Archive · 21 Aug 2026
India’s 880-Tonne Gold Stockpile Compared With Major Economies
India’s central bank has 880 tonnes of gold.
That is more than Japan and Australia have.
However, India does not keep most of its reserves in gold.
Gold makes up 17.7% of India’s total reserves.
The United States and several European countries keep a much larger share in gold.
China owns more than twice as much gold as India, but gold is a smaller part of China’s reserves.
This shows that the amount of gold and its share of total reserves are different things.
The figures come from the World Gold Council’s December 2025 data.
India holds 880 tonnes of gold, more than Japan’s 846 tonnes and Australia’s 80 tonnes.
Gold makes up 17.7% of India’s central bank reserves, below the shares held by major Western economies.
The United States holds the most gold at 8,133 tonnes, with gold representing 82.4% of its reserves.
China holds 2,306 tonnes—more than twice India’s total—but gold accounts for only 8.6% of its reserves.
The figures, sourced from the World Gold Council, use December 2025 data and show that reserve strategies differ by country.
- Who
- India and other major economies compared in the World Gold Council data.
- What
- A comparison of countries’ official gold holdings and gold’s share of their central bank reserves.
- When
- The figures are from December 2025 data.
- Where
- The comparison covers major economies worldwide.
- Why
- To show how countries use gold differently within their broader reserve-management strategies.
- India’s gold holdings
- 880 tonnes
- India’s gold share
- 17.7% of central bank reserves
- Largest holder
- The United States, with 8,133 tonnes
- Largest allocation
- The United States, where gold represents 82.4% of reserves
- China comparison
- China holds 2,306 tonnes, but gold represents 8.6% of its reserves
- Switzerland comparison
- Switzerland holds 1,040 tonnes, compared with India’s 880 tonnes
- Data source
- World Gold Council, December 2025 data