The World's Gold Reserves

Which country has the largest gold reserves?

The United States has the largest gold reserves in the world, with 8,134 tonnes as of August 2026. Germany is second with 3,349 tonnes, followed by Italy with 2,452 tonnes.

Has the United States always been number one?

Yes. The United States has had the largest gold reserves every year from 1945 to 2026. They peaked at 21,828 tonnes in 1949, about 75% of all declared reserves, and stand at 8,134 tonnes today, about 25%.

Which countries have added the most gold since 2000?

Since 2000, China has added the most gold (+1,992 t), ahead of Russia (+1,886 t), Turkey (+675 t), Poland (+545 t) and India (+523 t).

How much gold do all countries hold together?

The 106 countries that report holding gold have about 32,904 tonnes combined. The International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the Bank for International Settlements also hold gold, but they are not countries and are not ranked.

How are gold reserves measured?

Gold reserves are the gold held by a country's central bank or treasury, counted in tonnes of fine gold. Each figure is the latest amount the country has reported, so the date can differ from one country to the next. China has only reported its reserves since 1977 and is not ranked before.

The Soviet Union never published its gold reserves. In the animation, its figures for 1945 to 1947 are estimates by the US Federal Reserve, and those for the end of 1952, 1985 and 1991 come from Soviet archives opened after 1991. The years in between are drawn as a straight line between those points, so they do not show the large sales of the 1950s and 1960s.

The figures on this page come from the International Monetary Fund, and from the US Federal Reserve for 1945 to 1949; Soviet figures come from the archive table published by the historian V. Leshkov. The World Gold Council publishes a similar ranking.