World gold reserves are one of the main guarantees of economic stability for states and central banks. Stored in highly secure vaults, these reserves serve to strengthen confidence in monetary systems and protect the value of national currencies.
Gold is stored both in its home countries and in foreign institutions for safety and liquidity. Its role in global economies remains crucial, despite the evolution of financial markets.
Gold reserves held by central banks are a pillar of global financial stability. Distributed across countries, these reserves act as collateral for national economies and strengthen confidence in monetary systems.
The United States, Germany, Italy, and France are among the largest holders of gold, storing it in secure vaults both domestically and abroad. The management and distribution of gold reserves respond to economic and geopolitical strategies aimed at preserving value and liquidity over time.
Country names without anything specified in brackets indicate the reserves of their respective central banks:
Country/Geographic Area
Tons
% of Total
Unaccounted gold
90,000
44.7%
India (Private)
15,000
7.5%
Rest of the world
13,000
6.5%
China (Private)
10,000
5.0%
United States
8,134
4.0%
Europe (Private)
8,000
4.0%
United States (Private)
6,000
3.0%
India (Institutions)
5,000
2.5%
China (Institutions)
5,000
2.5%
Europe (Institutions)
4,000
2.0%
Germany
3,352
1.7%
United States (Institutions)
3,000
1.5%
Middle East (Private)
3,000
1.5%
Asia excl. China and India (Private)
3,000
1.5%
International Monetary Fund
2,814
1.4%
Italy
2,452
1.2%
France
2,436
1.2%
Russia
2,333
1.2%
China
2,191
1.1%
Africa (Private)
2,000
1.0%
South America (Private)
2,000
1.0%
Asia excl. China and India (Institutions)
2,000
1.0%
Rest of the world (Private)
2,000
1.0%
Swiss
1,040
0.5%
Middle East (Institutions)
1,000
0.5%
South America (Institutions)
1,000
0.5%
Rest of the world (Institutions)
1,000
0.5%
Africa (Institutions)
500
0.2%
201,252
100.0%
Unaccounted gold
The approximately 90,000 tons of unaccounted gold is an estimate of the gold mined throughout history that is not officially tracked. It includes undeclared privately held jewelry, coins, and bars, lost or hidden historical treasures, and gold lost in shipwrecks or conflicts.
A significant portion may be in the black market or in unreported reserves. It also includes gold that has been recycled or used in industrial and technological applications and has not been recovered. This value is estimated to fill the gap between the total mined and the officially declared reserves.
#2. Unmined gold reserves
Unmined gold reserves represent the gold in the Earth’s crust that has not yet been mined and refined. It is estimated that there are approximately 50,000 tonnes of exploitable gold left, concentrated mainly in countries such as Australia, Russia, South Africa and the United States.
Mining is becoming increasingly complex and expensive, as the most accessible mines have already been exploited. The future of production will depend on new mining technologies and the evolution of global demand.
Category
Estimated Tons
% Extract/
Minable gold (discovered and accessible deposits)
54,000
370%
Gold in the Earth’s Crust
2,500,000
8%
Gold in the oceans
20,000,000
1%
Estimated total gold on the planet
50,000,000,000
0.4%
So don’t be scared to know that several million tons of raw gold are there, waiting to be released into the market. Probably by the time they are extracted, the price of gold will have already reached stratospheric levels to make the process economically feasible.
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