In today's world, List of countries by foreign-exchange reserves is an issue that has become increasingly relevant in society. Whether due to its impact on health, its influence on popular culture or its importance in the global economy, List of countries by foreign-exchange reserves has become a focus of attention for experts, academics and the general public. Throughout history, List of countries by foreign-exchange reserves has been the subject of debate and discussion, generating endless opinions and perspectives. In this article, we will explore the different facets of List of countries by foreign-exchange reserves, analyzing its evolution over time and its role today. From its impact on technology to its relevance in the political sphere, List of countries by foreign-exchange reserves continues to be a topic of universal interest that continues to generate interest and analysis.
Foreign exchange reserves, also called Forex reserves, are, in a strict sense, only foreign-currency deposits held by nationals and monetary authorities. However, in popular usage and in the list below, it also includes gold reserves, special drawing rights (SDRs) and IMF reserve position because this total figure, which is usually more accurately termed as official reserves or international reserves or official international reserves, is more readily available and also arguably more meaningful.
These foreign-currency deposits are the financial assets of the central banks and monetary authorities that are held in different reserve currencies (e.g. the U.S. Dollar, the Euro, the Japanese Yen, the Indian Rupee, the Pound Sterling, and the Chinese Yuan) and which are used to back its liabilities (e.g. the local currency issued and the various bank reserves deposited with the Central bank by the government or financial institutions). Before the end of the gold standard, gold was the preferred reserve currency.
The list below is mostly based on the latest available IMF data, and while most nations report in U.S. dollars, a few nations in Eastern Europe report solely in Euros and some others report in their respective currencies. And since all the figures below are in U.S dollar equivalents, exchange rate fluctuations can have a significant impact on these figures.
No. | Countries | Foreign Exchange Reserves (millions US dollars) |
Date | Change | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | China | 3,225,817 | 1 Mar 2024 | 28,957 | |
2 | Japan | 1,281,484 | 1 Mar 2024 | 42,943 | |
3 | Switzerland | 868,632 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,127 | |
4 | India | 642,492 | 15 Mar 2024 | 6,396 | |
5 | Russia | 594,300 | 15 Mar 2024 | 3,100 | |
6 | Taiwan | 569,420 | 1 Mar 2024 | 118 | |
7 | Saudi Arabia | 431,743 | 7 Mar 2024 | 7,223 | |
8 | Hong Kong | 423,092 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2,462 | |
9 | South Korea | 415,759 | 6 Mar 2024 | 4,389 | |
10 | Mexico | 364,192 | 15 Mar 2024 | 3425 | |
11 | Germany | 362,861 | 1 Mar 2024 | 6,333 | |
12 | Singapore | 357,345 | 1 Mar 2024 | 4,465 | |
13 | Brazil | 352,705 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2,361 | |
14 | United States | 244,103 | 15 Mar 2024 | 1,314 | |
15 | Iran | 243,000 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,641 | |
16 | France | 240,677 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2,400 | |
17 | Thailand | 223,769 | 15 Mar 2024 | 1,391 | |
18 | Israel | 206,828 | 1 Mar 2024 | 8,659 | |
19 | Poland | 187,996 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,248 | |
20 | United Kingdom | 183,951 | 1 Mar 2024 | 26,611 | |
21 | United Arab Emirates | 151,600 | 1 Mar 2024 | 3,540 | |
22 | Czech Republic | 144,996 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2,007 | |
23 | Indonesia | 149,915 | 1 Mar 2024 | 3,515 | |
24 | Turkey | 128,490 | 1 Mar 2024 | 3,391 | |
25 | Netherlands | 125,451 | 1 Mar 2024 | 212 | |
26 | Canada | 116,251 | 1 Mar 2024 | 45 | |
27 | Malaysia | 102,241 | 1 Mar 2024 | 10,659 | |
28 | Philippines | 101,994 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,275 | |
29 | Iraq | 100,000 | 25 Mar 2024 | 15,000 | |
30 | Spain | 94,341 | 1 Mar 2024 | 5,485 | |
31 | Vietnam | 93,342 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,241 | |
32 | Belgium | 82,000 | 1 Mar 2024 | 14,200 | |
33 | Denmark | 80,058 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,261 | |
34 | Peru | 73,483 | 1 Mar 2024 | 201 | |
35 | Norway | 71,901 | 1 Mar 2024 | 330 | |
36 | Libya | 70,524 | 1 Mar 2024 | 238 | |
37 | Italy | 69,810 | 1 Mar 2024 | 137 | |
38 | Romania | 68,532 | 1 Mar 2024 | 7,725 | |
39 | Algeria | 68,028 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,880 | |
40 | Qatar | 64,530 | 1 Mar 2024 | 8,931 | |
41 | Sweden | 59,568 | 23 Mar 2024 | 842 | |
42 | Colombia | 57,269 | 1 Mar 2024 | 124 | |
43 | Australia | 53,883 | 1 Mar 2024 | 604 | |
44 | Portugal | 53,710 | 1 Mar 2024 | 7,800 | |
45 | South Africa | 53,473 | 1 Mar 2024 | 504 | |
46 | Kuwait | 46,420 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,112 | |
47 | Chile | 42,527 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2,373 | |
48 | Ukraine | 40,507 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,212 | |
49 | Hungary | 41,344 | 1 Mar 2024 | 4,749 | |
50 | Bulgaria | 35,395 | 1 Mar 2024 | 692 | |
51 | Egypt | 35,310 | 1 Mar 2024 | 3,161 | |
52 | Nigeria | 34,980 | 1 Mar 2024 | 465 | |
53 | Austria | 34,856 | 1 Mar 2024 | 954 | |
54 | Kazakhstan | 34,500 | 1 Mar 2024 | 938 | |
55 | Uzbekistan | 32,195 | 1 Mar 2024 | 950 | |
56 | Morocco | 32,037 | 1 Mar 2024 | 213 | |
57 | New Zealand | 31,712 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,916 | |
58 | Croatia | 28,680 | 1 Mar 2024 | 159 | |
59 | Bangladesh | 25,966 | 21 Mar 2024 | 855 | |
60 | Serbia | 24,468 | 1 Mar 2024 | 667 | |
61 | Macau | 24,283 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,566 | |
62 | Argentina | 20,846 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2,090 | |
63 | Turkmenistan | 20,600 | 1 Mar 2024 | 45 | |
64 | Cambodia | 18,496 | 1 Mar 2024 | 67 | |
65 | Jordan | 18,765 | 1 Mar 2024 | 187 | |
66 | Guatemala | 21,390 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1300 | |
67 | Nepal | 18,400 | 11 Mar 2024 | 1,857 | |
68 | Oman | 16,163 | 1 Mar 2024 | 548 | |
69 | Uruguay | 15,449 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1.176 | |
70 | Lebanon | 14,738 | 1 Mar 2024 | 692 | |
71 | Dominican Republic | 14,371 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,145 | |
72 | Angola | 14,200 | 15 Mar 2024 | 40 | |
73 | Costa Rica | 13,200 | 1 Mar 2024 | 320 | |
74 | Azerbaijan | 11,650 | 1 Mar 2024 | 142 | |
75 | Ivory Coast | 9,800 | 1 Mar 2024 | 18 | |
76 | Paraguay | 9,707 | 1 Mar 2024 | 805 | |
77 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8,711 | 1 Mar 2024 | 391 | |
78 | Tunisia | 8,623 | 21 Mar 2024 | 539 | |
79 | North Korea | 8,072 | 1 Mar 2024 | 73 | |
80 | Pakistan | 8,017 | 15 Mar 2024 | 68 | |
81 | Finland | 7,995 | 1 Mar 2024 | 22 | |
82 | Slovakia | 7,650 | 1 Mar 2024 | 441 | |
83 | Honduras | 7,390 | 21 Mar 2024 | 580 | |
84 | Tanzania | 7,022 | 22 Mar 2024 | 600 | |
85 | Iceland | 6,847 | 15 Mar 2024 | 24 | |
86 | Myanmar | 6,700 | 1 Mar 2024 | 800 | |
87 | Moldova | 6,680 | 11 Mar 2024 | 278 | |
88 | Afghanistan | 6,228 | 1 Mar 2024 | 60 | |
89 | Panama | 6,143 | 1 Mar 2024 | 200 | |
90 | Venezuela | 5,908 | 1 Mar 2024 | 776 | |
91 | Trinidad and Tobago | 5,800 | 18 Mar 2024 | 44 | |
92 | Albania | 5,700 | 1 Mar 2024 | 0,400 | |
93 | Mauritius | 5,591 | 1 Mar 2024 | 196 | |
94 | Bahrain | 5,500 | 25 Mar 2024 | 128 | |
95 | Ireland | 5,230 | 1 Mar 2024 | 130 | |
96 | Georgia | 5,224 | 25 Mar 2024 | 90 | |
97 | Mongolia | 5,120 | 20 Mar 2024 | 500 | |
98 | Botswana | 5,080 | 1 Mar 2024 | 267 | |
99 | Jamaica | 4,921 | 5 Mar 2024 | 300 | |
100 | Lithuania | 4,900 | 1 Mar 2024 | 440 | |
101 | Sri Lanka | 4,517 | 1 Mar 2024 | 99 | |
102 | Vatican City | 4,339 | 1 Mar 2024 | 950 | |
103 | Armenia | 4,298 | 25 Mar 2024 | 600 | |
104 | Nicaragua | 3,980 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,100 | |
105 | Greece | 3,926 | 1 Mar 2024 | 107 | |
106 | Latvia | 3,913 | 1 Mar 2024 | 13 | |
107 | Uganda | 3,700 | 1 Mar 2024 | 259 | |
108 | Andorra | 3,689 | 20 Mar 2024 | 11 | |
109 | Brunei | 3,664 | 1 Mar 2024 | 107 | |
110 | Cameroon | 3,459 | 1 Mar 2024 | 180 | |
111 | Ethiopia | 3,430 | 1 Mar 2024 | 170 | |
112 | Ghana | 3,368 | 1 Mar 2024 | 452 | |
113 | Ecuador | 3,305 | 1 Mar 2024 | 747 | |
114 | Belarus | 3,296 | 1 Mar 2024 | 146 | |
115 | Kyrgyzstan | 2,976 | 1 Mar 2024 | 193 | |
116 | Slovenia | 2,519 | 1 Mar 2024 | 062 | |
117 | El Salvador | 2,510 | 1 Mar 2024 | 39 | |
118 | Cuba | 2,500 | 15 Mar 2024 | 10,391 | |
119 | Kenya | 2,590 | 5 Mar 2024 | 1,073 | |
120 | Papua New Guinea | 2,339 | 1 Mar 2024 | 500 | |
121 | Haiti | 2,296 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1,256 | |
122 | Estonia | 2,065 | 1 Mar 2024 | 145 | |
123 | Namibia | 2,019 | 1 Mar 2024 | 25 | |
124 | Bahamas | 1,758 | 1 Mar 2024 | 85 | |
125 | Bolivia | 1,769 | 1 Mar 2024 | 471 | |
126 | Madagascar | 1,620 | 19 Mar 2024 | 127 | |
127 | Montenegro | 1,558 | 1 Mar 2024 | 26 | |
128 | Mauritania | 1,493 | 1 Mar 2024 | 37 | |
129 | Tajikistan | 1,482 | 1 Mar 2024 | 19 | |
130 | Rwanda | 1,458 | 1 Mar 2024 | 7 | |
131 | Zambia | 1,433 | 1 Mar 2024 | 16 | |
132 | Guinea | 1,425 | 15 Mar 2024 | 33 | |
133 | Gabon | 1,377 | 1 Mar 2024 | 90 | |
134 | Cyprus | 1,271 | 1 Mar 2024 | 200 | |
135 | Luxembourg | 1,119 | 5 Mar 2024 | 34 | |
136 | Laos | 1,099 | 1 Mar 2024 | 23 | |
137 | Curaçao | 1,080 | 20 Mar 2024 | 30 | |
138 | Fiji | 1,065 | 5 Mar 2024 | 22 | |
139 | Niger | 1,053 | 1 Mar 2024 | 24 | |
140 | Aruba | 1,017 | 15 Mar 2024 | 30 | |
141 | Bhutan | 972 | 10 Mar 2024 | 3 | |
142 | Kosovo | 950 | 1 Mar 2024 | 15 | |
143 | Malta | 937 | 20 Mar 2024 | 9 | |
144 | Lesotho | 785 | 1 Mar 2024 | 11 | |
145 | Barbados | 770 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2 | |
146 | Cape Verde | 712 | 1 Mar 2024 | 25 | |
147 | San Marino | 716 | 1 Mar 2024 | 243 | |
148 | Gambia | 698 | 1 Mar 2024 | 6 | |
149 | Palestine | 671 | 1 Mar 2024 | 12 | |
150 | Timor-Leste | 654 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2 | |
151 | Suriname | 647 | 8 Mar 2024 | 30 | |
152 | Sierra Leone | 624 | 2 Mar 2024 | 2 | |
153 | Mali | 604 | 1 Mar 2024 | 19 | |
154 | Maldives | 588 | 1 Mar 2024 | 180 | |
155 | Guyana | 553 | 10 Mar 2024 | 20 | |
156 | Solomon Islands | 551 | 8 Mar 2024 | 24 | |
157 | Seychelles | 546 | 1 Mar 2024 | 19 | |
158 | Vanuatu | 509 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2 | |
159 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 505 | 14 Mar 2024 | 160 | |
160 | Djibouti | 504 | 1 Mar 2024 | 3 | |
161 | Malawi | 488 | 1 Mar 2024 | 17 | |
162 | Eswatini | 467 | 1 Mar 2024 | 27 | |
163 | Republic of the Congo | 443 | 1 Mar 2024 | 20 | |
164 | Syria | 401 | 1 Mar 2024 | 16 | |
165 | Federated States of Micronesia | 395 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2 | |
166 | Central African Republic | 375 | 1 Mar 2024 | 14 | |
167 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 365 | 1 Mar 2024 | 14 | |
168 | Liberia | 342 | 1 Mar 2024 | 7 | |
169 | Guinea-Bissau | 329 | 1 Mar 2024 | 3 | |
170 | Antigua and Barbuda | 285 | 1 Mar 2024 | 6 | |
171 | Belize | 281 | 1 Mar 2024 | 4 | |
172 | Saint Lucia | 258 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2 | |
173 | Yemen | 250 | 1 Mar 2024 | 5 | |
174 | Grenada | 247 | 1 Mar 2024 | 11 | |
175 | Tonga | 226 | 1 Mar 2024 | 3 | |
176 | Togo | 208 | 1 Mar 2024 | 7 | |
177 | Comoros | 197 | 1 Mar 2024 | 5 | |
178 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 192 | 1 Mar 2024 | 1 | |
179 | Eritrea | 189 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2 | |
180 | Samoa | 188 | 1 Mar 2024 | 3 | |
181 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 186 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2 | |
182 | Sudan | 172 | 1 Mar 2024 | 5 | |
183 | Dominica | 168 | 1 Mar 2024 | 6 | |
184 | Senegal | 164 | 1 Mar 2024 | 12 | |
185 | Zimbabwe | 159 | 1 Mar 2024 | 8 | |
186 | Chad | 143 | 1 Mar 2024 | 4 | |
187 | Burundi | 105 | 1 Mar 2024 | 6 | |
188 | South Sudan | 80 | 2 Mar 2024 | 7 | |
189 | Benin | 69 | 1 Mar 2024 | 9 | |
190 | Montserrat | 54 | 1 Mar 2024 | 5 | |
191 | Equatorial Guinea | 46 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2 | |
192 | Burkina Faso | 42 | 1 Mar 2024 | 3 | |
193 | Somalia | 37 | 1 Mar 2024 | 5 | |
194 | Kiribati | 8 | 1 Mar 2024 | 2 |
The five countries with the largest foreign exchange reserves almost all have reserves of at least 500 billion USD and higher and have maintained such an amount for at least a week. At present there are only six countries whose reserves are at such a figure; this includes China, Japan, Switzerland, India, Russia and Taiwan. Saudi Arabia formerly included on the list until March 2020; its reserves were severely depleted by the low oil price during the economic fallout of from the global outbreak of coronavirus disease, its ongoing oil price war with Russia and competition from US shale oil.
Here is the combined foreign reserves timeline for China, Japan, Switzerland, India, Russia.
IMF releases the quarterly data on the currency composition of official foreign exchange reserves. The data are reported to the IMF on a voluntary and confidential basis. As of Q4 2016, there are 146 reporters, consisting of IMF member countries, a number of non-member countries/economies, and other entities holding foreign exchange reserves. From Q4 2016, the data was expanded to include renminbi (RMB). Monetary gold is not covered in COFER but included in reserved assets, a broader scope than that of COFER.