Around 2,900 athletes from around the world competed in 116 events at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, but the prized gold, silver and bronze medals went home with only a small portion of the competitors.
Once again, Norway dominated the Winter Olympics medal count, finishing the 2026 Games with 41 medals, including a record 18 gold. It was followed in the standings this year by the United States, which won 33 medals. Twelve of those U.S. medals were gold: a new national best for the Winter Games.
The U.S. came out on top at the most recent Summer Games in Paris in 2024, taking home 126 medals, including 40 gold. It was followed by China, Britain and France.
But which countries have taken home the most medals overall, and which athletes have won most often in Olympic history?
Which countries have the most Olympic medals?
While the International Olympic Committee does not compile rankings, the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage does keep a medal tally. It puts the U.S. at the top, with 3,103 total medals. The count has not yet been updated to include medal totals from 2026.
The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage, which is described by the Olympics as the “leading international exponent in promoting and disseminating Olympism in the fields of culture, heritage and values-based education,” counts one medal per event, regardless of how many athletes may compete in a winning team. The organization does not count medals won in the arts competitions or medals won during demonstration events.
The U.S. is followed in the overall medal count by the Soviet Union, which was disbanded in 1991, with its former republics now competing as independent countries. The Soviet Union earned 1,204 medals. Germany comes in third with 1,091 medals.
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Germany’s exact medal count is a point of contention because Germany has not always competed in each Olympics as a unified country, which can lead to confusing medal counts. At one point, the Federal Republic of Germany team represented West Germany while the German Democratic Republic team represented East Germany.
While the U.S. leads in the overall medal count, it does not hold the top spot when it comes to Winter Olympics medals. Norway dominates there, with 404 medals earned during the Winter Games.
The U.S., with 330, and Germany, with 286, are next in the Winter Olympics rankings.
Which countries have the most Olympic gold medals?
Heading into the Milano Cortina Games, the U.S. had the most gold medals overall: a total of 1,220, according to the Olympic Foundation. In second place, the Soviet Union racked up 473 gold medals. Germany was third, with 355 gold medals.
Great Britain, France, Italy, China, Sweden and Norway have all won more than 200 gold medals apiece, prior to 2026, according to the Olympic Foundation.
The Winter Olympics specific rankings had Norway on top, with 148 gold medals, followed by the U.S. and Germany, with 114 and 113 gold medals, respectively.
At the 2026 Games, Norway set a new record for the most gold medals at a single Winter Olympics, topping the 16 it won four years earlier.
Which athletes have the most Olympic medals overall?
American swimmer Michael Phelps is handily the Olympic athlete with the most medals. Phelps, who first appeared in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, has 23 gold medals, three silver and two bronze, won across five games.
Former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina is the most successful female Olympian, with 18 Olympic medals: nine gold, five silver and four bronze.
Norwegian skier Marit Bjørgen became the most decorated winter Olympian in 2018, with 15 medals, including eight gold.
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Ole Einar Bjørndalen, also a Norwegian skier, holds the most medals for a male winter Olympian, with 14.
Speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, who has earned eight medals across three Winter Olympics, holds the top spot for U.S. winter Olympians.
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Which athletes have the most Olympic gold medals?
Phelps is not only the most decorated Olympian; he’s also the athlete with the most Olympic golds, earning 23 gold medals across five games. And Latynina, in addition to being the winningest female Olympian overall, also holds the record for most golds by a female athlete at the Olympics. She competed in three games, starting in 1956 in Melbourne.
Norwegian skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo holds the record for the most Winter Olympic gold medals after winning the 11th gold of his career at the Milano Cortina Games. He’s won 13 medals overall.
Skiers Bjørgen and Bjørndalen, with eight gold medals apiece, are tied with Bjørn Dæhlie, another Norwegian skier, for second place in the gold medal count.
