Hidden Gold Reserves: How Much Gold Is Really Left in the World?

Gold has always been a source of human fascination for centuries. From the first pieces of jewelry to current investment accounts, the value assigned to gold is consistent across all cultures and economies. Yet with demand comes the question, How Much Gold Is Really Left in the World??

Current World Gold Reserves

Based on the World Gold Council, nearly 208,000 metric tons have been extracted in history. Of this, nearly 60% exists in jewelry form, 20% in individual investment, and 17% as central bank reserves. The rest yet to be mined is a question of importance for investors, miners, and nations.

How Much Gold Is Really Left

Experts put the amount of gold remaining in the ground at some 50,000 metric tons that might be mined. But this is both proven and probable reserve. Proven reserves are economically worth producing with technology available today, but potential reserves are possible if prices increase or technology advances.

The role of technology and economics

New technologies like asteroid and deep-sea mining are being developed but are currently not economically viable. Moreover, the rising cost of extracting gold in distant or challenging areas curtails the amount of gold that can be extracted. So, even if more gold exists, much of it is practically “hidden” until these hindrances are eliminated.

Gold recycling: a growing trend

As it becomes harder to extract new gold, recycling has also become a major supply chain component. Recycled gold supplied almost 30% of global supply in 2023 alone. The trend is expected to continue, easing pressure on mining operations and keeping the remaining natural reserves intact.

A limited but perpetual resource

In spite of the reduction in the big discoveries of the last decades, gold is still a limited resource with eternally valuable value. With estimates of available gold to be mined in the coming decades at our current production level. The attention could turn more into recycling and technological development. The “hiddren” reserves of gold of the future might not lie in the ground – but in already produced goods and unused concepts.