| Host city | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4–8 October 1978 |
The 1978 Men's World Weightlifting Championships were held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States from October 4 to October 8, 1978. There were 185 men in action from 35 nations.
Ranking by Big (Total result) medals
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Soviet Union | 5 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 |  Cuba | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 |  East Germany | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 4 |  Bulgaria | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 |  West Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 |  Poland | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 |  Hungary | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Japan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 9 |  Sweden | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | |
Ranking by all medals: Big (Total result) and Small (Snatch and Clean & Jerk)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union | 13 | 8 | 4 | 25 |
| 2 | Cuba | 6 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 | East Germany | 2 | 4 | 8 | 14 |
| 5 | Japan | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 6 | West Germany | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Hungary | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 8 | Sweden | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Poland | 0 | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| 10 |  China | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Czechoslovakia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Romania | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (12 entries) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 90 | |