Venezuela, RB: Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Venezuela, RB's total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) fell 7% on 2016 (from US$3.26 billion to US$3.03 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2016), the average change was +4.1% and a typical year strayed about 38.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below 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 211% in 1974 and the biggest yearly fall was 48.4% in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is downward, about US$2.7 billion a year. A straight line explains 76% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about −US$8.59 billion for 2020. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2015 to 2017 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was US$1.12 billion, against US$3.25 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

Closest to Venezuela, RB in the 2017 ranking

• Sudan — 2nd of 2: US$177.93 million

What this measures

This series includes external assets (excluding 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.

All 58 values

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

• Antigua and Barbuda — US$378.52 million (2025)
• Argentina — US$32.33 billion (2025)
• Aruba — US$1.79 billion (2025)
• Bahamas, The — US$2.81 billion (2025)
• Barbados — US$1.65 billion (2024)
• Belize — US$559.43 million (2025)
• Bolivia — US$579.91 million (2025)
• Brazil — US$334.3 billion (2025)
• Chile — US$49.42 billion (2025)
• Colombia — US$65.15 billion (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for Venezuela, RB

• Final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$88.98 billion (2025)
• Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 14.72 trillion (2025)
• Final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 89.28% (2025)
• Gross national expenditure (current US$) — US$94.88 billion (2025)
• Gross national expenditure (current LCU) — 15.7 trillion (2025)
• Gross national expenditure (% of GDP) — 95.21% (2025)
• Exports of goods and services (current US$) — US$14.85 billion (2025)
• Exports of goods and services (current LCU) — 2.46 trillion (2025)
• Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) — 14.9% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Venezuela, RB's total reserves, excluding gold (current US$)?

US$3.03 billion in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 1,362% from US$207.51 million in 1960 (4.82% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$33.1 billion in 2008 and the lowest US$178.51 million in 1961.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FI.RES.XGLD.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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