Gold is one of the world’s most valuable commodities and its holdings have been widely monitored as a form of wealth. According to recent estimates, the total gold holdings in the world are upwards of 33,000 metric tons!
But how did these gold holdings come to be? The majority of the gold comes from central banks and investors who have maintained large reserves for various reasons throughout history. For example, countries such as the United States, Germany and France hold about 8,000 metric tons of gold between them. This is closely followed by other major nations such as Switzerland, Italy and Japan which collectively own around 5,500 metric tons of gold.
Aside from governments and central banks, private investors also make up a significant chunk of the world’s gold reserves. In fact, it is estimated that individuals currently own more than 20% of all the world’s gold – amounting to 6,500 metric tons in total!
The remaining portion of gold holdings belong to jewelry makers and industrialists combined with smaller portions that exist in scrap metal or coins. As you can see, this massive number is mostly comprised of asset holders who keep their wealth stored away as a hedge against economic uncertainties or downturns.
Although it might seem like a large amount at first glance, if you compare it to other metals like copper or aluminum (which together account for millions upon millions of tons) you quickly realize just how little 33k metric tons really is – making gold truly precious!