Top 20 Winter Medal Standings by Country, 1924-2018
This year, from February 6 - February 22, the winter Olympics happens! This is where countries from around the world compete in events such as alpine skiing, bobsleigh, curling, figure skating, speed skating, cross-country skiing, and more.
There isn't really a way for a country to officially "win" the Olympics, but people often consider a country to be "winning" by topping the medal table. The medal table is primarily ranked by the highest number of gold medals won. If there is a tie, rankings then move to the total number of silver medals, and then bronze medals. Others prefer to compare the total number of medals a country wins overall. Some even weight the medals (i.e. 3 points for gold, 2 points for silver, and 1 point for bronze) and compare totals that way.
However, the richer a country is, the more likely it is to earn more Olympic medals. This is because wealthier countries tend to have more resources to train athletes, access better equipment, and send more competitors to participate in a wider range of events.
That being said, I still find it fun to look at the total medal counts of countries like the United States, which, as of the 2018 Winter Games, had earned 305 total medals across the 23 Winter Olympics in which they competed.
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Olympic Medal Stats
| Rank | Country | # of Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 23 | 132 | 125 | 111 | 368 |
| 2 | United States | 23 | 105 | 110 | 90 | 305 |
| 3 | Germany (1928-36, 92-) | 12 | 92 | 88 | 60 | 240 |
| 4 | Austria | 23 | 64 | 81 | 87 | 232 |
| 5 | Canada | 23 | 73 | 64 | 62 | 199 |
| 6 | Soviet Union (1956-88) | 9 | 78 | 57 | 59 | 194 |
| 7 | Finland | 23 | 43 | 63 | 61 | 167 |
| 8 | Sweden | 23 | 57 | 46 | 55 | 158 |
| 9 | Switzerland | 23 | 55 | 46 | 52 | 153 |
| 10 | Netherlands | 21 | 45 | 44 | 41 | 130 |
| 11 | Italy | 23 | 40 | 36 | 48 | 124 |
| 12 | France | 23 | 36 | 35 | 53 | 124 |
| 13 | Russia (1994-) | 6 | 47 | 38 | 35 | 120 |
| 14 | East Germany (1968-88) | 6 | 39 | 36 | 35 | 110 |
| 15 | South Korea | 18 | 31 | 25 | 14 | 70 |
| 16 | China | 11 | 13 | 28 | 21 | 62 |
| 17 | Japan | 21 | 14 | 22 | 22 | 62 |
| 18 | West Germany (1968-88) | 6 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 39 |
| 19 | Great Britain | 23 | 11 | 4 | 16 | 31 |
| 20 | Czech Republic | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 31 |
- # of Games
- Number of Games
- Gold
- Number of Gold Medals Won
- Silver
- Number of Silver Medals Won
- Bronze
- Number of Bronze Medals Won
- Germany (1928-36, 92-)
- Germany competed as a unified nation before World War II and again after reunification in 1990. These dates reflect periods when Germany existed and competed as a single country.
- Soviet Union (1956-88)
- The Soviet Union competed in the Olympics as a single multinational state until its dissolution in 1991. Medals won during this period are grouped under the Soviet Union.
- Russia (1994-)
- After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia began competing as an independent country in the Olympics. Its medals are counted separately because it is a different political entity.
- East Germany (1968-88)
- East Germany competed as a separate nation during the Cold War after Germany was divided following World War II. It had its own government and Olympic committee, so its medals are counted separately.
- West Germany (1968-88)
- West Germany competed independently during the Cold War alongside East Germany. As a distinct political state, its Olympic medals are recorded separately.