Scotland's Men And Women Are Ranked The World's 23rd Physically Strongest People, Reveals Research

15th December 2023

For some, a well-brewed cask ale stands superior to any Belgian lager, while French wine enthusiasts could insist that nothing matches the bouquet of a vintage Bordeaux, sparking lively debates. On the culinary stage, one might find Yorkshiremen boasting about the superiority of their Yorkshire pudding in the Sunday roast tradition, while across the border, Scots may argue that nothing compares to the flavors of their traditional smoked salmon. And on the sporting stage, the age-old rivalry between the rugby teams of England and Wales encapsulates the intensity of national sports contests, mirroring longstanding regional and cultural schisms. Of course, all these rivalries are subjective and are likely to, at worst, anger and appall, and at best, reach a compromise by agreeing to disagree. But what if a true ranking of countries exists, whereby you could quantifiably, without disagreement, rank each from best to worst?

Rankings based on official powerlifting data.
Americans are ranked the world's strongest lifters.
English placed in 4th; Welsh in 45th; Northern Irish in 62nd.

Lift Vault, an online resource for powerlifting, bodybuilding and strength training, analyzed data, and set out to determine where in the world do the physically strongest men & women reside? They scoured through 5 years of data provided by Open Powerlifting focusing on 3 main powerlifting categories - the squat (a strength exercise in which the trainee lowers their hips from a standing position and then stands back up); the bench press (an upper-body weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench); and a deadlift (in which a weight is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, before being placed back on the ground).

The data reveals that the world's strongest men and women reside in the United States. When it comes to the UK, it is the English who lead the pack (in 4th place overall), followed by Scotland (23rd); Wales (45th) and Northern Ireland in 62nd.

England's results: average squat: 610 lbs; average bench press: 375 lbs; average deadlift: 688 lbs.

Scotland's results: 538 lbs; average bench press: 309 lbs; average deadlift: 563 lbs.

Wales' results: 486 lbs; average bench press: 299 lbs; average deadlift: 539 lbs.

Northern Ireland's results: 536 lbs; average bench press: 318 lbs; average deadlift: 585 lbs.

2023's 10 Strongest Countries:

1. United States
2. France
3. Sweden
4. England
5. Canada
6. Italy
7. New Zealand
8. Germany
9. Spain
10. Australia

2023's Five Weakest Countries:

81. Cayman Islands
80. Moldova
79. Panama
78. Sri Lanka
77. Cyprus

When it comes to the United States specifically, the data reveals that America's strongest men and women reside in the state of Texas. Perhaps this is not surprising - Texans are legendary hardy people, personified among others by figures like Earl Campbell, the famed professional football running back whose powerful style of play in the NFL earned him recognition as one of the best in the sport. Texans are known for their 'go big or go home' attitude, which Campbell personified every time he powered through defenders. Lift Vault has created an interactive map showing results within the world's strongest nation.

Lift Vault's founder, Kyle Risley, says: "For the everyday gym enthusiasts scrutinizing these figures, keep your chin up if your personal records don't quite match up! This analysis showcases the elite of powerlifting, those who dedicate a significant portion of their lives to the sport. Nonetheless, it's fascinating to pinpoint the hotspots of strength across the world. Hats off to the folks in the U.S. and Texas".

*The rankings are based on wilks, which is a score used to compare relative strength across weight and gender.