This is a list of medalists from the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in women's cross-country skiing. Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.
10 km edit
Debuted: 1954.
Classic style: 1954–1987, 1989, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019. Free style: 1989, 1991, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2023.
Interval start: 1954–1991, 2001–2023.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Norway | 10 | 1 | 6 | 17 |
| 2 |  Soviet Union | 9 | 4 | 4 | 17 |
| 3 |  Finland | 2 | 7 | 6 | 15 |
| 4 |  Czech Republic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 |  Sweden | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| 6 |  United States | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 |  Russia | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 8 |  Italy | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Poland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 10 |  East Germany | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Estonia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (12 entries) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 75 | |
3/4 × 5 km relay edit
Debuted: 1954.
3×5 km classic style: 1954–1970. 4×5 km classic style: 1974–1985. 4×5 km free style: 1987. 2×5 km classic style + 2×5 km free style: 1989–2023.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union | 9 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| 2 | Norway | 8 | 8 | 4 | 20 |
| 3 | Russia | 5 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| 4 | Finland | 4 | 2 | 7 | 13 |
| 5 | Sweden | 1 | 5 | 7 | 13 |
| 6 |  Germany | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | East Germany | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Italy | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
| 9 |  Russian Ski Federation | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (10 entries) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 84 | |
5 km (discontinued) edit
Debuted: 1962. Discontinued: 1999.
Classic style: 1962–1987, 1991–1999.
Interval start: 1962–1987, 1991–1999.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| 2 | Norway | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 3 | Russia | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 4 | Finland | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| 5 | Italy | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (8 entries) | 13 | 13 | 13 | 39 | |
20 km and 30 km edit
Debuted: 1978.
Classic style: 1978–1985, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2023. Free style: 1987–1995, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019.
Interval start: 1978–1999, 2003. Mass start: 2005–2023.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 8 | 9 | 5 | 22 |
| 2 | Soviet Union | 4 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
| 3 | Russia | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 | Sweden | 2 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | Italy | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | Finland | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | Poland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | East Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Estonia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 |  Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (10 entries) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 66 | |
15 km (discontinued) edit
Debuted: 1989. Discontinued: 2003.
| Season | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 Lahti | Marjo Matikainen (FIN)
|
Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi (FIN)
|
Pirkko Määttä (FIN)
|
| 1991 Val di Fiemme | Yelena Välbe (URS)
|
Trude Dybendahl (NOR)
|
Stefania Belmondo (ITA)
|
| 1993 Falun |  Yelena Välbe (RUS)
|
Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi (FIN)
|
Marjut Rolig (FIN)
|
| 1995 Thunder Bay | Larisa Lazutina (RUS)
|
Yelena Välbe (RUS)
|
Inger Helene Nybråten (NOR)
|
| 1997 Trondheim | Yelena Välbe (RUS) (3)
|
Stefania Belmondo (ITA)
|
Kateřina Neumannová (CZE)
|
| 1999 Ramsau | Stefania Belmondo (ITA)
|
Kristina Šmigun (EST)
|
 Maria Theurl (AUT)
|
| 2001 Lahti | Bente Skari (NOR)
|
Olga Danilova (RUS)
|
Kaisa Varis (FIN)
|
| 2003 Val di Fiemme | Bente Skari (NOR)
|
Kristina Šmigun (EST)
|
Olga Zavyalova (RUS)
|
Classic style: 1989–1995, 2001, 2003. Free style: 1997, 1999.
Interval start: 1989–2001. Mass start: 2003.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Norway | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Finland | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Italy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Soviet Union | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Estonia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Austria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (8 entries) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | |
Combined/double pursuit/Skiathlon edit
Debuted: 1993.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 6 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| 2 | Russia | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 3 | Italy | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Sweden | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Finland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | Poland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Estonia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Germany | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (10 entries) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 48 | |
Individual sprint edit
Debuted: 2001.
Classic style: 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2023. Free style: 2001, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 7 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| 2 | Sweden | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | Finland | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Italy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | United States | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 |  Slovenia | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | Germany | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  Canada | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Russia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (9 entries) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 36 | |
Team sprint edit
Debuted: 2005.
Classic style: 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019. Free style: 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2023.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | Norway | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 3 | Finland | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | United States | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | Russia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Slovenia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 7 | Germany | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 9 | Italy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Poland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (10 entries) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | |
Medal table edit
Table updated after the 2023 Championships.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 48 | 26 | 31 | 105 |
| 2 | Soviet Union | 27 | 15 | 12 | 54 |
| 3 | Russia | 19 | 17 | 17 | 53 |
| 4 | Finland | 14 | 20 | 23 | 57 |
| 5 | Sweden | 12 | 20 | 19 | 51 |
| 6 | Italy | 5 | 11 | 8 | 24 |
| 7 | United States | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| 8 | Poland | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 9 | Czech Republic | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 10 | Germany | 1 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
| 11 | East Germany | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| 12 | Estonia | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 13 | Slovenia | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 14 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 15 | Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 16 | Russian Ski Federation | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 18 | Austria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Canada | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (19 entries) | 134 | 134 | 134 | 402 | |
Multiple medalists edit
Boldface denotes active cross-country skiers and highest medal count among all cross-country skiers (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
All events edit
| Rank | Cross-country skier | Country | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marit Bjørgen | Norway |
2003 | 2017 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 26 |
| 2 | Yelena Välbe | Soviet Union Russia |
1989 | 1997 | 14 | 3 | – | 17 |
| 3 | Therese Johaug | Norway |
2007 | 2021 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 19 |
| 4 | Larisa Lazutina (Ptitsyna) | Soviet Union Russia |
1987 | 2001 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| 5 | Alevtina Kolchina | Soviet Union |
1958 | 1966 | 7 | 1 | – | 8 |
| 6 | Nina Gavrylyuk | Soviet Union Russia |
1987 | 2003 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| 7 | Virpi Kuitunen | Finland |
2001 | 2009 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 8 | Heidi Weng | Norway |
2013 | 2021 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 9 | Galina Kulakova | Soviet Union |
1970 | 1982 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 10 | Bente Skari (Martinsen) | Norway |
1997 | 2003 | 5 | 2 | – | 7 |
Individual events edit
| Rank | Cross-country skier | Country | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marit Bjørgen | Norway |
2003 | 2017 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 2 | Yelena Välbe | Soviet Union Russia |
1989 | 1997 | 10 | 2 | – | 12 |
| 3 | Therese Johaug | Norway |
2007 | 2021 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| 4 | Larisa Lazutina (Ptitsyna) | Soviet Union Russia |
1987 | 2001 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Bente Skari (Martinsen) | Norway |
1999 | 2003 | 5 | – | – | 5 |
| 6 | Stefania Belmondo | Italy |
1991 | 1999 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Alevtina Kolchina | Soviet Union |
1958 | 1966 | 4 | 1 | – | 5 |
| 8 | Galina Kulakova | Soviet Union |
1970 | 1980 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 | Justyna Kowalczyk | Poland |
2009 | 2013 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 10 | Marjo Matikainen | Finland |
1987 | 1989 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Best performers by country edit
Here are listed most successful cross-country skiers in the history of each medal-winning national team – according to the gold-first ranking system and by total number of World Championships medals (one skier if he holds national records in both categories or few skiers if these national records belongs to different persons). If the total number of medals is identical, the gold, silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the skiers get the same placement and are sorted by the alphabetic order.
| Country | Cross-country skier | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway |
Marit Bjørgen | 2003 | 2017 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 26 |
| Soviet Union Russia |
Yelena Välbe | 1989 | 1997 | 14 | 3 | – | 17 |
| Russia (as such only) |
Larisa Lazutina | 1993 | 2001 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| Soviet Union (as such only) |
Alevtina Kolchina (by the gold first ranking system) |
1958 | 1966 | 7 | 1 | – | 8 |
| Raisa Smetanina (by total number of medals) |
1974 | 1991 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 | |
| Finland |
Virpi Kuitunen (by the gold first ranking system) |
2001 | 2009 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Aino-Kaisa Saarinen (by total number of medals) |
2007 | 2017 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 10 | |
| Italy |
Stefania Belmondo | 1991 | 2001 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 13 |
| Sweden |
Jonna Sundling (by the gold first ranking system) |
2021 | 2023 | 4 | – | – | 4 |
| Charlotte Kalla (by total number of medals) |
2009 | 2019 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 13 | |
| Poland |
Justyna Kowalczyk | 2009 | 2015 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| United States |
Jessie Diggins | 2013 | 2023 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Czech Republic |
Kateřina Neumannová* | 1997 | 2007 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Germany |
Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle | 1999 | 2009 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| Estonia |
Kristina Šmigun* | 1999 | 2003 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| East Germany |
Veronika Hesse (Schmidt) (by the gold first ranking system) |
1974 | 1982 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Barbara Petzold (by total number of medals) |
1974 | 1982 | – | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Slovenia |
Anamarija Lampič | 2019 | 2021 | – | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Czechoslovakia |
Blanka Paulů | 1974 | 1974 | – | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Russian Ski Federation (as such only) |
Yana Kirpichenko | 2021 | 2021 | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Natalya Nepryayeva | 2021 | 2021 | – | 1 | – | 1 | |
| Tatiana Sorina | 2021 | 2021 | – | 1 | – | 1 | |
| Yuliya Stupak | 2021 | 2021 | – | 1 | – | 1 | |
| Switzerland |
Nadine Fähndrich | 2021 | 2021 | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Laurien van der Graaff | 2021 | 2021 | – | 1 | – | 1 | |
| Austria |
Maria Theurl* | 1999 | 1999 | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Canada |
Sara Renner* | 2005 | 2005 | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Ukraine |
Valentyna Shevchenko | 2009 | 2009 | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Iryna Taranenko-Terelya | 1999 | 1999 | – | – | 1 | 1 |
An asterisk (*) marks athletes who are the only representatives of their respective countries to win a medal.
Multiple medals at one championship edit
- 5 medals:
- out of 5 possible:
- out of 6 possible:
- 4 medals:
- out of 4 possible:
- out of 5 possible:
- out of 6 possible:
- 3 medals:
- out of 3 possible:
- out of 4 possible:
- 2 medals out of 2 possible:
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