Nobel Prizes: Moldova, Romania, Ukraine's standings and leading countries
Romania has four Nobel Prize laureates, Ukraine has six, while the Republic of Moldova has none. Globally, the United States (USA) leads the rankings with 432 prizes, followed by the United Kingdom with 148 and Germany with 118.
France ranks fourth with 78 awards, followed by Sweden and Japan, each with 34. Russia and Canada gained 30 and 29 distinctions, respectively, while Switzerland and Austria round out the top ten with 25 awards each, according to worldpopulationreview.com.
Sometimes, multiple countries may share a single distinction. For instance, Maria Ressa, a co-recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, was born in the Philippines, moved to the United States as a child, graduated from an American university, and worked in the Philippines as a university lecturer and journalist. She also maintains close ties with organisations in the United States, including CNN and The New York Times.
Consequently, her award has been included in the total counts for both the United States and the Philippines.
Nobel Prize rules and the $1.1 million reward
A Nobel Prize may be awarded to an individual, or shared between two or three people, and may recognize up to two distinct works or achievements.
All prizes, except the Peace Prize, must be awarded to individuals. The Nobel Peace Prize may also be awarded to an organization or institution.
Although it happens rarely, an individual or an institution may win a Nobel Prize more than once.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has received the Nobel Peace Prize three times, while the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been a laureate twice.
Four individuals have each won two Nobel Prizes:
- Marie Curie – Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911);
- Frederick Sanger – Chemistry (1958 and 1980);
- John Bardeen – Physics (1956 and 1972);
- Linus C. Pauling – Chemistry (1954) and Peace (1962).
Three of these four laureates shared at least one of their prizes with another researcher. Linus C. Pauling remains the only person to have received two Nobel Prizes without sharing them with other laureates.
Between 1901 and 2021, Nobel Prizes—including the Prize in Economic Sciences—were awarded 609 times, to a total of 943 individuals and 25 organizations. Starting in 2026, Nobel Prize laureates receive a medal, a diploma, and a financial reward of 12 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to approximately 1.1 million US dollars.
How are Nobel Prize laureates chosen?
The Nobel Prizes are awarded annually for outstanding achievements in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace.
The Prize in Economic Sciences, established later, is generally included in the overall statistics for Nobel honors.
For the prizes in the fields of literature and the sciences, nomination forms are sent annually to approximately 3,000 academics, each an expert in a relevant field—such as physics, chemistry, medicine, economics, or literature.
In the case of the Nobel Peace Prize, the forms are sent to governments, members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and previous Peace Prize laureates.
After the nomination period closes on January 31st each year, the Nobel committees narrow the list to about 300 potential candidates. They then submit this list, along with a detailed report on each individual's merits, to the institutions responsible for awarding the prizes.
These institutions subsequently select the winners by a majority vote.
Those selected become Nobel laureates, and the winners are notified in October.
Republic of Moldova: No awards, but nominations received
On February 1, 2026, the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Arild Hermstad, a member of the Norwegian Parliament and leader of the Green Party.
The Norwegian politician justified his decision by noting that Maia Sandu stands “on the front line of defending democracy in Europe” within a context marked by repeated attempts at external influence and destabilization.
“Maia Sandu has responded through peaceful means: strengthening the rule of law, protecting free elections, and maintaining a democratic course,” the Norwegian MP stated.
The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” the Nobel Committee in Oslo announced on October 9.
The Nobel Prize laureates for 2026 were announced between October 5 and 12. The award ceremony will take place on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
