Wrestling is most popular in Russia, the United States, Iran and Japan. All 11 countries ranked by Olympic medals, world titles and participation.
Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world, and the strongest wrestling nations are spread from the North Caucasus to Tokyo and Iowa. Russia, counting the Soviet Union, has won more Olympic wrestling medals than anyone, the United States has the biggest school and college system, and Iran won both men’s team titles at the 2025 World Championships.
Below you will find the full ranking, a table with all-time Olympic wrestling medals, a profile of every country and a separate list of the nations with the most Olympic gold medals, updated after the 2024 Paris Games and the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb.
Countries where wrestling is most popular:
Wrestling Popularity by Country at a Glance
| Rank | Country | Olympic wrestling medals | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Russia | 196 | Soviet dynasty, Dagestan wrestling school |
| #2 | United States | 149 | Biggest school wrestling system in the world |
| #3 | Iran | 55 | Freestyle and Greco-Roman world champions 2025 |
| #4 | Japan | 87 | Dominant in women’s wrestling, 8 golds in Paris |
| #5 | Turkey | 68 | Kirkpinar oil wrestling since 1360 |
| #6 | India | 8 | Pehlwani tradition, Aman Sehrawat bronze 2024 |
| #7 | Azerbaijan | 28 | Greco-Roman strength, three bronzes in Paris |
| #8 | Georgia | 21 | Chidaoba tradition, Geno Petriashvili gold 2024 |
| #9 | Bulgaria | 73 | 18 Olympic golds, double gold in Paris |
| #10 | Ukraine | 21 | Zhan Beleniuk, Tokyo gold 2020 |
| #11 | Kazakhstan | 18 | Nomad wrestling tradition, Paris silver 2024 |
How We Ranked the Countries
We weighed four things: how many people wrestle (school, club and federation numbers where they exist), how deeply wrestling is rooted in the national culture, the strength of domestic competitions and training centres, and results at the Olympics and the World Championships in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling.
The medal counts follow the all-time Olympic table for wrestling from 1896 to 2024 as listed on Wikipedia and Olympedia. Russia includes the Soviet Union, the Unified Team of 1992 and the Russian Olympic Committee team of 2020, while the other countries are counted under their current names.
#1 Russia
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 196, with 103 gold (including Soviet Union, Unified Team and ROC)
- ⭐ Stars: Aleksandr Karelin, Buvaisar Saitiev, Abdulrashid Sadulaev
- 🥇 Karelin: Greco-Roman Olympic gold in 1988, 1992 and 1996
- 🚫 Status: Russian wrestlers compete as neutral athletes since 2022
Russia is the most successful wrestling nation in Olympic history. Soviet and Russian wrestlers have collected more than a hundred gold medals since 1952. The mountain republic of Dagestan in the North Caucasus is the best known talent factory, and wrestling is a leading sport in the region.
Aleksandr Karelin won Greco-Roman gold in 1988, 1992 and 1996 before his famous 1-0 loss to the American Rulon Gardner in 2000. Buvaisar Saitiev won three Olympic golds and six world titles and Abdulrashid Sadulaev took Olympic gold in 2016 and 2020. In 2025 Russians competed at the World Championships only as neutral athletes.
#2 United States
- 🤼 High school wrestlers: 374,278 in 2024/25, including 74,064 girls (NFHS)
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 149, with 59 gold
- ⭐ Stars: Cael Sanderson, Jordan Burroughs, Helen Maroulis
- 📅 Big events: NCAA Championships, US Open, Olympic Trials
Wrestling in the United States grows out of the school system. The National Federation of State High School Associations counted 374,278 high school wrestlers in 2024/25, a record, with girls wrestling passing 74,000 for the first time. College wrestling culminates in the NCAA Championships, where Penn State, coached by Olympic champion Cael Sanderson, is the dominant program.
The United States is second only to Russia in Olympic wrestling medals. Sanderson won gold in 2004 after an undefeated college career, Jordan Burroughs won the 2012 Olympic title and several world titles, and in Paris in 2024 Sarah Hildebrandt and Amit Elor won women’s golds. At the 2025 World Championships the Americans took 4 gold medals and finished second in the men’s freestyle team ranking.
#3 Iran
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 55, with 13 gold
- 🌍 2025 Worlds: First in the team ranking in both men’s styles
- ⭐ Stars: Gholamreza Takhti, Hassan Yazdani, Saeid Esmaeili
- 📅 Tradition: Pahlevani wrestling and the zurkhaneh gyms
Wrestling is the national sport of Iran. It grows out of the old pahlevani tradition and the zurkhaneh, the traditional houses of strength where men train and wrestle, and the sport has long been one of the country’s most reliable sources of Olympic medals. Gholamreza Takhti, who won gold in 1956 and silver in 1960 and died in 1968, is still a national hero.
At the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb Iran won the team ranking in both men’s freestyle and men’s Greco-Roman wrestling. At the 2024 Olympics Saeid Esmaeili and Mohammad Hadi Saravi won Greco-Roman gold, and Hassan Yazdani, the 2016 and 2020 Olympic champion, took silver at 86 kg.
#4 Japan
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 87, with 45 gold
- 🥇 Paris 2024: 8 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze, top of the table
- ⭐ Stars: Kaori Icho, Saori Yoshida, Akari Fujinami
- 🌍 2025 Worlds: Women’s team title, 7 gold medals overall
Japan has topped the Olympic wrestling medal table four times, in 1964, 1968, 2020 and 2024. In Paris the Japanese won 8 of the 18 gold medals on offer and 11 medals in all, with the women winning four of the six titles.
Women’s wrestling has been a Japanese strength since it entered the Olympics in 2004. Kaori Icho won four straight Olympic golds from 2004 to 2016 and ten world titles, and Saori Yoshida won three Olympic golds. At the 2025 World Championships the Japanese women won the team ranking again.
#5 Turkey
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 68, with 29 gold
- ⭐ Stars: Taha Akgul, Buse Tosun Cavusoglu
- 📅 Tradition: Kirkpinar oil wrestling festival near Edirne
- 🥉 Paris 2024: Bronze for Akgul and Tosun Cavusoglu
Turkey has a wrestling tradition that few countries can match. The Kirkpinar oil wrestling festival near Edirne has been held every year since 1360 according to its organisers’ tradition, with wrestlers called pehlivans pouring olive oil over their bodies, and UNESCO lists it as intangible cultural heritage.
In the modern Olympic sport Turkey has won 29 gold medals and 68 medals in total, fourth on the all-time gold list behind Russia, the United States and Japan. Taha Akgul won the 125 kg Olympic title in 2016 and a bronze in Paris in 2024, where Buse Tosun Cavusoglu also took bronze at 68 kg.
#6 India
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 8 (2 silver, 6 bronze)
- ⭐ Stars: K.D. Jadhav, Sushil Kumar, Ravi Dahiya, Aman Sehrawat
- 📅 Tradition: Pehlwani and the akhara training halls
- 🥉 Latest medal: Aman Sehrawat, men’s freestyle 57 kg, Paris 2024
Indian wrestling, known as pehlwani or kushti, developed in the Mughal Empire from Persian wrestling and the older Indian malla-yuddha. Wrestlers train in traditional clay-floor gyms called akharas, especially in Haryana, and the sport has been a steady source of Olympic medals.
K.D. Jadhav won bronze in 1952, Sushil Kumar bronze in 2008 and silver in 2012, and Yogeshwar Dutt bronze in 2012. Sakshi Malik took bronze in 2016, Ravi Dahiya silver and Bajrang Punia bronze in 2020, and Aman Sehrawat bronze in Paris in 2024 at the age of 21. India has won eight Olympic wrestling medals, all since 1952, but no gold.
#7 Azerbaijan
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 28, with 4 gold
- 🥉 Paris 2024: 3 bronze: Jafarov, Magomedov, Meshvildishvili
- 🌍 2025 Worlds: Second in the men’s Greco-Roman team ranking
- 📅 Big event: Baku hosts regular international tournaments
Azerbaijan became a wrestling power after independence in 1991 and has built a national team that regularly contends for World Championship medals. The country has won 4 Olympic golds, 8 silvers and 16 bronzes.
In Paris in 2024 Hasrat Jafarov won Greco-Roman bronze at 67 kg, Magomedkhan Magomedov took freestyle bronze at 97 kg and Giorgi Meshvildishvili freestyle bronze at 125 kg. At the 2025 World Championships Azerbaijan finished second in the men’s Greco-Roman team ranking behind Iran, with 1 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze.
#8 Georgia
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 21, with 4 gold
- 🥇 Paris 2024: Gold for Geno Petriashvili, silver for Givi Matcharashvili
- 📅 Tradition: Chidaoba, the traditional Georgian belt wrestling
- 🌍 2025 Worlds: 1 gold and 1 silver
Georgia, a country of under four million people, takes wrestling seriously. The traditional form is chidaoba, a belt wrestling style practised for centuries, and modern freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling are among the country’s most successful sports.
At the 2024 Olympics Geno Petriashvili won the 125 kg freestyle title and Givi Matcharashvili took silver at 97 kg. Georgia has won 4 Olympic golds, 7 silvers and 10 bronzes in wrestling.
#9 Bulgaria
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 73, with 18 gold
- 🥇 Paris 2024: Gold for Magomed Ramazanov and Semen Novikov
- 🥈 Silver medals: 32 (plus 23 bronze)
Bulgaria is one of the smaller countries in the top ten of the all-time Olympic wrestling table, with 73 medals, among them 18 gold, 32 silver and 23 bronze. Wrestling is one of the country’s traditional medal sports.
In Paris in 2024 Bulgaria won two golds: Magomed Ramazanov in men’s freestyle at 86 kg, and Semen Novikov in Greco-Roman wrestling at 87 kg.
#10 Ukraine
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 21, with 4 gold
- ⭐ Stars: Zhan Beleniuk, Iryna Koliadenko, Parviz Nasibov
- 🥈 Paris 2024: 2 silver and 1 bronze
- 🌍 2025 Worlds: 1 gold and 1 silver
Ukraine has produced Olympic wrestling medals since 1996 and is one of the most consistent nations in Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling. Zhan Beleniuk won the 87 kg Greco-Roman Olympic title in Tokyo and added bronze in Paris.
In Paris in 2024 Iryna Koliadenko took women’s freestyle silver at 62 kg and Parviz Nasibov silver in Greco-Roman wrestling at 67 kg. Ukraine has won 4 Olympic golds, 8 silvers and 9 bronzes in wrestling.
#11 Kazakhstan
- 🏆 Olympic medals: 18, with 1 gold
- 🥈 Paris 2024: Silver for Demeu Zhadrayev (Greco-Roman, 77 kg)
- 🌍 2025 Worlds: 1 gold and 2 bronze
- 📅 Tradition: Kazakh kures, the traditional steppe wrestling
Kazakhstan has one of Central Asia’s largest wrestling programs and a long steppe tradition of kures, belt wrestling at festivals and weddings. The country has won 18 Olympic wrestling medals: 1 gold, 6 silvers and 11 bronzes.
Demeu Zhadrayev won Greco-Roman silver at 77 kg in Paris in 2024. At the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb Kazakh wrestlers won 1 gold and 2 bronze medals.
Which Countries Are Best at Wrestling?
Popularity and success are not the same thing. This table counts all-time Olympic wrestling medals through the 2024 Paris Games. Russia includes the Soviet Union (1952 to 1988), the Unified Team of 1992 and the Russian Olympic Committee team of 2020.
| Country | Olympic gold | Olympic medals total |
|---|---|---|
| Russia (incl. Soviet Union) | 103 | 196 |
| United States | 59 | 149 |
| Japan | 45 | 87 |
| Turkey | 29 | 68 |
| Sweden | 28 | 86 |
| Finland | 26 | 83 |
| Hungary | 20 | 56 |
| Bulgaria | 18 | 73 |
| Iran | 13 | 55 |
| Cuba | 12 | 32 |
Other Countries Where Wrestling Is Growing
These countries just missed the ranking but have a real wrestling scene.
| Country | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Cuba | Mijain Lopez won Greco-Roman gold at five straight Olympics, the last in Paris in 2024, and Cuba has 12 Olympic wrestling golds in total. |
| Hungary | Has won 20 Olympic wrestling golds, and 56 medals in all. |
| Sweden | Won 28 Olympic wrestling golds, and 86 medals in all, mostly in the first half of the 20th century. |
| South Korea | Has won 11 Olympic wrestling golds and 36 medals. |
| Uzbekistan | Razambek Zhamalov won the 74 kg freestyle title in Paris in 2024, one of three Olympic wrestling golds for Uzbekistan. |
More About Wrestling
FAQ
Which country is wrestling most popular in?
Wrestling is most popular in Russia, the United States, Iran and Japan. The United States has the biggest school system, with 374,278 high school wrestlers in 2024/25, while Iran, Turkey, India and the Caucasus have deep traditional wrestling cultures.
Which country is best at wrestling?
Russia, counting the Soviet Union, has won the most Olympic wrestling medals (196, 103 of them gold). The United States is second with 149 medals, and Japan topped the table in Paris in 2024.
Where was wrestling invented?
No single country invented wrestling. Cave drawings in France and tomb paintings at Beni Hasan in Egypt (about 2000 BC) show wrestlers, and it was a main event at the ancient Olympic Games in Greece.
Which country has won the most Olympic wrestling gold medals?
Russia has won the most with 103 gold medals including the Soviet Union, followed by the United States with 59 and Japan with 45.
Which country won the most wrestling medals at the 2024 Olympics?
Japan won the most. The Japanese took 8 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals in Paris, ahead of Iran and the United States, who each won 2 golds.
Is wrestling popular in Asia?
Yes. Japan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan and South Korea all have strong wrestling programs, and Japan and Iran took team titles at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb.
How many high school wrestlers does the United States have?
The NFHS counted 374,278 high school wrestlers in the United States in 2024/25, a record, including 74,064 girls.
