics.
• Individual Olympic Athletes are athletes who have chosen to compete independently for various reasons, including political transition, international sanctions, and suspensions of national Olympic committees.
• Mixed teams refer to individuals who competed with others of different nations in early Olympic Games (1896 to 1904).

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