The best estimates currently available suggest that around208,874 tonnes of gold has been mined throughout history, of which around two-thirds has been mined since 1950. And since gold is virtually indestructible, this means that almost all of this metal is still around in one form or another. If every single ounce of this gold were placed next to each other, the resulting cube of pure gold would only measure around 22 metres on each side.
This breakdown of the above-ground stock of gold includes a time series of how it has evolved since 2010, and the latest year-end estimate of below-ground stocks.
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Total above-ground stocks (end-2022): 208,874 tonnes
- Jewellery ~95,547t, 46%
- Bars and coins (including gold backed ETFs) ~46,517t, 22%
- Central banks ~35,715t, 17%
- Other ~31,096t, 15%
- Proven reserves ~52,000t
Source: Metals Focus, Refinitiv GFMS, US Geological Survey, World Gold Council
Length and Frequency
Annual volume of above-ground stocks of gold from 2010 to 2022
Update Schedule
This data is updated annually, in conjunction with the publication of our full-year Gold Demand Trends report.
Units
Volume of gold stocks is measured in tonnes.
