Five currencies make up the IMF Special Drawing Rights valuation basket.
The current basket contains the U.S. dollar, euro, Chinese renminbi, Japanese yen, and pound sterling. The IMF values the SDR by adding fixed amounts of these currencies, converted into U.S. dollars at daily market exchange rates. The SDR is an international reserve asset and unit of account, not a currency that individuals spend like a national monetary unit.
The IMF reviews the basket periodically, normally every five years, using criteria related to a currency’s importance in international trade and its usability in global financial transactions. The renminbi entered the basket in 2016, restoring the basket to five currencies after the euro’s introduction had reduced the number to four.
For the valuation period beginning 1 August 2022, the IMF assigned weights of 43.38% to the dollar, 29.31% to the euro, 12.28% to the renminbi, 7.59% to the yen, and 7.44% to sterling. These percentages are weights, not equal shares, and their market-value proportions fluctuate as exchange rates move. The currency amounts remain fixed during the valuation period.