The All Time Olympic Nation Power Rankings

The twenty greatest Olympic nations in the history of the competition. Ranked with consideration for overall medals, dominant sports, and legendary athletes.

1) USA– 2662 total medals (1067 golds)
—Summer: 2408 (first overall)
—Winter: 254 (second overall)
Historically dominant sports: Track and Field (781 medals, more than that of the next five countries combined!), Swimming (518), Diving (132), Basketball (24, 19 of which were gold), Figure Skating (47), Snowboarding (19), Shooting (107), Boxing (108), Freestyle Skiing (14), Rowing (87)
Greatest Olympians: Michael Phelps (swimming), Jesse Owens (athletics), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (long jump, heptathlon), Jim Thorpe (pentathlon, decathlon), Carl Lewis (athletics), Edwin Moses (hurdles), Cassius Clay (boxing), Babe Didrikson (track and field), Mark Spitz (swimming), Rafer Johnson (decathlon), Greg Louganis (diving), Eric Heiden (speed skating), Al Oerter (discus), Bonnie Blair (speed skating), Michael Johnson (sprinting), Florence Griffith-Joyner (track), Bob Mathias (decathlon), Bob Beamon (long jump), Dan O’Brien (decathlon), Wilma Rudolph (track), Ray Ewry (track and field), Apolo Anton Ohno(speed skating), Matthew Biondi (swimming), Bruce Jenner (decathlon), Mary Lou Retton (gymnastics), Jenny Thompson(swimming) Dara Torres (swimming), Dick Fosbury (high jump), Johnny Weismuller (swimming).

2) Soviet Union– 1204 total medals (473 golds)
—Summer: 1010 (second overall)
—Winter: 194 (fifth overall)
Historically dominant sports: Gymnastics (193), Volleyball (12), Weightlifting (62)

Greatest Olympians: Larisa Latynina (gymnastics), Olga Korbut (gymnastics), Nikolai Andrianov (gymnastics), Boris Shakhlin(gymnastics), Lidia Skoblikova (speed skating), Irina Rodnina (figure skating), Dmitry Bilozerchev (gymnastics), Vladislav Tretyak (hockey goalie), Nellie Kim (gymnastics), Pavel Lednyov (modern pentathlon)

3) Germany– 937 total medals (291 golds)
—Summer: 722 (fourth overall)
—Winter: 209 (third overall)
Historically dominant sports: Biathlon (43), Luge (31)

Greatest Olympians: Brigit Fischer (canoeing), Claudia Pechstein (speed skating), Reiner Klimke (equestrian), Hans Günter Winkler (equestrian), Kati Wilhelm (biathlon)

4) Great Britain-828 total medals (251 golds)
—Summer: 803 (third overall)
—Winter: 25 (twenty-first overall)
Historically dominant sports: Tennis (41)

Greatest Olympians: Steve Redgrave (rowing), Daley Thompson (decathlon), Sebastian Coe (track), Chris Hoy (cycling), Jayne Torvill and Christophen Dean (ice dancing), Mohamed Farah (long distance running)

5) France– 815 total medals (248 golds)
—Summer: 721 (fifth overall)
—Winter: 156 (twelfth overall)
Historically dominant sports: Cycling (96)
Greatest Olympians: Christian d’Oriola (fencing), Jean-Claude Killy (alpine skiing), The Goitschel sisters (alpine skiing), David Douillet (judo)

6) Italy– 679 total medals (245 golds)
—Summer: 571 (sixth overall)
—Winter: 109 (eleventh overall)

Greatest Olympians: Edoardo Mangiarotti (fencing), Alberto Tomba (alpine skiing), Nedo Nadi (fencing)

7) Sweden– 628 total medals (195 golds)
—Summer: 496 (seventh overall)
—Winter: 129 (eighth overall)

Greatest Olympians: Gert Fredriksson (canoeing), Gunde Svan (cross-country skiing), Gillis Grafström (figure skating),Sixten Jernberg (cross-country skiing), Ingemar Stenmark (alpine skiing)

8) East Germany– 519 total medals (192 golds)
—Summer: 409 (tenth overall)
—Winter: 100 (tenth overall)

Greatest Olympians: Kristin Otto (swimming), Katarina Witt (figure skating), Brigit Fischer (canoeing), Roland Matthes(swimming)

9) China- 512 total medals (207 gold)
—Summer: 468 (tied for ninth overall)
—Winter: 44 (sixteenth overall)
Historically dominant sports: Badminton (38), Table Tennis (45)

Greatest Olympians: Guo Jingjing (diving), Wang Meng (speed skating), Wang Nan (table tennis), Li Xiaopeng (gymnastics), Wang Junxia (long-distance runner), Deng Yaping (table tennis), Gao Ling (badminton)

10)  Hungary- 494 total medals   (169 golds)
—Summer: 488 (eighth overall)
—Winter: 6    (thirtieth overall)
Historically dominant sports: Water Polo (15)   Greatest Olympians: Krisztina Egerszegi (swimming), Aladár Gerevich (fencing), Ágnes Keleti (gymnastics), Tamás Darnyi(swimming), András Balczó (pentathlon), László Papp (boxing), Dezső Gyarmati (water polo)

11) Russia- 488 total medals (166 gold)
—Summer: 397 (twelfth overall)
—Winter: 91 (thirteenth overall)
Greatest Olympians:Alexander Popov (swimming), Lyubov Yegorova (cross-country skiing), Aleksandr Karelin (wrestling), Alexei Nemov (gymnastics), Dmitri Sautin (diving)

12)  Australia– 477 total medals (142 gold)
—Summer: 468    (tied for ninth overall)
—Winter: 9   (twenty-fifth overall)
Greatest Olympians:Ian Thorpe (swimming), Murray Rose (swimming), Dawn Fraser (swimming), Rechelle Hawkes (hockey)

13) Finland– 467 total medals (147 gold)
—Summer: 311 (fourteenth overall)
—Winter: 156 (sixth overall)
Greatest Olympians: Paavo Nurmi (middle and long-distance running), Ville Ritola (long-distance runner), Matti Nykänen(ski jumping), Clas Thunberg (speed skating)

14) Norway– 456 total medals (165 gold)
—Summer: 153 (twenty-sixth overall)
—Winter: 303 (first overall)
Historically dominant sports: Nordic Combined (26), Cross-Country Skiing (96)

Greatest Olympians: Bjørn Dæhlie (cross-country skiing), Ole Einar Bjørndalen (biathlon), Thomas Alsgaard (cross-country skiing), Kjetil André Aamodt (alpine skiing), Johann Olav Koss (speed skating), Sonja Henie (figure skating)

15) Japan– 432 total medals (139 gold)
—Summer: 395 (thirteenth overall)
—Winter: 37 (eighteenth overall)
Historically dominant sports: Judo (72), Synchronized Swimming (12)

Greatest Olympians: Sawao Kato (gymnastics), Tadahiro Nomura (judo), Akinori Nakayama (gymnastics), Mitsuo Tsukahara(gymnastics), Takashi Ono (gymnastics), Ryoko Tani (judo)

16) Canada– 425 total medals (112 gold)
—Summer: 279 (sixteenth overall)
—Winter: 145 (seventh overall)
Historically dominant sports: Curling (8), Ice Hockey (18, 11 of which were golds) Greatest Olympians: Clara Hughes (speed skating, cycling), Donovan Bailey (sprinting), Gaétan Boucher (speed skating)

17) Netherlands- 356 total medals (108 gold)
—Summer: 270 (eighteenth overall)
—Winter: 86 (fourteenth overall)

Greatest Olympians: Fanny Blankers-Koen (track), Inge de Bruijn (swimming), Leontien van Moorsel (cycling)

18) Switzerland– 329 total medals (98 gold)
—Summer: 201 (twenty-third overall)
—Winter: 127 (ninth overall)
Historically dominant sports: Bobsledding (30)

Greatest Olympians: Vreni Schneider (alpine skiing), Georges Miez (gymnastics), Simon Ammann (ski jumping)

19) Austria– 307 total medals (80 gold)
—Summer: 106 (thirty-second overall)
—Winter: 201 (fourth overall)
Historically dominant sports: Alpine Skiing (105)

Greatest Olympians: Toni Sailer (alpine skiing), Hermann Maier (alpine skiing)