Gold reserves at market value in China
China: Gold reserves at market value was 236.49 billion SDR in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
236.49 billion SDR
Change on year
up 61.3%
World rank
5th
of 166 countries
All-time high
236.49 billion SDR
in 2025
All-time low
1.74 billion SDR
in 1977
Years of data
49
1977–2025
Gold reserves at market value in China, 1977–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund. Measured in SDR.
Analysis
China recorded 236.49 billion SDR for gold reserves at market value in 2025. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is up 61.3% on the previous year and up 445.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gold reserves at market value in China peaked at 236.49 billion SDR in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.74 billion SDR, in 1977.
That places China 5th out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gold reserves at market value in China, year by year
| Year | SDR | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 1.74 billion SDR | — |
| 1978 | 2.22 billion SDR | +27.7% |
| 1979 | 4.97 billion SDR | +124.0% |
| 1980 | 5.92 billion SDR | +18.9% |
| 1981 | 4.34 billion SDR | -26.7% |
| 1982 | 5.26 billion SDR | +21.3% |
| 1983 | 4.63 billion SDR | -12.0% |
| 1984 | 3.99 billion SDR | -13.7% |
| 1985 | 3.78 billion SDR | -5.3% |
| 1986 | 4.06 billion SDR | +7.3% |
| 1987 | 4.33 billion SDR | +6.8% |
| 1988 | 3.87 billion SDR | -10.7% |
| 1989 | 3.88 billion SDR | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 3.44 billion SDR | -11.3% |
| 1991 | 3.14 billion SDR | -8.7% |
| 1992 | 3.08 billion SDR | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 3.61 billion SDR | +17.3% |
| 1994 | 3.33 billion SDR | -7.7% |
| 1995 | 3.30 billion SDR | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 3.26 billion SDR | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 2.73 billion SDR | -16.2% |
| 1998 | 2.60 billion SDR | -5.0% |
| 1999 | 2.69 billion SDR | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 2.68 billion SDR | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 3.54 billion SDR | +32.4% |
| 2002 | 4.86 billion SDR | +37.3% |
| 2003 | 5.42 billion SDR | +11.4% |
| 2004 | 5.44 billion SDR | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 6.92 billion SDR | +27.3% |
| 2006 | 8.15 billion SDR | +17.7% |
| 2007 | 10.18 billion SDR | +24.9% |
| 2008 | 10.89 billion SDR | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 23.51 billion SDR | +115.8% |
| 2010 | 30.93 billion SDR | +31.6% |
| 2011 | 33.80 billion SDR | +9.3% |
| 2012 | 36.69 billion SDR | +8.6% |
| 2013 | 26.51 billion SDR | -27.8% |
| 2014 | 28.21 billion SDR | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 43.34 billion SDR | +53.6% |
| 2016 | 50.50 billion SDR | +16.5% |
| 2017 | 53.93 billion SDR | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 54.89 billion SDR | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 68.99 billion SDR | +25.7% |
| 2020 | 82.25 billion SDR | +19.2% |
| 2021 | 81.46 billion SDR | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 88.03 billion SDR | +8.1% |
| 2023 | 110.48 billion SDR | +25.5% |
| 2024 | 146.63 billion SDR | +32.7% |
| 2025 | 236.49 billion SDR | +61.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 236.49 billion SDR is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 731.88 million SDR, 323.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- China's 236.49 billion SDR is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 633.28 million SDR, 373.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gold reserves at market value in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +124.0% | 2.22 billion SDR | 4.97 billion SDR |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.98 billion SDR | 1.74 billion SDR | 4.97 billion SDR | 3 |
| 1980s | 4.41 billion SDR | 3.78 billion SDR | 5.92 billion SDR | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.12 billion SDR | 2.60 billion SDR | 3.61 billion SDR | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.16 billion SDR | 2.68 billion SDR | 23.51 billion SDR | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.78 billion SDR | 26.51 billion SDR | 68.99 billion SDR | 10 |
| 2020s | 124.22 billion SDR | 81.46 billion SDR | 236.49 billion SDR | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More financial sector data for China
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 14.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 7.95 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 9.09 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 5.8 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 14.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 7.95 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 9.09 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gold reserves at market value in China?
- Gold reserves at market value in China was 236.49 billion SDR in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest gold reserves at market value recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 236.49 billion SDR in 2025.
- What is the lowest gold reserves at market value recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.74 billion SDR in 1977.
- How does China rank for gold reserves at market value?
- China ranks 5th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is gold reserves at market value rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 445.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Gold reserves at market value (SDR). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
International Liquidity (IL) 2026 April