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All The World's Gold
We here at NumberSleuth are all about exploring the world of
numbers, and with this infographic we decided to take a look at the
numbers behind the entire amount of gold in the world. Below are a
series of questions that we began with and the answers we discovered in
our research. We believe that this is the most thorough and in-depth
resource about the world's gold on the Internet and we hope you have as
much fun reading through the information as we did in putting it all
together.
1. How much above-ground gold (gold that has been mined) is there in all the world?
The best estimate at the end of 2011 is that around 165,000 metric
tons (or tonnes) have been mined in all of human history. That’s about
181,881 ordinary tons or 363,762,732 pounds, or 5,820,203,717 ordinary
ounces. Gold typically is measured in what are known as troy ounces,
which are a little bigger than ordinary ounces (a troy ounce is
31.1034768 grams whereas an ordinary ounce is 28.3495231 grams). There
are 32.1507466 troy ounces in a kilogram or 32,150.7466 troy ounces in a
metric ton.
“More than half of all humanity’s gold has been extracted in the
past 50 years. Now the world’s richest deposits are fast being depleted,
and new discoveries are rare. Gone are the hundred-mile-long gold reefs
in South Africa or cherry-size nuggets in California. Most of the gold
left to mine exists as traces buried in remote and fragile corners of
the globe. It's an invitation to destruction. But there is no shortage
of miners, big and small, who are willing to accept.” [QUOTE SOURCE: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/print/2009/01/gold/larmer-text.]
SOURCES: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/print/2009/01/gold/larmer-text, http://www.gold.org/about_gold, and http://minerals.usgs.gov.
2. How much gold gets mined per year worldwide?
The table below shows world gold production from 1900 thru 2011.
Production in 1900 was around 400 metric tons per year and has
consistently moved up over the years. It is currently around 2,500
metric tons per year. The all time high was reached in 2001, with 2,600
metric tons of gold production worldwide. The total gold mined from 1900
to the present is just under 141,000 metric tons. Given that humans
have mined a total of 165,000 metric tons over the course of history,
that leaves just 24,000 metric tons mined before the 20thcentury.
SOURCE: http://goldratefortoday.org/world-gold-production-1900-2010.
| Year |
World Production (in metric tons)
|
Average Price
|
Total Dollar Value by Year
|
Troy Ounces per Year
|
| 1900 |
386
|
$ 18.96
|
$235,297,168.04
|
12,410,188.19
|
| 1901 |
395
|
$18.98
|
$241,037,362.33
|
12,699,544.91
|
| 1902 |
451
|
$18.97
|
$275,064,748.01
|
14,499,986.72
|
| 1903 |
496
|
$18.95
|
$302,191,297.44
|
15,946,770.31
|
| 1904 |
526
|
$18.96
|
$320,638,109.81
|
16,911,292.71
|
| 1905 |
575
|
$18.92
|
$349,767,972.26
|
18,486,679.30
|
| 1906 |
608
|
$18.90
|
$369,450,659.33
|
19,547,653.93
|
| 1907 |
623
|
$18.94
|
$379,366,592.60
|
20,029,915.13
|
| 1908 |
668
|
$18.95
|
$406,983,440.91
|
21,476,698.73
|
| 1909 |
687
|
$18.96
|
$418,780,192.85
|
22,087,562.91
|
| 1910 |
689
|
$18.92
|
$419,113,274.59
|
22,151,864.41
|
| 1911 |
699
|
$18.92
|
$425,196,195.84
|
22,473,371.87
|
| 1912 |
705
|
$18.93
|
$429,072,611.36
|
22,666,276.35
|
| 1913 |
694
|
$18.92
|
$422,154,735.22
|
22,312,618.14
|
| 1914 |
663
|
$18.99
|
$404,789,795.47
|
21,315,945.00
|
| 1915 |
704
|
$18.99
|
$429,822,045.27
|
22,634,125.61
|
| 1916 |
685
|
$18.99
|
$418,221,734.38
|
22,023,261.42
|
| 1917 |
631
|
$18.99
|
$385,252,429.78
|
20,287,121.10
|
| 1918 |
578
|
$18.99
|
$352,893,667.85
|
18,583,131.53
|
| 1919 |
550
|
$19.95
|
$352,774,067.07
|
17,682,910.63
|
| 1920 |
507
|
$20.68
|
$337,092,861.92
|
16,300,428.53
|
| 1921 |
498
|
$20.58
|
$329,507,857.78
|
16,011,071.81
|
| 1922 |
481
|
$20.66
|
$319,496,758.31
|
15,464,509.11
|
| 1923 |
554
|
$21.32
|
$379,741,470.30
|
17,811,513.62
|
| 1924 |
592
|
$20.69
|
$393,797,776.72
|
19,033,241.99
|
| 1925 |
591
|
$20.64
|
$392,182,523.21
|
19,001,091.24
|
| 1926 |
602
|
$20.63
|
$399,288,481.22
|
19,354,749.45
|
| 1927 |
597
|
$20.64
|
$396,164,071.66
|
19,193,995.72
|
| 1928 |
603
|
$20.66
|
$400,533,358.13
|
19,386,900.20
|
| 1929 |
609
|
$20.63
|
$403,931,370.54
|
19,579,804.68
|
| 1930 |
648
|
$20.65
|
$430,215,570.40
|
20,833,683.80
|
| 1931 |
695
|
$17.06
|
$381,201,757.21
|
22,344,768.89
|
| 1932 |
754
|
$20.69
|
$501,560,006.15
|
24,241,662.94
|
| 1933 |
793
|
$26.33
|
$671,297,622.28
|
25,495,542.05
|
| 1934 |
841
|
$34.69
|
$937,975,205.02
|
27,038,777.89
|
| 1935 |
924
|
$34.84
|
$ 1,035,001,978.67
|
29,707,289.86
|
| 1936 |
1,030
|
$34.87
|
$ 1,154,729,429.96
|
33,115,269.00
|
| 1937 |
1,100
|
$34.79
|
$ 1,230,376,921.64
|
35,365,821.26
|
| 1938 |
1,170
|
$34.85
|
$ 1,310,930,617.24
|
37,616,373.52
|
| 1939 |
1,230
|
$34.42
|
$ 1,361,153,298.51
|
39,545,418.32
|
| 1940 |
1,310
|
$33.85
|
$ 1,425,676,631.86
|
42,117,478.05
|
| 1941 |
1,080
|
$33.85
|
$ 1,175,366,994.20
|
34,722,806.33
|
| 1942 |
1,120
|
$33.85
|
$ 1,218,899,105.10
|
36,008,836.19
|
| 1943 |
896
|
$33.85
|
$975,119,284.08
|
28,807,068.95
|
| 1944 |
813
|
$33.85
|
$884,790,153.97
|
26,138,556.99
|
| 1945 |
762
|
$34.71
|
$850,355,739.84
|
24,498,868.91
|
| 1946 |
860
|
$34.71
|
$959,719,076.46
|
27,649,642.08
|
| 1947 |
900
|
$34.71
|
$ 1,004,357,173.04
|
28,935,671.94
|
| 1948 |
932
|
$34.71
|
$ 1,040,067,650.30
|
29,964,495.83
|
| 1949 |
964
|
$31.69
|
$982,178,302.00
|
30,993,319.72
|
| 1950 |
879
|
$34.72
|
$981,204,777.40
|
28,260,506.26
|
| 1951 |
883
|
$34.72
|
$985,669,873.08
|
28,389,109.25
|
| 1952 |
868
|
$34.60
|
$965,576,942.49
|
27,906,848.05
|
| 1953 |
864
|
$34.84
|
$967,794,057.97
|
27,778,245.06
|
| 1954 |
965
|
$35.04
|
$ 1,087,132,485.23
|
31,025,470.47
|
| 1955 |
947
|
$35.03
|
$ 1,066,549,898.77
|
30,446,757.03
|
| 1956 |
978
|
$34.99
|
$ 1,100,205,621.82
|
31,443,430.17
|
| 1957 |
1,020
|
$34.95
|
$ 1,146,141,965.54
|
32,793,761.53
|
| 1958 |
1,050
|
$35.10
|
$ 1,184,915,765.94
|
33,758,283.93
|
| 1959 |
1,130
|
$35.10
|
$ 1,275,195,062.40
|
36,330,343.66
|
| 1960 |
1,190
|
$35.27
|
$ 1,349,408,630.77
|
38,259,388.45
|
| 1961 |
1,230
|
$35.25
|
$ 1,393,975,995.71
|
39,545,418.32
|
| 1962 |
1,290
|
$35.23
|
$ 1,461,145,335.51
|
41,474,463.11
|
| 1963 |
1,340
|
$35.09
|
$ 1,511,747,395.58
|
43,082,000.44
|
| 1964 |
1,390
|
$35.10
|
$ 1,568,602,775.87
|
44,689,537.77
|
| 1965 |
1,440
|
$35.12
|
$ 1,625,953,277.65
|
46,297,075.10
|
| 1966 |
1,450
|
$35.13
|
$ 1,637,710,805.68
|
46,618,582.57
|
| 1967 |
1,420
|
$34.95
|
$ 1,595,609,403.01
|
45,654,060.17
|
| 1968 |
1,440
|
$39.31
|
$ 1,819,938,022.34
|
46,297,075.10
|
| 1969 |
1,450
|
$41.28
|
$ 1,924,415,088.49
|
46,618,582.57
|
| 1970 |
1,480
|
$36.02
|
$ 1,713,943,440.95
|
47,583,104.97
|
| 1971 |
1,450
|
$40.62
|
$ 1,893,646,823.99
|
46,618,582.57
|
| 1972 |
1,390
|
$58.42
|
$ 2,610,762,796.76
|
44,689,537.77
|
| 1973 |
1,350
|
$97.39
|
$ 4,227,067,635.35
|
43,403,507.91
|
| 1974 |
1,250
|
$ 154.00
|
$ 6,189,018,720.50
|
40,188,433.25
|
| 1975 |
1,200
|
$ 160.86
|
$ 6,206,122,917.69
|
38,580,895.92
|
| 1976 |
1,210
|
$ 124.74
|
$ 4,852,685,798.37
|
38,902,403.39
|
| 1977 |
1,210
|
$ 147.84
|
$ 5,751,331,316.59
|
38,902,403.39
|
| 1978 |
1,210
|
$ 193.40
|
$ 7,523,724,814.85
|
38,902,403.39
|
| 1979 |
1,210
|
$ 306.00
|
$ 11,904,135,436.12
|
38,902,403.39
|
| 1980 |
1,220
|
$ 615.00
|
$ 24,122,705,173.98
|
39,223,910.85
|
| 1981 |
1,280
|
$ 460.00
|
$ 18,930,359,598.08
|
41,152,955.65
|
| 1982 |
1,340
|
$ 376.00
|
$ 16,198,832,166.94
|
43,082,000.44
|
| 1983 |
1,400
|
$ 424.00
|
$ 19,084,683,181.76
|
45,011,045.24
|
| 1984 |
1,460
|
$ 361.00
|
$ 16,945,372,503.00
|
46,940,090.04
|
| 1985 |
1,530
|
$ 317.00
|
$ 15,593,433,608.47
|
49,190,642.30
|
| 1986 |
1,610
|
$ 368.00
|
$ 19,048,674,345.57
|
51,762,702.03
|
| 1987 |
1,660
|
$ 447.00
|
$ 23,856,496,992.13
|
53,370,239.36
|
| 1988 |
1,870
|
$ 437.00
|
$ 26,273,268,614.05
|
60,121,896.14
|
| 1989 |
2,010
|
$ 381.00
|
$ 24,621,363,253.75
|
64,623,000.67
|
| 1990 |
2,180
|
$ 383.51
|
$ 26,879,689,566.27
|
70,088,627.59
|
| 1991 |
2,160
|
$ 362.11
|
$ 25,146,950,798.86
|
69,445,612.66
|
| 1992 |
2,260
|
$ 343.82
|
$ 24,982,197,512.99
|
72,660,687.32
|
| 1993 |
2,280
|
$ 359.77
|
$ 26,372,472,957.76
|
73,303,702.25
|
| 1994 |
2,260
|
$ 384.00
|
$ 27,901,703,929.34
|
72,660,687.32
|
| 1995 |
2,230
|
$ 383.79
|
$ 27,516,271,133.88
|
71,696,164.92
|
| 1996 |
2,290
|
$ 387.81
|
$ 28,552,592,579.19
|
73,625,209.71
|
| 1997 |
2,450
|
$ 331.02
|
$ 26,074,223,341.85
|
78,769,329.17
|
| 1998 |
2,500
|
$ 294.24
|
$ 23,650,089,198.96
|
80,376,866.50
|
| 1999 |
2,570
|
$ 278.98
|
$ 23,051,397,286.22
|
82,627,418.76
|
| 2000 |
2,590
|
$ 279.11
|
$ 23,241,610,748.33
|
83,270,433.69
|
| 2001 |
2,600
|
$ 271.04
|
$ 22,656,759,732.01
|
83,591,941.16
|
| 2002 |
2,550
|
$ 309.73
|
$ 25,393,029,398.27
|
81,984,403.83
|
| 2003 |
2,540
|
$ 363.38
|
$ 29,674,663,280.75
|
81,662,896.36
|
| 2004 |
2,420
|
$ 409.72
|
$ 31,878,185,430.62
|
77,804,806.77
|
| 2005 |
2,470
|
$ 444.74
|
$ 35,317,845,915.92
|
79,412,344.10
|
| 2006 |
2,370
|
$ 603.46
|
$ 45,982,004,217.47
|
76,197,269.44
|
| 2007 |
2,360
|
$ 695.39
|
$ 52,763,246,120.49
|
75,875,761.98
|
| 2008 |
2,290
|
$ 871.96
|
$ 64,198,237,862.22
|
73,625,209.71
|
| 2009 |
2,450
|
$ 972.35
|
$ 76,591,357,218.45
|
78,769,329.17
|
| 2010 |
2,500
|
$ 1,224.53
|
$ 98,423,884,335.25
|
80,376,866.50
|
| 2011 |
2,500*
|
$1,560.85**
|
$ 125,456,232,076.53
|
80,376,866.50
|
*Estimated value for 2011.
**Cumulative average thru November 22, 2011, http://www.kitco.com/scripts/hist_charts/yearly_graphs.plx.
SOURCE: This table thru 2009 appears here: http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140/gold.pdf.
3. But didn’t the Spanish get lots and lots of gold from the New World, especially from the Aztecs and Incas?
In fact, the Spanish got much more silver than gold from the New
World. In the 16th century, when production was in full swing, the
Spanish only got 154 metric tons of gold, whereas they got 7440 metric
tons of silver. Gold production in the new world for the entire the
16thcentury was thus less than half of what it was worldwide in 1900.
Here is a comparison, decade by decade, of Spanish gold and silver
production in the New World in the 16th century:
| Year |
value in millions of pesos |
gold (in metric tons) |
silver (in metric tons) |
| 1503-1510 |
1.18 |
5 |
0 |
| 1511-1520 |
2.18 |
9.2 |
0 |
| 1521-1530 |
1.17 |
4.9 |
0 |
| 1531-1540 |
5.58 |
14.5 |
86 |
| 1541-1550 |
10.46 |
25 |
178 |
| 1551-1560 |
17.86 |
42.6 |
303 |
| 1561-1570 |
25.34 |
11.5 |
943 |
| 1571-1580 |
29.15 |
9.4 |
1119 |
| 1581-1590 |
53.2 |
12.1 |
2103 |
| 1591-1600 |
69.6 |
19.5 |
2708 |
SOURCE: http://mygeologypage.ucdavis.edu/cowen/~GEL115/115ch8.html
4. How much gold, really, is 165,000 metric tons (the total
mined throughout human history) and 2,500 metric tons (the total that’s
currently mined annually)?
An Olympic swimming pool is 50 by 25 by 2 meters. It therefore
contains 2,500 cubic meters of water. Each cubic meter of water is one
metric ton. Gold is 19.3 times as dense as water. Therefore an Olympic
swimming pool would contain 48,250 metric tons of gold. It follows that
3.42 Olympic-sized swimming pools could contain all the gold that’s ever
been mined. Another way to imagine this is to think of all the gold in
the world ever mined as a single cube. That would be a cube with each
side just over 20 meters, or 67 feet, in length. Given that about 2,500
metric tons of gold is mined each year, this annual production of gold
would fit in a cube whose sides were 5 meters, or 16.6 feet, in length.
All the production of gold in the world for a given year would thus fit
in a 20 by 30 foot room with an 8 foot ceiling.
5. Given 165,000 metric tons as an upper bound on available gold, how much does that leave to each human on the planet?
Humanity has just hit the 7 billion mark. That leaves just under 24
grams of gold to each person on planet earth, or .76 troy ounces or .83
ordinary ounces per person. In an ordinary male gold wedding band at
18-karat purity, there are about 5 grams of pure gold. That means every
person on planet earth could own about 5 gold rings. At the current
price of $1,750.00 per troy ounce of gold, that leaves $1,326.00 in gold
for each person on planet earth. “Gold production has increased by a
factor of 2.1 from 1959 to 2010. At the same time, the world population
has been multiplied by a factor 2.2. Thus we produced more or less the
same amount of gold per inhabitant as in 1959.” [QUOTE SOURCE: http://news.goldseek.com/Dani/1309290922.php)
6. How does the gold that’s mined get used?
52 percent gets used for jewelry, 18 percent constitute official
holdings (as in central banks of nations), 16 percent take the form of
investments, 12 percent find industrial uses, leaving 2 percent
unaccounted for.
SOURCE: http://dollardaze.org/blog/?post_id=00479&cat_id=20
7. Which nations consume the most gold?
Since jewelry is the most common use of gold, gold consumption
worldwide is most easily gauged by gold jewelry consumption. India is in
this respect far and away the biggest consumer of gold. Here are the
data for 2009 and 2010 of gold jewelry consumption by country in metric
tons:
| Country |
2010 |
2009 |
% Change |
| India |
745.7 |
442.37 |
69 |
| Greater China |
428 |
376.96 |
14 |
| United States |
128.61 |
150.28 |
-14 |
| Turkey |
74.07 |
75.16 |
-1 |
| Saudi Arabia |
72.95 |
77.75 |
-6 |
| Russia |
67.5 |
60.12 |
12 |
| United Arab Emirates |
63.37 |
67.6 |
-6 |
| Egypt |
53.43 |
56.68 |
-6 |
| Indonesia |
32.75 |
41 |
-20 |
| United Kingdom |
27.35 |
31.75 |
-14 |
| Other Gulf Countries |
21.97 |
24.1 |
-10 |
| Japan |
18.5 |
21.85 |
-15 |
| South Korea |
15.87 |
18.83 |
-16 |
| Vietnam |
14.36 |
15.08 |
-5 |
| Thailand |
6.28 |
7.33 |
-14 |
| Total |
1805.6 |
1508.7 |
20 |
| Other Countries |
254 |
251.6 |
1 |
| World Total |
2059.6 |
1760.3 |
17 |
SOURCE: See “Full Year 2010 Gold Demand Trends Report” available at http://www.gold.org/media/press_releases/archive/2011/02/global_gold_demand_in_2010_reached_a_10_year_high_in_tonnage_and_all_time_high_in_value/ as well as http://www.forexyard.com/en/news/Gold-jewellery-consumption-by-country-2011-02-28T130619Z-FACTBOX.
8. Where does the world’s gold get produced?
Here is the breakdown of 100 top gold-producing nations in the world
for 2009. China sits at the top, with the United States the runner up:
|
2009 Production by Country |
2009 (in kilograms) |
| 1 |
China |
320,000 |
| 2 |
United States |
223,000 |
| 3 |
Australia |
222,000 |
| 4 |
South Africa |
197,698 |
| 5 |
Russian Federation |
190,693 |
| 6 |
Peru |
182,391 |
| 7 |
Indonesia |
130,000 |
| 8 |
Canada |
97,367 |
| 9 |
Uzbekistan |
90,000 |
| 10 |
Ghana |
86,000 |
| 11 |
Papua New Guinea |
66,000 |
| 12 |
Brazil |
60,000 |
| 13 |
Mexico |
51,393 |
| 14 |
Colombia |
47,837 |
| 15 |
Argentina |
47,000 |
| 16 |
Mali |
42,000 |
| 17 |
Chile |
40,834 |
| 18 |
Tanzania, United Republic Of |
40,000 |
| 19 |
Philippines |
37,047 |
| 20 |
Kazakhstan |
22,000 |
| 21 |
Guinea |
18,083 |
| 22 |
Kyrgyzstan |
16,950 |
| 23 |
Burkina Faso |
13,500 |
| 24 |
New Zealand |
13,442 |
| 25 |
Suriname |
12,193 |
| 26 |
Turkey |
12,000 |
| 27 |
Venezuela |
10,500 |
| 28 |
Mongolia |
9,803 |
| 29 |
Guatemala |
8,485 |
| 30 |
Guyana |
8,183 |
| 31 |
Mauritania |
8,000 |
| 32 |
Japan |
7,000 |
| 33 |
Finland |
7,000 |
| 34 |
Bolivia |
7,000 |
| 35 |
Côte D'ivoire |
6,573 |
| 36 |
Senegal |
5,600 |
| 37 |
Saudi Arabia |
5,500 |
| 38 |
Sweden |
5,000 |
| 39 |
Lao People's Democratic Republic |
5,000 |
| 40 |
Zimbabwe |
4,200 |
| 41 |
Bulgaria |
4,200 |
| 42 |
Spain |
3,450 |
| 43 |
Nicaragua |
3,400 |
| 44 |
Ethiopia |
3,400 |
| 45 |
Viet Nam |
3,000 |
| 46 |
Thailand |
3,000 |
| 47 |
India |
2,800 |
| 48 |
Malaysia |
2,794 |
| 49 |
Uruguay |
2,180 |
| 50 |
Honduras |
2,127 |
| 51 |
Ecuador |
2,092 |
| 52 |
Namibia |
2,022 |
| 53 |
Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The |
2,000 |
| 54 |
Korea, Democratic People's Republic Of |
2,000 |
| 55 |
French Guiana |
2,000 |
| 56 |
Niger |
2,000 |
| 57 |
Georgia |
2,000 |
| 58 |
Botswana |
2,000 |
| 59 |
Sudan |
1,922 |
| 60 |
Cameroon |
1,600 |
| 61 |
Uganda |
1,600 |
| 62 |
Zambia |
1,500 |
| 63 |
France |
1,500 |
| 64 |
Tajikistan |
1,361 |
| 65 |
Morocco |
1,200 |
| 66 |
Denmark |
1,117 |
| 67 |
Fiji |
1,040 |
| 68 |
Algeria |
1,010 |
| 69 |
Armenia |
944 |
| 70 |
Poland |
814 |
| 71 |
Panama |
800 |
| 72 |
Burundi |
750 |
| 73 |
Liberia |
600 |
| 74 |
Mozambique |
511 |
| 75 |
Serbia |
500 |
| 76 |
Costa Rica |
500 |
| 77 |
Greece |
500 |
| 78 |
Italy |
450 |
| 79 |
Iran, Islamic Republic Of |
400 |
| 80 |
Romania |
400 |
| 81 |
Azerbaijan |
353 |
| 82 |
Gabon |
300 |
| 83 |
Kenya |
300 |
| 84 |
Nigeria |
200 |
| 85 |
Sierra Leone |
200 |
| 86 |
Equatorial Guinea |
200 |
| 87 |
Slovakia |
200 |
| 88 |
United Kingdom |
185 |
| 89 |
Korea, Republic Of |
175 |
| 90 |
Dominican Republic |
173 |
| 91 |
Myanmar |
100 |
| 92 |
Chad |
100 |
| 93 |
Congo |
100 |
| 94 |
Madagascar |
70 |
| 95 |
Eritrea |
30 |
| 96 |
Oman |
28 |
| 97 |
Rwanda |
20 |
| 98 |
Benin |
20 |
| 99 |
Central African Republic |
10 |
| 100 |
Belize |
5 |
SOURCES: http://www.indexmundi.com/minerals/?product=gold&graph=production and http://www.indexmundi.com/en/commodities/minerals/gold/gold_t8.html. See also http://www.dani2989.com/gold/goldproduction2011gb.html.
9. What’s happening with gold prices?
The trend since 1900 has been rising gold prices with occasional
sharp volatility. See the table in question 2 for the history of gold
prices from 1900 to the present. Here is a graph of gold prices over the
last fifty years, which includes also gold prices adjusted for
inflation:
 
SOURCES: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_price_in_USD.png and http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140/gold.pdf.
Here’s what’s happened with gold prices in the last decade:
SOURCE: http://www.kitco.com.
Here’s what’s happened with gold in the last year (2011):
SOURCE: http://www.kitco.com.
10. Who’s got the gold that’s used for monetary and investment purposes and how much of this type of gold is out there?
In 2011, about 2,100 metric tons of gold appeared in what are known
as exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The lion’s share was in one fund: 1,240
metric tons in SPDR Gold Shares (http://www.spdrgoldshares.com).
As of 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held 3,217 metric
tons of gold. In 2010, the central banks of nations held a total of
28,398 metric tons of gold. Here is the breakdown:
|
Gold Reserves in Central Banks |
metric tons |
% of forex reserves |
value @ $1750 per troy oz. |
| 1 |
United States USA |
8,133.50 |
74.70% |
$457,621,670,574.43 |
| 2 |
Germany |
3,401.00 |
71.70% |
$191,353,206,076.55 |
| 3 |
Italy |
2,451.80 |
71.40% |
$137,947,600,899.29 |
| 4 |
France |
2,435.40 |
66.10% |
$137,024,874,471.87 |
| 5 |
China |
1,054.10 |
1.70% |
$59,307,678,484.36 |
| 6 |
Switzerland |
1,040.10 |
16.40% |
$58,519,985,192.66 |
| 7 |
Qatar |
950.30 |
7.10% |
$53,467,495,364.47 |
| 8 |
Russia |
775.20 |
6.70% |
$43,615,702,837.56 |
| 9 |
Japan |
765.20 |
3.00% |
$43,053,064,772.06 |
| 10 |
Netherlands |
615.50 |
59.40% |
$34,630,372,931.53 |
| 11 |
India |
614.80 |
8.10% |
$34,590,988,266.94 |
| 12 |
Republic of China (Taiwan) |
466.90 |
4.60% |
$26,269,571,278.20 |
| 13 |
Portugal |
421.60 |
81.10% |
$23,720,820,841.48 |
| 14 |
Venezuela |
401.10 |
52.40% |
$22,567,412,807.21 |
| 15 |
Saudi Arabia |
322.90 |
3.00% |
$18,167,583,135.00 |
| 16 |
Iran -- Islamic Republic of Iran |
320.00 |
0.00% |
$18,004,418,096.00 |
| 17 |
United Kingdom |
310.30 |
16.80% |
$17,458,659,172.47 |
| 18 |
Lebanon |
300.00 |
27.60% |
$16,879,141,965.00 |
| 19 |
Spain |
281.60 |
38.60% |
$15,843,887,924.48 |
| 20 |
Austria |
280.00 |
56.20% |
$15,753,865,834.00 |
| 21 |
Belgium |
227.50 |
36.80% |
$12,800,015,990.13 |
| 22 |
Pakistan |
184.40 |
19.20% |
$10,375,045,927.82 |
| 23 |
Philippines |
175.90 |
14.00% |
$9,896,803,572.15 |
| 24 |
Algeria |
173.60 |
4.50% |
$9,767,396,817.08 |
| 25 |
Libya |
143.80 |
5.60% |
$8,090,735,381.89 |
| 26 |
Singapore |
127.40 |
2.50% |
$7,168,008,954.47 |
| 27 |
Sweden |
125.70 |
11.10% |
$7,072,360,483.34 |
| 28 |
South Africa |
124.90 |
12.20% |
$7,027,349,438.10 |
| 29 |
Turkey |
116.10 |
6.00% |
$6,532,227,940.46 |
| 30 |
Greece |
111.70 |
78.70% |
$6,284,667,191.64 |
| 31 |
Romania |
103.70 |
9.10% |
$5,834,556,739.24 |
| 32 |
Poland |
102.90 |
4.50% |
$5,789,545,694.00 |
| 33 |
Mexico |
100.10 |
3.80% |
$5,632,007,035.66 |
| 34 |
Thailand |
99.50 |
2.50% |
$5,598,248,751.73 |
| 35 |
Australia |
79.90 |
8.10% |
$4,495,478,143.35 |
| 36 |
Kuwait |
79.00 |
13.50% |
$4,444,840,717.45 |
| 37 |
Egypt |
75.60 |
8.70% |
$4,253,543,775.18 |
| 38 |
Indonesia |
73.10 |
3.60% |
$4,112,884,258.81 |
| 39 |
Kazakhstan |
67.30 |
10.00% |
$3,786,554,180.82 |
| 40 |
Denmark |
66.50 |
3.30% |
$3,741,543,135.58 |
| 41 |
Argentina |
54.70 |
4.50% |
$3,077,630,218.29 |
| 42 |
Finland |
49.10 |
20.60% |
$2,762,552,901.61 |
| 43 |
Bulgaria |
39.90 |
9.90% |
$2,244,925,881.35 |
| 44 |
Malaysia |
36.40 |
1.50% |
$2,048,002,558.42 |
| 45 |
Peru |
34.70 |
3.60% |
$1,952,354,087.29 |
| 46 |
Belarus |
32.00 |
24.50% |
$1,800,441,809.60 |
| 47 |
Brazil |
33.60 |
0.50% |
$1,890,463,900.08 |
| 48 |
Slovakia |
31.80 |
65.40% |
$1,789,189,048.29 |
| 49 |
Bolivia |
28.30 |
13.40% |
$1,592,265,725.37 |
| 50 |
Ukraine |
27.20 |
3.50% |
$1,530,375,538.16 |
| 51 |
Ecuador |
26.30 |
31.00% |
$1,479,738,112.27 |
| 52 |
Syria |
25.80 |
0.00% |
$1,451,606,208.99 |
| 53 |
Morocco |
22.00 |
4.20% |
$1,237,803,744.10 |
| 54 |
Nigeria |
21.40 |
0.00% |
$1,204,045,460.17 |
| 55 |
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka |
17.50 |
11.90% |
$984,616,614.63 |
| 56 |
South Korea South Korea |
14.40 |
0.20% |
$810,198,814.32 |
| 57 |
Cyprus |
13.90 |
50.80% |
$782,066,911.05 |
| 58 |
Bangladesh |
13.50 |
5.20% |
$759,561,388.43 |
| 59 |
Serbia |
13.10 |
4.20% |
$737,055,865.81 |
| 60 |
Netherlands Antilles |
13.10 |
36.30% |
$737,055,865.81 |
| 61 |
Jordan |
12.80 |
4.30% |
$720,176,723.84 |
| 62 |
Czech Republic |
12.70 |
1.20% |
$714,550,343.19 |
| 63 |
Cambodia |
12.40 |
14.40% |
$697,671,201.22 |
| 64 |
Laos |
8.80 |
36.50% |
$495,121,497.64 |
| 65 |
Latvia |
7.70 |
4.00% |
$433,231,310.44 |
| 66 |
El Salvador |
7.30 |
10.60% |
$410,725,787.82 |
| 67 |
Guatemala |
6.90 |
5.30% |
$388,220,265.20 |
| 68 |
Colombia |
6.90 |
1.10% |
$388,220,265.20 |
| 69 |
Republic of Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia |
6.80 |
12.70% |
$382,593,884.54 |
| 70 |
Tunisia |
6.80 |
0.00% |
$382,593,884.54 |
| 71 |
Ireland |
6.00 |
11.80% |
$337,582,839.30 |
| 72 |
Lithuania |
5.80 |
3.80% |
$326,330,077.99 |
| 73 |
Bahrain |
4.70 |
0.00% |
$264,439,890.79 |
| 74 |
Mauritius |
3.90 |
6.80% |
$219,428,845.55 |
| 75 |
Canada |
3.40 |
0.20% |
$191,296,942.27 |
| 76 |
Tajikistan |
3.30 |
0.00% |
$185,670,561.62 |
| 77 |
Slovenia |
3.20 |
13.40% |
$180,044,180.96 |
| 78 |
Aruba |
3.10 |
17.70% |
$174,417,800.31 |
| 79 |
Hungary |
3.10 |
0.30% |
$174,417,800.31 |
| 80 |
Kyrgyzstan |
2.60 |
6.50% |
$146,285,897.03 |
| 81 |
Luxembourg |
2.20 |
11.70% |
$123,780,374.41 |
| 82 |
Hong Kong |
2.10 |
0.00% |
$118,153,993.76 |
| 83 |
Suriname |
2.00 |
11.40% |
$112,527,613.10 |
| 84 |
Iceland |
2.00 |
1.60% |
$112,527,613.10 |
| 85 |
Papua New Guinea |
2.00 |
2.90% |
$112,527,613.10 |
| 86 |
Trinidad and Tobago |
1.90 |
0.80% |
$106,901,232.45 |
| 87 |
Albania |
1.60 |
2.80% |
$90,022,090.48 |
| 88 |
Yemen |
1.60 |
1.10% |
$90,022,090.48 |
| 89 |
Cameroon |
0.90 |
1.20% |
$50,637,425.90 |
| 90 |
Mongolia |
0.90 |
2.40% |
$50,637,425.90 |
| 91 |
Honduras |
0.70 |
0.00% |
$39,384,664.59 |
| 92 |
Paraguay |
0.70 |
0.70% |
$39,384,664.59 |
| 93 |
Dominican Republic |
0.60 |
1.00% |
$33,758,283.93 |
| 94 |
Gabon |
0.40 |
0.80% |
$22,505,522.62 |
| 95 |
Malawi |
0.40 |
6.20% |
$22,505,522.62 |
| 96 |
Central African Republic |
0.30 |
8.40% |
$16,879,141.97 |
| 97 |
Chad |
0.30 |
2.40% |
$16,879,141.97 |
| 98 |
Republic of the Congo |
0.30 |
0.40% |
$16,879,141.97 |
| 99 |
Uruguay |
0.30 |
0.10% |
$16,879,141.97 |
| 100 |
Fiji |
0.20 |
0.00% |
$11,252,761.31 |
SOURCES: http://www.gold.org/investment/statistics/reserve_asset_statistics and http://af.reuters.com/article/southAfricaNews/idAFLDE7551YW20110606.
================
ADDITIONAL SOURCES:
http://money.howstuffworks.com/question213.htm [neat article on the world’s gold, titled “All the Gold in the World,” provides some background for this infographic]
http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2010/11/19/how-many-olympic-sized-swimming-pools-can-we-fill-with-billionaire-gold [describes
how world’s gold fills 3.27 Olympic-sized swimming pools with gold, at
157,000 metric tons of above-ground gold in 2007 – these numbers have
since increased, as reflected above]
|
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