20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: Gold earrings are seen on display at a store in New York.
Photographs: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters.

After hitting two-year lows, gold prices are rising again.

The price of standard gold of 99.5 per cent purity rose by Rs 440 to close at Rs 26,700 per 10 gms on Monday from the last closing level of Rs 26,260.

In value terms, gold demand in 2012 was $236.4 billion – an all-time high.

According to the World Gold Council, the global official gold holdings totaled 31,694.8 tonnes as of April 2013.

As gold continues its volatile ride, take a look at countries with the highest gold reserves, according to World Gold Council.

United States (Rank 1)

Official gold holdings: 8,133.5 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 75.1%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: People walk through the jewellery area at a shopping store in Berlin.
Photographs: Tobias Schwarz/Reuters.

Germany (Rank 2)

Official gold holdings: 3,391.3 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold:: 72.1%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: Gold necklaces are pictured in a window at the Vicenza Oro Choice exposition in Vicenza.
Photographs: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters.

Italy (Rank 3)

Official gold holdings: 2,451.8 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 71.3%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: A man looks at jewels displayed for auction after being pawned by their owners at the Credit Municipal public pawnbroker in Nice.
Photographs: Eric Gaillard/Reuters.

France (Rank 4)

Official gold holdings: 2,435.4 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 69.5%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: A sales representative poses behind a nine-tael 24K gold in the shape of a dragon forming the numerals 2012.
Photographs: Bobby Yip/Reuters.

China (Rank 5)

Official gold holdings: 1,054.1 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 1.6%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: A watch is displayed in a glass cabinet at a newly opened shop of Swiss luxury brand Piaget at the Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich.
Photographs: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters.

Switzerland (Rank 6)

Official gold holdings: 1,040.1 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 10.0%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: UAZ automobile exhibit, made amber and which costs about $650,000, is displayed during the Junwex Petersburg jewelry exhibition in St. Petersburg.
Photographs: Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters.

Russia (Rank 7)

Official gold holdings: 976.9 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 9.5%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: Second hand gold jewellery items are displayed at Ginza Tanaka store in Tokyo.
Photographs: Yuriko Nakao/Reuters.

Japan (Rank 8)

Official gold holdings: 765.2 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 3.1%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: Figurines in 24K gold.
Photographs: Bobby Yip/Reuters.

The Netherlands (Rank 9)

Official gold holdings: 612.5 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 58.7%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: A woman tries a gold earring inside a jewellery showroom in Kochi.
Photographs: Sivaram V/Reuters.

India (Rank 10)

Official gold holdings: 557.7 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 9.6%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: A shopkeeper poses with gold rings inside a jewellery shop in Taipei.
Photographs: Nicky Loh/Reuters.

Taiwan (Rank 11)

Official gold holdings: 423.6 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 5.4%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Photographs: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters.

Portugal (Rank 12)

Official gold holdings: 382.5 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 89.6%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Turkey (Rank 13)

Official gold holdings: 375.7 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 15.6%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: A Caravaca cross hangs down the back of a man during a spiritual ceremony believed to promote good health as part of the annual religious festival of Maria Lionza.
Photographs: Jorge Silva/Reuters.

Venezuela (Rank 14)

Official gold holdings: 365.8 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 65.4%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: A salesman arranges gold necklaces at a jewellery shop in downtown Riyadh.
Photographs: Fahad Shadeed/Reuters.

Saudi Arabia (Rank 15)

Official gold holdings: 322.9 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 2.4%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: An art nouveau Spanish brooch from the 1910's, made from 18-carat gold and set with opals and worth 36,000, is displayed at Bentley and Skinner jewellers in London.
Photographs: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters.

United Kingdom (Rank 16)

Official gold holdings: 310.3 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 15.2%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Image: A model presents a creation by jewellery designer Mukhi during a show at Joaillerie Liban Exhibition 09 in Beirut.
Photographs: Jamal Saidi/Reuters.

Lebanon (Rank 17)

Official gold holdings: 286.8 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 28.1%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Photographs: Majed Jaber/Reuters.

Spain (Rank 18)

Official gold holdings: 281.6 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 28.2%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Photographs: Reuters.

Austria (Rank 19)

Official gold holdings: 280.0 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 54.7%

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20 countries with highest gold reserves

Photographs: Reuters.

Belgium (Rank 20)

Official gold holdings: 227.5 tonnes

Percentage of foreign reserves in gold: 39.1%

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