WGC Survey: Record 45% of Central Banks Plan to Boost Gold Reserves Over Next Year

The World Gold Council's annual Central Bank Gold Reserves Survey, conducted between February 5 and May 19, 2026, with a record 76 central banks participating, found that 45 percent of respondents plan to increase their own gold reserves over the next 12 months, up from 43 percent in 2025 and a record in the survey's nine-year history. Separately, 89 percent of respondents said they expect global central bank gold holdings overall to rise over the coming year. The report, published on June 16, 2026, noted that central banks have bought an average of 1,000 tonnes of gold annually over the past four years, double the pace of the prior decade, while 74 percent of respondents expect a moderate or significant decline in the US dollar's share of global reserves over the next five years.