New Zealand: Total reserves, including gold (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, New Zealand's total reserves, including gold (current US$) rose 27.6% on 2024 (from US$22.07 billion to US$28.15 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.3% and a typical year strayed about 22.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 135.8% in 1986 and the biggest yearly fall was 38.6% in 1974. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 13% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, New Zealand had the 59th highest value of the 131 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to New Zealand in the 2025 ranking

• Guatemala — 55th of 131: US$32.75 billion
• Macao SAR, China — 56th of 131: US$30.64 billion
• Bangladesh — 57th of 131: US$28.56 billion
• Cambodia — 59th of 131: US$27.52 billion
• Jordan — 60th of 131: US$26.56 billion
• Pakistan — 61st of 131: US$26.46 billion

What this measures

Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

All 66 values

Total reserves, including gold (current US$) in nearby economies

• Australia — US$72.63 billion (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — US$5.49 billion (2025)
• Cambodia — US$27.52 billion (2025)
• China — US$3.75 trillion (2025)
• Fiji — US$1.66 billion (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — US$425.55 billion (2023)
• Indonesia — US$156.54 billion (2025)
• Japan — US$1.37 trillion (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — US$436.57 billion (2025)
• Lao PDR

More economic policy & debt data for New Zealand

• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$28.15 billion (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$264.06 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 449.8 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$220.1 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 359.52 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$49,591 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 84,475 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$41,336 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 67,519 (2025)
• GNI (current US$) — US$246.81 billion (2025)
• GNI (current LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is New Zealand's total reserves, including gold (current US$)?

US$28.15 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 9,689% from US$287.6 million in 1960 (7.31% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$28.15 billion in 2025 and the lowest US$161.71 million in 1968.

How does New Zealand rank?

59th highest of 131 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in total reserves, including gold (current US$) unusual for New Zealand?

In 2025, New Zealand's total reserves, including gold (current US$) rose 27.6% on 2024 (from US$22.07 billion to US$28.15 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.3% and a typical year strayed about 22.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FI.RES.TOTL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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