Who has the most Olympic medals? The countries and athletes with the most wins of all time

There will be around 10,500 athletes competing in 329 medal events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games — and they’re all going for gold. Those coveted bronze, silver and gold medals — the medals from each Games are distinct, and Paris’ feature a small piece of iron straight from the Eiffel Tower — will eventually go home with relatively few of those competitors, but past Olympics provide some insight into medal counts for countries and athletes. 

Norway took home the most medals in the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, with 37 medals, including 16 gold. The country was followed by ROC — the banner under which Russian athletes compete  — Germany, Canada and the U.S.

The U.S. dominated at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, winning 113 medals. It was followed by the People’s Republic of China, ROC, Great Britain and Japan. The U.S. was the only country to win more than 100 medals in the 2020 Games.

But which country has the most medals and what athlete has won the most medals in Olympic history? 

Which countries have the most Olympic medals overall?

While the International Olympic Committee does not compile rankings, it does say that the U.S. has the top spot. The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage — an organization described by the Olympics as the “leading international exponent in promoting and disseminating Olympism in the fields of culture, heritage and values-based education” — does keep a count.

CBS News used the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage for this article’s count, because of its expert resources. Other sites may have different medal tallies.

The Olympic Foundation counts one medal per event independently of the number of athletes competing. It also does not include medals won in the arts competition or in demonstration events.

According to the Olympic Foundation, the U.S. has raked in a total of 2,975 Olympic medals. The U.S. is home to so many strong athletes that in 2016, CBS News Baltimore reported that if Maryland were a country competing in the 2016 Rio Olympics, it would hold the second-most gold medals. Olympians Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky are both from the area.

The U.S. medal count is followed in the rankings by the Soviet Union, with 1,204 medals, and Germany, with 1,058 medals, according to the Olympic Foundation.

The Soviet Union disbanded in 1991. Its former republics, such as Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia, now compete in the Olympics as independent countries. Ukraine, for instance, earned 19 medals in 2020, while Georgia earned eight and Armenia four. 

Like the Soviet Union, Germany has not always competed in the Olympics in the same way. At one point, the Federal Republic of Germany represented Western Germany while the German Democratic Republic represented Eastern Germany, so Germany has not competed in each Olympics as a unified country, which can lead to confusing medal counts. 

Which countries have the most Olympic gold medals?

The U.S. has the most gold medals: a total of 1,179, according to the Olympic Foundation. Following is the Soviet Union, with 473 gold medals. Germany takes third, with 342 gold medals. 

Great Britain, France, Italy, China, Sweden and Norway have all won more than 200 gold medals apiece, according to the Olympic Foundation.

With 957 silver medals, the U.S. again takes the top ranking in that category, followed by the Soviet Union with 376 silver medals and Germany with 365 silver medals.

Which athletes have the most Olympic medals overall?

American swimmer Michael Phelps is an Olympics G.O.A.T. With 23 gold medals, three silver and two bronze — won across five games — he’s the clear, hands-down the Olympic athlete with the most medals. Phelps first appeared in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. 

Among women, former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina is the most successful female Olympian. Nine of her 18 Olympic medals were gold, a record for most golds by a female athlete at the Olympics. She also earned five silver medals and four bronze. Latynina took home medals in 1956, 1960 and 1964.

Until Phelps broke Latynina’s record, she was the only athlete in any sport to have won 18 Olympic medals. 

According to the International Olympic Committee, which last put out medal count information on Oct. 6, 2021, Phelps is followed by gymnast Nikolay Andrianov, who won 15 medals over three games, starting with Munich in 1972. With seven gold, five silver and three bronze medals, the Soviet artistic gymnast has won more Olympic medals than any other male gymnast in history.

Three men have earned 13 medals: Soviet gymnast Boris Shakhlin, Italian fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti and Japanese gymnast Takashi Ono.

Five women are tied for second-place record holders after Latynina: German equestrian Isabell Werth, German canoe competitor Birgit Fischer-Schmidt and American swimmers Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin have 12 Olympic medals. 

Which athletes have the most Olympic gold medals?

Phelps is not just the athlete with the most Olympic medals, he’s also the athlete with the most Olympic gold. He’s earned 23 gold medals across five games. He also holds the record for most Olympic gold won in a single edition of the Summer Games; eight of Phelps’ gold medals were won during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In addition to being the winningest female Olympian overall, Latynina also holds the record for most golds by a female athlete at the Olympics. She competed in three games, starting in 1956 in Melbourne.

Phelps is followed by American athletics competitor Carl Lewis, who won nine gold and one silver medal across four games, starting in Los Angeles in 1984, according to the International Olympic Committee. He won in the 100m, the 200m, the long jump and the 4x100m relay. Latynina is followed by Fischer-Schmidt, who took home eight gold medals and four silver across six Olympic games for her abilities in a canoe.

Who are the projected big winners at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games?

The United States is predicted to top all other countries at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, according to CBS Sports. Based on the latest Virtual Medal Table forecast from Nielsen’s Gracenote, which supplies statistical analysis for sports leagues, the U.S. is predicted to take home 123 medals during the games.

China is predicted to finish second in the medal count with a total of 87, followed by Great Britain with 62.