Used as a Shield Against Crisis, Here are the Top 10 Countries with the Largest Gold Reserves in the World
Jakarta, KOMPAS.com - Gold remains one of the strategic assets relied upon by many countries to maintain foreign exchange reserves and economic resilience.
In the midst of global uncertainty, inflation, geopolitical tensions, and currency volatility, central banks in various countries continue to maintain and even increase their gold holdings.
Quoted from Times of India, Sunday (17/5/2026), the United States remains the country with the largest gold reserves in the world in Q1 2026.
Gold reserves are deposits of gold owned by a country’s central bank or government as part of its foreign exchange reserves.
Gold is considered a safe haven asset because its value is relatively stable in the long term and does not depend on any particular currency.
In recent years, the trend of central banks buying gold has increased sharply. This was triggered by increasing global geopolitical tensions, trade wars, and concerns about the dominance of the US dollar in the international financial system.
The United States remains the largest holder of gold reserves in the world with a total of 8,133.46 tons of gold. This number far exceeds other countries on the list of countries with the largest gold reserves in the world.
The US gold reserve is mostly stored in Fort Knox, Kentucky, which is known as one of the most secure gold storage facilities in the world. In addition, US gold is also stored in Denver Mint and West Point.
The US dominance in global gold reserves has lasted for decades. The large amount of gold holdings is one of the factors that strengthens the position of the US dollar as the world’s primary reserve currency.
The size of Italy’s gold reserves reflects the country’s long history of maintaining financial stability.
Gold is an important part of the assets of the Bank of Italy and is considered an economic buffer during market turbulence.
Italy is also one of the European countries with the largest proportion of gold in its total foreign exchange reserves.