Humans have looted 26000 tons of gold from earth worth Rs…, only THIS much is left, most of planet’s gold reserves are located in…
World gold reserves: Gold has fascinated humans throughout their long history with the precious yellow metal being seen as a symbol of wealth and prosperity, apart from multitude of uses in modern-day electronics and technology. The Earth is essentially filled to the brim with gold reserves, but according to a recent report, this seemingly unlimited resource may also be dwindling rapidly as more than 26,000 tons of golds has been mined by humans in recorded history.
Humans mined 26000 tons of gold
According to the latest report by the US Geological Survey (USGS), a whopping 26000 tons of gold has been extracted from rocks and rivers in recorded history. The amount is larger than the gold reserves of some small countries. The USGS report noted that most of the extracted gold was used in making jewelry and other decorative items, as there was no technological use for the yellow metal until very recently.
Meanwhile, in its report, the World Gold Council notes that about 45% of world’s the gold exists in the form of jewelry, 22% in the form of bars and coins, while a meagre 17% is deposited in central banks.
How much gold is left on Earth?
According to the USGS report, the planet’s gold reserves have rapidly dwindled since industrialization, but there is still around 70,550 tons of gold left in economically viable reserves around the world. As per USGS, South Africa, Russia and Australia have the largest untapped gold reserves on the planet.
Largest gold reserves
As per official figures, China is the world’s largest producer of gold, but lags behind several nations in gold reserves, a list which is headed by the US, with 8,133.46 tonnes in reserves in 2024. Germany has second largest gold reserves at 3,351.53 tonnes, followed by Italy (2451.84 tonnes), France (2436.97 tonnes), Russia (2335.85 tonnes).
China ranks sixth on the list of countries with the largest gold reserves, with 2264.32 tonnes of gold lying in reserve. Experts believe China aims to increase its gold reserves to 5,000 tonnes in the near future.
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