There have been 3,538 Medal of Honor recipients in total, as of early February 2026.

Quick Scoop

  • The Medal of Honor is the highest U.S. military decoration for valor in combat.
  • Since it was created in 1861, more than 3,500 Medals of Honor have been awarded, with some individuals receiving it more than once (so total medals > total recipients).
  • Official statistics list 3,538 recipients and 3,465–3,520+ medals awarded depending on how multiple awards and “unknowns” are counted.
  • At least 618 medals have been awarded posthumously, underscoring that many actions recognized were fatal acts of extraordinary bravery.

Key numbers (as of 2026)

html

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Metric</th>
    <th>Number</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Total Medal of Honor recipients</td>
    <td>3,538 [web:9]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Total Medals of Honor awarded (all branches)</td>
    <td>About 3,465–3,520+ (some recipients received two medals) [web:1][web:5][web:6][web:9]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Posthumous awards</td>
    <td>618 [web:5][web:9]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Army recipients</td>
    <td>2,404 [web:5]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Navy recipients</td>
    <td>746 [web:5]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Marine Corps recipients</td>
    <td>297 [web:5]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Air Force recipients</td>
    <td>17 [web:5]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Coast Guard recipients</td>
    <td>1 [web:5]</td>
  </tr>
</table>

A bit of context

  • The Medal of Honor dates back to the Civil War era and has been awarded across conflicts from the 1860s through Iraq, Afghanistan, and later operations.
  • A small number of individuals have received it twice, which is why “medals awarded” and “recipients” are not the same figure.
  • Modern awards are rare and heavily scrutinized, which is why the overall number rises slowly despite many years of conflict.

In today’s discussions and news, when you see people asking “how many Medal of Honor recipients are there,” they’re almost always referring to that 3,538 figure.

TL;DR: There are 3,538 Medal of Honor recipients recognized in U.S. history as of 2026, with over 3,500 medals awarded in total.

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