Weightlifting is most popular in China, Russia, Iran and Turkey. All 9 countries ranked by Olympic medals, lifters and tradition.
Olympic weightlifting rewards raw strength, speed and technique in two lifts, the snatch and the clean and jerk. A handful of countries have turned it into a national sport with deep coaching systems and huge medal tallies, while others shine through a few superstars.
Below you will find the full ranking, a table with the key numbers, a profile of every country and a separate list of the nations that have won the most Olympic weightlifting medals.
Countries where weightlifting is most popular:
Weightlifting Popularity by Country at a Glance
| Rank | Country | Olympic weightlifting medals | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | China | 67 | Most Olympic weightlifting golds, Paris 2024 dominance |
| #2 | Russia | 17 | Soviet powerhouse, strong coaching school |
| #3 | Iran | 20 | Hossein Rezazadeh, super heavyweight strength |
| #4 | Turkey | 11 | Pocket Hercules Naim Suleymanoglu |
| #5 | Bulgaria | 39 | Deep tradition, Olympic record holder Karlos Nasar |
| #6 | North Korea | 18 | State-backed women and men, many world titles |
| #7 | United States | 48 | Paris 2024 gold and bronze, CrossFit crossover |
| #8 | Kazakhstan | 11 | Strong Asian programme hit by doping disqualifications |
| #9 | Thailand | 17 | Strong women and men in lighter classes, three medals at Paris |
How We Ranked the Countries
We weighed how deep the sport runs in each country (lifters, clubs and federations where figures exist), how long a national tradition has lasted, how many world-class lifters the country produces and how many Olympic medals it has won. Participation numbers for weightlifting are patchy, so results carry more weight here than in most sports.
The comparable number in the glance table is the all-time count of Olympic weightlifting medals through Paris 2024, as listed on Wikipedia. Russia is shown on its own, while the Soviet Union and the Unified Team of 1992 appear as separate entries in that table. A 2022 decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport disqualified a 2016 men’s gold medallist, and those medals had not been reallocated as of August 2024, so a few totals may still change.
#1 China
- 🏋️ Olympic medals: 43 gold, 16 silver, 8 bronze
- 🏆 Paris 2024: Five of the ten Olympic titles
- ⭐ Stars: Li Fabin, Hou Zhihui, Li Wenwen
- 📅 Recent: Wang Hao won the men’s 60 kg world title in 2025
- 🏅 Record: Most Olympic weightlifting medals of any country
China is the strongest weightlifting nation of the modern era. It has won more Olympic medals than any other country, 67 in total with 43 of them gold, and it usually sends a team of favourites to every Games. Li Fabin, Hou Zhihui and Li Wenwen each won Olympic gold in both Tokyo and Paris.
The system behind these results is state sport schools that pick talented children early and train them for years. At Paris 2024 China won five of the ten weightlifting titles, among them Hou Zhihui in the women’s 49 kg class and Luo Shifang in the women’s 59 kg class. Wang Hao added the men’s 60 kg world title at the 2025 World Championships in Norway.
#2 Russia
- 🏋️ Olympic medals: 4 gold, 7 silver, 6 bronze as Russia; the Soviet Union added 62
- 🏆 Soviet era: 39 gold medals as the Soviet Union
- 📅 Status: Banned in 2022, sanctions lifted by the IWF in June 2026
- 🌍 Worlds 2025: Russians took part as individual neutral athletes
- 🏅 Tradition: Heavyweight and super heavyweight depth
Russia inherited the Soviet weightlifting machine, which won 39 Olympic golds and 62 medals in total. Counted on its own, Russia has 17 Olympic weightlifting medals, four of them gold. The country still has a deep pool of coaches, clubs and regional centres, especially in the heavier weight classes.
The international federation suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes in March 2022. Reports from June 2026 say the IWF has lifted all sanctions, so the two nations can compete under their own flags again from the 2026 World Championships in China. At the 2025 World Championships in Norway, Russian lifters competed as individual neutral athletes and their medals did not count in the official table.
#3 Iran
- 🏋️ Olympic medals: 9 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze
- ⭐ Stars: Hossein Rezazadeh, Behdad Salimi, Sohrab Moradi
- 🏆 Peak: Olympic super heavyweight gold in 2000 and 2004 for Rezazadeh
- 📅 2025 Worlds: Iranian lifters won silver in the men’s 94 kg and 110 kg classes
- 🏅 Culture: Weightlifting is one of Iran’s strongest Olympic sports
Iran is the best weightlifting nation in the Middle East, with nine Olympic golds and 20 medals in total. The sport has been a source of national pride since Hossein Rezazadeh won super heavyweight gold at Sydney 2000 and again at Athens 2004, and the country has produced strong heavyweights ever since.
Recent years have been harder. A federation official told Press TV that each country can now send only a limited number of lifters, which cuts the medal chances of a nation with many strong athletes, and Iran sent just two weightlifters to Paris 2024. At the 2025 World Championships Iran still won silver medals through Alireza Nassiri in the men’s 110 kg class and Alireza Moeini in the 94 kg class.
#4 Turkey
- 🏋️ Olympic medals: 8 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze
- ⭐ Stars: Naim Suleymanoglu, Halil Mutlu
- 🏆 Golds: Suleymanoglu won three titles, Mutlu three more
- 📅 Era: Strongest between 1988 and 2004
- 🏅 Style: Lightweight classes
Turkey has a small medal total, 11 in all, but a very high share of gold: eight of the 11. Most come from two lightweight legends. Naim Suleymanoglu, nicknamed the Pocket Hercules, won Olympic gold in 1988, 1992 and 1996, and Halil Mutlu followed with gold in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
Weightlifting is one of the few sports in which Turkey has produced Olympic champions again and again, and it remains a state-backed priority with a national team system and training camps. The lighter weight classes are where Turkey has traditionally been strongest.
#5 Bulgaria
- 🏋️ Olympic medals: 13 gold, 17 silver, 9 bronze
- ⭐ Star: Karlos Nasar
- 🏆 Paris 2024: Nasar won the men’s 89 kg title with a 404 kg total
- 📅 Record: World record total of 404 kg
- 🏅 Tradition: One of the oldest weightlifting nations in Europe
Bulgaria is the most successful European weightlifting country after the Soviet Union, with 39 Olympic medals of which 13 are gold. The sport has deep roots in the country, supported by a well-known coaching school that produced world champions for decades.
The latest star is Karlos Nasar, who won the men’s 89 kg title at Paris 2024. His total of 404 kg was a world record. The result showed that Bulgaria remains a contender even as other nations have overtaken it in the medal table.
#6 North Korea
- 🏋️ Olympic medals: 5 gold, 8 silver, 5 bronze
- ⭐ Stars: Om Yun-chol, Ri Song Gum, Kang Hyon-gyong
- 🏆 Worlds 2025: Won 17 golds and 23 medals if snatch and clean and jerk are counted separately, 5 golds and 9 medals in the total ranking
- 📅 Golds 2025: Ri Suk (63 kg), Kang Hyon-gyong (53 kg), Ri Song Gum (48 kg)
- 🏅 Strength: Lighter weight classes
North Korea has won 18 Olympic weightlifting medals, five of them gold, and it has become one of the strongest nations at the World Championships. A state-run training system focuses on a few sports, and weightlifting is one of them.
At the 2025 World Championships in Norway, North Korea won women’s golds through Ri Suk in the 63 kg class, Kang Hyon-gyong in the 53 kg class and Ri Song Gum in the 48 kg class. Counting the snatch and clean and jerk medals separately, the team took 17 golds and 23 medals, while the ranking by total gave it 5 golds and 9 medals.
#7 United States
- 🏋️ Olympic medals: 17 gold, 17 silver, 14 bronze
- ⭐ Stars: Olivia Reeves, Hampton Morris
- 🏆 Paris 2024: Reeves won the 71 kg gold, Morris bronze at 61 kg
- 👥 USA Weightlifting: About 21,000 active members according to the federation’s FAQ
- 📅 First: The US won both men’s and women’s medals at one Games for the first time
The United States has the third-largest weightlifting medal haul in history with 48, from the early 20th century to today. Interest in the sport has grown through CrossFit and strength training, and USA Weightlifting reports about 21,000 active members, down from the roughly 27,000 an older FAQ page quoted.
Paris 2024 was a breakthrough. Olivia Reeves won gold in the women’s 71 kg class, only the second American woman to win Olympic weightlifting gold, and Hampton Morris took bronze at 61 kg, the first medal for an American man since 1984. It was the first time the United States won both a men’s and a women’s weightlifting medal at the same Games.
#8 Kazakhstan
- 🏋️ Olympic medals: 1 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze as listed on Wikipedia
- ⚠️ Disqualified: Ilya Ilyin lost two golds and Zulfiya Chinshanlo one
- ⭐ Name: Nijat Rahimov, the 77 kg champion at Rio 2016, was stripped of the gold by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2022
- 📅 Paris 2024: No weightlifting medal
- 🏅 Tradition: Soviet-era roots
Kazakhstan has long been a weightlifting country, and its programme produced several Olympic champions. The sport’s reputation suffered after doping retests: the IWF stripped Ilya Ilyin of his gold medals from 2008 and 2012 in November 2016, and Zulfiya Chinshanlo lost her 2012 women’s 53 kg title.
On Wikipedia’s all-time table Kazakhstan now has 11 Olympic weightlifting medals, with a single gold. At Paris 2024 the country won no weightlifting medal, although the sport remains one of the main targets of its national sports programme.
#9 Thailand
- 🏋️ Olympic medals: 5 gold, 4 silver, 8 bronze
- 🏆 Paris 2024: Silver for Theerapong Silachai (61 kg) and Weeraphon Wichuma (73 kg), bronze for Surodchana Khambao (49 kg)
- ⭐ Stars: Theerapong Silachai, Weeraphon Wichuma, Surodchana Khambao
- 📅 Strength: Lighter weight classes
- 🏅 Standing: The leading weightlifting nation in Southeast Asia
Thailand has 17 Olympic weightlifting medals, five of them gold, which makes it a leader in Southeast Asia. Its successes have come in the lighter classes, where Thai lifters have won medals for both men and women.
At Paris 2024 Thailand won three medals: silver for Theerapong Silachai in the men’s 61 kg class, silver for Weeraphon Wichuma in the men’s 73 kg class with a 346 kg total, and bronze for Surodchana Khambao in the women’s 49 kg class with a 200 kg total.
Which Countries Are Best at Weightlifting?
Weightlifting has been an Olympic sport since the first modern Games in 1896, with ten events at Paris 2024. This table lists the all-time Olympic weightlifting medals through Paris 2024 as given on Wikipedia, with the Soviet Union and Russia as separate entries. Medals that were stripped for doping have only partly been reallocated, so figures can shift.
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 43 | 16 | 8 | 67 |
| Soviet Union | 39 | 21 | 2 | 62 |
| United States | 17 | 17 | 14 | 48 |
| Bulgaria | 13 | 17 | 9 | 39 |
| Poland | 6 | 6 | 22 | 34 |
| France | 9 | 4 | 9 | 22 |
| Iran | 9 | 6 | 5 | 20 |
| Germany | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| North Korea | 5 | 8 | 5 | 18 |
| Thailand | 5 | 4 | 8 | 17 |
| Russia | 4 | 7 | 6 | 17 |
| Turkey | 8 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
Other Countries Where Weightlifting Is Growing
These countries just missed the ranking but have a proud weightlifting record.
| Country | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Georgia | Four Olympic golds, among them Lasha Talakhadze in the super heavyweight class at Paris 2024 with a 470 kg total. |
| Greece | Six Olympic golds and 15 medals in total from a long weightlifting tradition. |
| Egypt | Five golds and 15 Olympic weightlifting medals, the most in Africa. |
| Indonesia | Rizki Juniansyah won the men’s 73 kg title at Paris 2024 and the country has 16 Olympic weightlifting medals. |
| Ukraine | Five Olympic weightlifting medals, two of them gold. |
More About Weightlifting
FAQ
Which country is best at weightlifting?
China is the best weightlifting nation of the modern era, with 43 gold and 67 total Olympic medals, ahead of the United States (48) and Bulgaria (39). The Soviet Union, which no longer exists, won 62 medals.
Which country has won the most Olympic weightlifting medals?
China, with 67 medals through Paris 2024 according to Wikipedia. The United States is next with 48 and Bulgaria third with 39.
Where did weightlifting start?
Lifting heavy weights is ancient, but modern Olympic weightlifting grew out of competitions in Europe in the 19th century. It was part of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.
Is weightlifting popular in the United States?
It is growing. USA Weightlifting reports about 21,000 active members, and the sport gained attention after Olivia Reeves won gold and Hampton Morris bronze at Paris 2024.
Which country has the strongest weightlifters in Asia?
China leads Asia, followed by North Korea, Iran, Kazakhstan and Thailand. All of them have a strong national training system.
Who won weightlifting gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics?
China won five of the ten events. Other champions came from Indonesia (Rizki Juniansyah), Bulgaria (Karlos Nasar), Georgia (Lasha Talakhadze), the United States (Olivia Reeves) and Norway (Solfrid Koanda).
Are Russian weightlifters allowed to compete again?
Russia and Belarus were suspended in March 2022. Reports from June 2026 say the IWF has lifted all sanctions, so athletes from both countries can compete under their own flags.
