Iraq’s gold reserves hit 174 tons

Thu Feb 05 2026

Iraq boosted its gold holdings to more than 174 tons, according to the most recent official world gold reserve statistics for February 2026. According to figures released by the World Gold Council, Iraq’s gold stockpiles rose to 174.6 tons, compared to 170.9 tons in the month before.

This accounts for 24.6 percent of the country’s entire foreign reserves, demonstrating a rising reliance on the precious metal as a hedge and source of monetary stability, Shafaq News reported. With 8,133 tons, the United States leads the list of countries with the greatest gold reserves worldwide, followed by Germany with 3,350 tons, Italy with 2,451 tons, France with 2,437 tons, and Russia with 2,326 tons.

Saudi Arabia led the list of Arab countries with 323 tons of gold reserves, followed by Lebanon with 286 tons, and Iraq in third place with 174.6 tons, ahead of many other Arab countries. Iraq bought one ton of gold in March 2025, 1.6 tons in June, 3.1 tons in July, 2.5 tons in August, and 3.8 tons in October.

Central banks around the world were the key drivers of gold demand in the third quarter of 2025, expanding their purchases after a slowdown in the two previous quarters. The World Gold Council, which has offices in India, China, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States in addition to its headquarters in London, seeks to leverage market expansion to sustain and raise demand for gold.

Source: https://www.iraqinews.com/