Which country holds the largest official gold reserves?

The United States holds the largest official gold reserves of any country.

Official reserves are monetary gold owned by a national government or central bank, not all the gold mined or privately held within a country. The United States has traditionally ranked first, with roughly 8,100 metric tonnes—more than twice the holdings attributed to Germany, the next-largest national holder.

Much of America’s bullion is associated with the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky, but gold is also stored at other U.S. Mint facilities, including the West Point Bullion Depository and the Denver Mint. Fort Knox is therefore famous, but it is not the entire national reserve.

A common mix-up is confusing official reserves with total national gold ownership. Countries such as India and China have enormous private gold holdings, while international organizations such as the IMF also hold gold. This question concerns government reserves, the standard category used in central-bank comparisons.