Top 10 Countries That Are Disproportionately Good at Things

Polo
In Argentina, soccer is king, with the country producing one of the greatest players of all time - Lionel Messi (lee-oh-NELL). But one surprising sport that has taken the South American nation by storm is polo. Indeed, it’s so popular that Argentina is constantly referred to as the “Mecca of Polo.” The horseback ball game was brought to the Argentines by the British in the late 19th century, and has since been embraced as a homegrown sport. Argentina is even among the countries with the highest number of active polo players. And as of July 2022, the country’s athletes occupy nine of the top ten spots in the World Polo Tour ranking of professional polo players.

Scrabble
The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria has managed to turn Scrabble from a hobby into a sport they continue to excel at. In 2015, Nigerian Wellington Jighere (jih-GARY) emerged victorious at the World Scrabble Championship, letting everyone know that the West African nation is serious about the word game. So how come Nigerians are so good at it? Well, one reason is that the government officially recognizes, and promotes it, as a competitive sport. As a result, players and coaches are given more of the tools they need to succeed, including grants and infrastructure.

Weightlifting & Wrestling
In the pre-Islamic Persian society, athletes practiced what was referred to as Varzesh-e-Bastani (VARR-zesh eh boss-taw-NEE), which means “ancient” or “traditional” “sport.” For this custom, they combined physical and spiritual training in a bid to improve their fortitude, both externally and internally. In Iran, wrestling and weightlifting are thought to originate from this ancient practice, and for this reason, they are ingrained in the country’s heritage. Both fields dominate Iranian sports. As of 2022, 67 of the country’s 76 Olympic medals have come from those two categories alone. In fact, wrestlers in the Middle Eastern country are often trained from an early age by former champions who run local clubs!

Squash
This country with a population of just over 100 million people has slowly risen to be the world’s best at Squash. The sport, which was created in 19th century London, was exported to Egypt by British colonialists. It has since become one of the most popular sports there, with Egyptians occupying five of the top ten spots for both male and female players worldwide in 2018. Some of the country’s best players have even earned admittance to Ivy League schools, having spruced up their applications with the sport. Egypt’s excellence at squash can be traced back to the 1930s, showing no signs of slowing down.

Pop Music
A relatively unknown Swedish group called ABBA made waves when they won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo.” Since then, the country has gone on to create singers, songwriters and producers, who have spread their music-making tentacles all around the globe. So how did Sweden, a nation with just over 10 million people, become one of the biggest music exporters in the world? Well, apparently it’s a rare combination of early music education, English language proficiency, a close-knit industry, and government funding. From ABBA to Robyn, and Max Martin to Avicii, Swedes are enshrining themselves in pop music history, one mega hit at a time.

Chess
Since 2011, mandatory chess class has been a part of Armenia’s primary school curriculum. They were actually the first nation to implement this practice. While the game has been popular there since the 1960s, this decision has helped to inculcate it in the populace from an early age. The men’s team in particular has flourished in various international competitions, winning the Chess Olympiad thrice, in 2006, 2008 and 2012, and the World Team Chess Championship in 2011. Armenia is far from being among the most populous countries in the world, with a little over 3 million inhabitants. Yet it’s home to a slew of chess grandmasters, which tells you everything you need to know.

Sprinting
When you think of the world’s greatest sprinters, the first name that probably comes to mind is Usain Bolt. The impressive Jamaican athlete set world records for the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m competitive sprints. But while Bolt is one of the most recognizable names in the sport, he’s far from being the only superhuman runner from the Caribbean island. There are numerous reasons why Jamaicans dominate the tracks. Some people have attributed it in part to genetic advantages, though this argument is controversial. Other reasons include early athletic training, a deep passion for the sport, and the Jamaican climate.

Medical Innovation
Referred to as the “Start-up Nation,” Israel boasts numerous emerging biotechnology companies that have broken new ground in the medical field. Using things like augmented reality, they’ve uncovered innovative ways to diagnose and treat life-threatening diseases. As such, the Middle Eastern country has become a force to be reckoned with in this department, despite its relatively small population size. One of its world-class facilities even reportedly treats some members of the U.S. Navy. Some of their amazing creations have included non-invasive surgical operations, cell therapy, and devices that provide artificial vision to people who are visually impaired.

Winter Olympics
There’s a popular saying that “Norwegians are born with skis on their feet.” Nowhere is this better proven than at the Winter Olympic Games. While the United States remains a tour de force in the Summer Olympics, Norway seems to have made the Winter tournament their playground. As of 2022, the latter country, which has less than two percent of America’s population, sits at the top of the all-time Winter Olympics medal table, having earned a total of 405 of them. Being such a wealthy nation, Norway can easily afford the pricey equipment and world-class coaches their athletes need to excel. The cold weather probably helps too! It’s no wonder people think folks there come out of the womb ready to ski.

Math
The relatively small country of Singapore has cracked the code on math. Since the inception of the Programme for International Student Assessment in 2000, the Southeast Asian island has steadily placed among the very best. The Singaporean brand of math largely differs from that practiced in many other parts of the world. Employing a more visual approach to teaching the subject, they combine concrete objects, illustrations, and abstract concepts, which allow the students to engage and understand better. This method, now known as Singapore Math, is widely praised for its effectiveness and has been exported to places such as the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., among others.