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List of countries by foreign-exchange reserves

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold in 2008
Map of countries by foreign currency reserves and gold minus external debt based on 2009 data from CIA Factbook

Foreign exchange reserves (also called Forex reserves) in a strict sense are only the foreign currency deposits held by central banks and monetary authorities. However, the term foreign exchange reserves in popular usage (such as this list) commonly includes foreign exchange and gold, SDRs and IMF reserve position as this total figure is more readily available, however it is accurately deemed as official reserves or international reserves. The list excludes currency swaps conducted by central banks.

These are assets of the central banks which are held in different reserve currencies such as the dollar, euro, yen and pound, 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. Some nations are converting foreign exchange reserves into sovereign wealth funds, which can rival foreign exchange reserves in size.

This is a list of countries and territories by foreign exchange reserves in US dollar equivalence. Some nations have multiple monetary authorities, counted separately, such as the People's Republic of China, which has three (mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau). Exchange rate fluctuations can have significant impact on these numbers. While most nations report in US dollars, a few nations in Eastern Europe report solely in Euros.

List of states by foreign exchange reserves

The list below is based on IMF data - when available; Otherwise - CIA data are indicated. For consistency, forward currency swap contracts are not included in this list until they mature, figures that include them may be higher or lower than those listed here. IMF or other outstanding loans are not shown here, and if accounted for many nations would list lower.

Rank Country/Monetary Authority Foreign exchange reserves
(Millions of USD) 		Figures as of
—  World (sum of all countries) N/A --
1  People's Republic of China
2,622,000 Dec 2010[1]
2  Japan 1,096,185 Dec 2010[2]
- European Union Eurosystem
(EU member states which have adopted the euro, incl. ECB)		 789,891 Dec 2010[2]
3  Russia 479,379 Dec 2010[2]
4  Saudi Arabia 456,200 Dec 2010[1]
5  Republic of China (Taiwan) 382,800 Dec 2010 [1]
6  Brazil 297,696 Jan 2011[2]
7  India 297,334 Dec 2010[2]
8  Republic of Korea 295,956 Jan 2011[2]
9  Switzerland 271,667 Jan 2011[2]
- Hong Kong Hong Kong 268,731 Dec 2010[2]
10  Singapore 225,754 Dec 2010[2]
11  Germany 208,704 Jan 2011[2]
12  Thailand 172,129 Dec 2010[2]
13  France 166,319 Dec 2010[2]
14  Italy 158,926 Dec 2010[2]
15  Algeria 150,100 Dec 2010[1]
16  United States 132,933 Feb 2011[2]
17  Mexico 117,413 Nov 2010[2]
18  United Kingdom 107,853 Jan 2011[2]
19  Libya 107,300 Dec 2010[1]
20  Malaysia 106,498 Dec 2010[2]
21  Indonesia 96,207 Dec 2010[2]
22  Poland 95,743 Jan 2011[2]
23  Turkey 85,968 Dec 2010[2]
24  Denmark 76,529 Dec 2010[2]
— European Union European Central Bank
(ECB, not owned by any single EU member)		 75,887 Dec 2010[2]
25  Iran 75,060 Dec 2010[1]
26  Israel 71,284 Dec 2010[2]
27  Philippines 62,371 Dec 2010[2]
28  Canada 58,707 Jan 2011[2]
29  Argentina 56,350 Mar 2011[3]
30  Romania 49,218 Jan 2011[2]
31  Sweden 48,295 Dec 2010[2]
32-33  Netherlands 45,738 Jan 2011[2]
32-33  Norway 45,738 Nov 2010[2]
34  Iraq 45,680 Dec 2010[1]
35  Hungary 44,996 Dec 2010[2]
36  Peru 44,388 Feb 2011[2]
37  South Africa 43,834 Dec 2010[2]
38  Nigeria 43,360 Dec 2010[1]
39  Australia 42,268 Dec 2010[2]
40  Lebanon 41,570 Dec 2010[1]
41  Czech Republic 41,314 Jan 2011[2]
42  United Arab Emirates 39,100 Dec 2010[1]
43  Egypt 36,194 Dec 2010[2]
44  Ukraine 35,139 Jan 2011[2]
45  Spain 31,538 Jan 2011[2]
46  Venezuela 29,490 Dec 2010[1]
47  Kazakhstan 28,291 Dec 2010[2]
48  Colombia 28,572 Jan 2011[2]
49  Belgium 26,850 Dec 2010[2]
50  Chile 26,006 Nov 2010[2]
51  Morocco 22,885 Nov 2010[2]
52  Kuwait 22,420 Dec 2010[1]
53  Qatar 22,410 Dec 2010[1]
54  Austria 22,299 Dec 2010[2]
55  Portugal 20,156 Jan 2011[2]
56 Macau Macau 18,730 Mar 2010[4]
57  Bulgaria 17,337 Jan 2011[2]
58  New Zealand 16,725 Dec 2010[2]
59  Vietnam 16,300 Dec 2010[1]
60  Pakistan 16,100 Dec 2010[2]
61  Croatia 14,139 Dec 2010[2]
62  Jordan 13,637 Dec 2010[2]
63  Bangladesh 10,790 Dec 2010[1]
64  Finland 9,561 Dec 2010[2]
65  Tunisia 9,462 Jan 2011[2]
66  Trinidad and Tobago 9,659 Dec 2010[1]
67  Bolivia 8,739 Dec 2010[1]
68  Uruguay 7,744 Dec 2010[2]
69  Latvia 7,605 Dec 2010[2]
70  Lithuania 6,650 Jan 2011[2]
71  Azerbaijan 6,330 Dec 2010[1]
72  Greece 6,316 Dec 2010[2]
73  Iceland 6,312 Jan 2011[2]
74  Belarus 4,343 Jan 2011[2]
75  Sri Lanka 5,630 Dec 2010 [1]
76  Costa Rica 4,627 Dec 2010[2]
77  Paraguay 4,082 Dec 2010[1]
78  Cambodia 3,840 Dec 2010 [1]
79  Myanmar 3,762 Dec 2010 [1]
80  El Salvador 2,883 Dec 2010[2]
81  Honduras 2,699 Dec 2010[2]
82  Estonia 2,568 Dec 2010[2]
83  Slovakia 2,166 Dec 2010[2]
83  Georgia 2,139 Jan 2011[2]
85 Republic of Ireland Ireland 2,120 Dec 2010[2]
86  Armenia 1,859 Dec 2010[2]
87  Moldova 1,718 Dec 2010[2]
88  Kyrgyzstan 1,701 Jan 2011[2]
89  Cyprus 1,141 Dec 2010[2]
90  Slovenia 1,055 Jan 2011[2]
91  Luxembourg 851 Dec 2010[2]
92  Laos 576 Dec 2010[1]
93  Malta 541 Dec 2010[2]

List of outstanding forward swap agreements

The following is a list of outstanding forward swap contracts with the Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, People's Bank of China. They are not included in foreign exchange reserves, but can bolster the reserves when credit is taken out, and reduce the reserves when credit expires. The Fed has extended its credit deadline to Oct. 30, 2009 for those nations listed below. Japan's deadlines are April 30, 2009, but may be extended. China's table list below are a lines of credit, and does not show actual withdrawals, and are valid for 3 years.

Rank Country/Monetary Authority Foreign exchange swap with Fed
(millions of USD) 		As of
1 European Union European Central Bank -264,100 Nov 2008
2  Japan -97,000 Nov 2008
3  United Kingdom -54,300 Nov 2009
4  Brazil -30,000 Dec 2008
5  Mexico -30,000 Dec 2008
6  Republic of Korea -30,000 Dec 2008
7  Sweden -25,000 Nov 2008
8  Australia -21,600 Nov 2008
9  Switzerland -20,800 Nov 2008
10  Denmark -15,000 Nov 2008
Rank Country/Monetary Authority Foreign exchange swap with BOJ
(millions of USD) 		Figures as of
1  Republic of Korea -20,000 Dec 2008
2  Indonesia -12,000 Feb 2009
3  Thailand -6,000 Dec 2008
3  Philippines -6,000 Dec 2008
5  Malaysia -3,000 Dec 2008
5  India -3,000 Dec 2008
Rank Country/Monetary Authority Swap credit line with PBC[5]
(millions of Yuan) 		Issue date
1  Hong Kong -200,000 Jan 2009
2  Republic of Korea -180,000 Dec 2008
3  Singapore -150,000 Jul 2010
4  Indonesia -100,000 Mar 2009
5  Malaysia -80,000 Feb 2009
6  Argentina -70,000 Mar 2009
7  Belarus -20,000 Feb 2009

See also

Notes

  • ^ Iranian government does not report the foreign exchange reserves as a matter of policy and all figures are estimates calculated by international or foreign institutes which are occasionally endorsed by Iranian officials without disclosing the exact numbers.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "The World Fact Book, reserves of foreign exchange and gold". CIA. 2010-31-12. Retrieved 2011-02-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs "Data Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity - Reporting Countries". Imf.org. 2001-01-05. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
  3. ^ Los Andes Online edition (in Spanish), 01 March 2011
  4. ^ http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau/6429-Foreign-exchange-reserves.html
  5. ^ Bloomberg:China, Indonesia in 100 Billion Yuan Currency Swap
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