Despite their larger populations, Russia and the United States are far surpassed by Norway in Winter Olympic success. Norway has an impressive total of 313 Winter Olympic medals, including a record 148 gold medals, as of the 2022 Winter Games. Remarkably, this achievement comes from a country with a population of just 5.4 million, roughly the same as the state of Alabama. Per capita, Norway has won one Winter Olympic medal for every 17,300 residents.

In contrast, the United States, with a much larger population, has won one medal for every 1.2 million residents, highlighting Norway’s extraordinary dominance in the Winter Olympics relative to its population size.