2026-10-20 · tonnes of above-ground gold

Most gold sits in jewelry — not vaults

People wear more gold than central banks store.

Gold's image is all vaults and bullion, yet the world's largest hoard is worn on necks, wrists and fingers. Of the more than 200,000 tonnes of above-ground gold — almost all of it still around, because gold is virtually indestructible — jewellery holds the biggest share, ahead of private investment and official reserves combined. In 2026, what people wear outweighs what governments guard.

1 cell = 212 tonnes of above-ground gold (0.1% of above-ground gold stocks) · 1,000 cells

Context

The World Gold Council's 2026 split of above-ground gold stocks puts jewellery first at 46% — the single largest use of the metal. Private investment and official reserves combined hold 34%, while industry and other uses account for the remaining 20%.

All the gold ever mined would fit in a cube roughly 22 metres on each side, worth about US$29 trillion at mid-2026 prices. Because gold is virtually indestructible, almost none of it has been lost — around two-thirds has been mined since 1950.

Central banks hold around 39,000 tonnes — less than half the gold worn as jewellery. Below ground, an estimated 61,000 tonnes of reserves — ore that can still be economically extracted — remain.

World Gold Council above-ground stocks split.