Central Bank Gold Buying Tracker

Which central banks are buying gold right now?

In August 2026, the latest month most central banks have reported to the IMF, 7 countries added gold and 6 reduced it, a combined net change of +19.1 tonnes. The largest buyers were China (+20.2 t), Türkiye (+18.9 t), Poland (+7.8 t); the largest decline was Iraq (−31.1 t). Over the last 12 reported months Poland added the most gold (+157.5 t), followed by China (+106.1 t).

The IMF world aggregate of official gold stood at 36,932 tonnes in August 2026, +522.7 t over 12 months. Over the last 12 reported months the buyers in our table added +499.5 t between them and the sellers reduced holdings by 19.5 t. For the background on why reserve managers buy gold and what it has meant for the price, read our guide central bank gold buying explained. This page is the data that guide refers to.

Method and sources

• Source: the IMF International Liquidity dataset, indicator “Gold reserves (volume)” in fine troy ounces, monthly, for every country that reports. It is the reserve data behind the IMF's International Financial Statistics and is free to download.
• China: where the IMF has not yet loaded the latest months, we use SAFE's official reserve assets release (gold in 10,000 ounces). We checked that the two sources match for the months they share.
• Tonnes: 1 tonne = 32,150.7466 troy ounces. A month's change is that month's holdings minus the previous month's, as reported. Nothing is estimated, smoothed or filled in: if a country has not reported, it is not in the month's table.
• Reference month: the newest month for which at least three-quarters of the 40 largest holders have reported. Earlier reporters for later months are listed separately.
• Not included: international institutions (International Monetary Fund 2,814.1 t (Sep 2026); European Central Bank 508.4 t (Jan 2026); Bank for International Settlements 244.9 t (Aug 2026)) are left out of the country tables but are part of the world aggregate. Countries that have not reported for two years are left out of the holdings table (the largest: Venezuela 161.2 t (last reported Jun 2018)).

China is the one exception to the IMF's timetable: the IMF series for China currently runs to Jun 2026, so the Jul 2026, Aug 2026, Sep 2026 figures come directly from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) official reserve assets table, which publishes China's gold holdings in ounces early each month.

Limitations

Reported reserves are not the same as all official buying. Some central banks report late or not at all, some hold gold outside the reserve definition, and a change can come from a transfer, a gold swap or a reclassification rather than a market purchase or sale. The World Gold Council's gold reserves by country page and its quarterly Gold Demand Trends add its own estimate of unreported buying, which is why its totals are higher. Its monthly central bank statistics file needs a free Goldhub login, so we link to it rather than copy it. National releases worth following directly: the People's Bank of China / SAFE, the National Bank of Poland (monthly “Poland's reserve assets” releases), the Reserve Bank of India's weekly statistical supplement and the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye.

How traders use central bank gold data

• As slow background, not a trigger. Purchases are reported weeks after they happen, so a monthly figure explains the backdrop for months and years, not today's XAUUSD candle. Daily moves still come mostly from the dollar, real yields and Fed expectations (see gold vs real yields and the dollar).
• To judge how steady the dip-buying is. Persistent buying by a few large holders, month after month, is one reason analysts give for gold holding up when real yields rose. A run of months with sellers outweighing buyers would weaken that argument.
• To check headlines. When a story says “central banks are dumping gold”, the country tables show whether that was one country, a reclassification or a broad trend.
• Together with investor flows. Official demand and ETF demand often move differently. Compare this page with the gold ETF flows tracker and the COT positioning tracker.

Cite this data

You are welcome to quote and chart these figures with a link. Suggested citation:

Please cite the original source as well when you republish a figure, and check the “last updated” date: the tables are rebuilt every month and countries revise past data.

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Education, not signals. These figures describe what official institutions and funds reported; they are not a forecast and not a recommendation to buy or sell anything.

Frequently asked questions

Educational tool only. Not financial advice and not a signal. Check your own broker's contract specification, margin rules and costs. Past data does not predict future prices. See our risk disclaimer.