Saint Lucia has the most Nobel laureates per capita of any sovereign country, with two winners. The United States has won the most total Nobel Prizes, while the Faroe Islands have the most winners per capita with one. The oldest winner was 96 and the youngest was 17, and it takes 20 to 30 years for a discovery to be recognized.
When you think of Saint Lucia, you probably imagine coral reefs, sunny beaches and luxury hotels. But Saint Lucia is much more than just a holiday destination. In fact, the tiny Caribbean nation can lay claim to having the most Nobel laureates per capita of any sovereign country. Though it has a population of just 180,000, two Saint Lucians have won Nobel Prizes: economist W. Arthur Lewis in 1979 and poet Derek Walcott in 1992. However, as for the country with the most total Nobel Prizes , there’s no competition: The United States (pop. 327 million) has won 377 of the awards, as of 2018. The United Kingdom (pop. 66 million) takes second place with 131 winners.
Prize surprises:
Although part of the Kingdom of Denmark and not a sovereign state, the Faroe Islands can boast even more Nobel Prize winners per capita. With a population of just 49,000 people, the archipelago has produced one winner: Niels Ryberg Finsen, who won the Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology in 1903.
The oldest person to win a Nobel Prize was Arthur Ashkin, who was 96 when he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018. The youngest winner was Malala Yousafzai, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17.
On average, it takes 20 to 30 years for a Nobel-worthy scientific discovery to be recognized with a Nobel Prize.
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