Where 99% of the Gold Reserves are Hidden.

Gold is one of the most valuable metals used for making jewelry and in other industries. However, most of the gold on Earth is not found in large deposits.

Gold Extraction - How Many Tons Humanity Has Extracted

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, humanity has managed to extract approximately 206 thousand tons of gold. According to the World Gold Council, over 238 thousand tons of this metal have been mined worldwide today.

Most of the mined gold has been used for making jewelry, some is in collections, and part is stored in the central banks of countries.

Despite significant extraction, only a small portion of gold reserves is in profitable deposits. Approximately 70,550 tons of gold remain unexploited, as indicated in the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries report.

In 2024, China managed to surpass other countries in gold extraction, although the largest undeveloped reserves of this metal are located in Russia, Australia, and South Africa. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, believe that most gold reserves are outside of concentrated deposits, in seawater and magmatic rocks.

It is also worth noting that the Earth's core contains 99% of all the world's gold reserves, enough to cover the planet with a layer 0.5 meters thick.

It should be noted that the deepest gold mine in the world is located in South Africa, where the vertical depth reaches over 4 kilometers.

There is also a new 'gold rush' happening worldwide as wealthy investors actively move their precious metals to Singapore.

Globally, gold extraction is continually increasing, and its reserves are an important economic indicator for many countries. Despite the large amount of gold mined, only a small fraction is found in accessible deposits, complicating further extraction and processing of this precious metal.