There are currently 61 living Medal of Honor recipients as of late 2025–early 2026.

Current number and context

Most recent public counts from veteran organizations, news outlets, and Medal of Honor–related programs consistently state that there are 61 living Medal of Honor recipients.

This figure is referenced across multiple 2025 reports, including coverage of pension changes for recipients and community events honoring “59 of the 61 living Medal of Honor Recipients.”

Why the number changes

The total of living recipients changes over time as:

  • Elderly recipients from earlier wars pass away.
  • Very rarely, new Medals of Honor are awarded, sometimes many years after the actions they recognize.

Because of this, the count can shift year to year, but the best available recent data points to 61 living recipients today.

TL;DR: If you are asking “how many living Medal of Honor recipients are there?” right now, the most up-to-date widely cited number is 61.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.