Most Nobel laureates
The US dominates partly thanks to émigrés — about 35% of US laureates were foreign-born.
Headline finding
United States leads the world for most nobel laureates at 415 cumulative (1901–2024).
The full top 25: Most Nobel laureates
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 United States 415
- 2 United Kingdom 138
- 3 Germany 115
- 4 France 75
- 5 Sweden 33
- 6 Japan 31
- 7 Russia / USSR 30
- 8 Canada 28
- 9 Switzerland 26
- 10 Austria 22
- 11 Netherlands 22
- 12 Poland 19
- 13 Italy 21
- 14 Norway 14
- 15 Denmark 14
- 16 Israel 13
- 17 Australia 15
- 18 Hungary 14
- 19 Belgium 11
- 20 India 12
- 21 China 8
- 22 Spain 8
- 23 Czech Republic 6
- 24 Ireland 11
- 25 South Africa 11
What the numbers show
United States's lead at the top of this ranking is 200.7% above the second-place country — a margin so wide it suggests we're looking at a structural advantage rather than a close-run race.
The five countries leading the table — United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with South Africa anchoring the list at 11.
Figures are drawn from NobelPrize.org. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- cumulative (1901–2024)
- Source
- NobelPrize.org
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for nobel laureates?
United States leads with 415 cumulative (1901–2024). United Kingdom is second at 138, with Germany in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the nobel laureates ranking?
The figures come from NobelPrize.org. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the nobel laureates figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.