Which country became the first to officially adopt the gold standard in 1821?

The United Kingdom became the first country to officially adopt the gold standard in 1821.

Britain had linked its currency to gold through the guinea and later the pound, but the post-Napoleonic monetary settlement made the commitment formal. The Coinage Act 1816 established the sovereign as the main gold coin, and convertibility into gold was restored in 1821.

Under a gold standard, a currency’s value is tied to a specified quantity of gold. Banknotes could generally be exchanged for gold at a fixed rate, limiting the freedom to issue money. Britain’s financial influence helped make the system internationally important during the nineteenth century.

The United States later returned to a formal gold standard in 1879, while Germany adopted one after unification. Britain suspended gold convertibility during the First World War and briefly restored it in 1925 before abandoning it again in 1931.