Countries With the Most All-Time Olympic Medals 🏅

What We’re Showing

This graphic shows the countries with the most Olympic medals of all-time, based on data from the International Olympic Committee.

Key Takeaways

• With a total of 2,959 medals, the U.S. surpasses the second-highest country, the former USSR, by more than twofold
• During the Cold War, competition between the U.S. and the USSR dramatically intensified as a means of displaying ideological dominance
• Despite being absent from the Olympics for over three decades, China ranks fifth in the world, with noteworthy success in gymnastics, diving, and badminton
• European countries comprise 13 of the top 20 countries in combined Olympic medals