Exploring Gold Demand and Supply by Country

United States

In 2022, the United States experienced an annual gold demand increase of 18%, to a total of 4,741 tons, the highest annual demand since 2011. This increase was partly due to central bank purchases and retail investor buying. The demand for investment gold saw a ten percent increase to 1,107 tons.

The 2023 use of gold in the United States is decreasing because of the rise in gold prices. The U.S. does not make jewelry of pure gold, preferring a mix of gold and copper to create jewelry with a higher resistance to wear. This is why U.S. gold jewelry is sold in a carat, usually 10, 12, 14, 18, or 21 carats.

Top Gold Producing Countries

Before the 1890s, Australia, Russia, and the United States were the largest gold-producing countries in the world. The world’s largest goldfields were discovered in South Africa’s Witwatersrand Basin in 1886.

This gold rush led to the Boer defeat in the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1902. This resulted in the loss of Boer self-government and the establishment of British rule over South Africa. Britain’s ultimate goal was to claim the gold fields for themselves.

By 1970, South Africa’s production of gold peaked at 1,002 tonnes, the largest amount produced by any country in a year. As of 2023, Australia, China, and Russia are the top producers in the world. 

Australia and Russia have the largest reserves of gold. This means their mining resources are greater than in any other area.

Australia

Australia has the largest gold reserves, producing about 320 metric tons annually. The country is conducting further gold exploration due to a discovery of in situ gold nuggets in 2017 in a gold project in West Pilabara, Western Australia.

In situ gold nuggets, called lode deposits, consist of disseminating metallic gold in quartz veins. There are also traces of gold in sulfide minerals or very fine-grained particles in rocks.

Canada

If you visit the Yukon, you will find gold still being mined in Dawson City, home of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896. The Country is the world’s fifth-largest producer.

Ontario and Quebec are the leading provinces for gold production, providing over 70% of the country’s gold output. Gold is its most valuable mined commodity.

British Columbia’s Golden Triangle is home to some of the world’s largest and richest metal deposits. The area was the site of gold rushes in 1861, 1870s, and 1898. A gold discovery in the early 1900s included additional precious metals-copper, gold, nickel, silver, and zinc.

Receding glaciers are making previously inaccessible deposits available for mining. The Premier Gold Mine, opened in 1918, is one of the world’s best gold and silver mines.  There are 39 exploration and development projects taking place within the Golden Triangle.