How Much Gold Has Been Extracted In The History Of Humanity?

It is estimated that humanity began to know and value gold approximately 6,000 years ago. The Romans perfected the mining techniques that allowed the massive extraction of gold from the mines that populated the Empire.

According to the calculations of the World Gold Council , since the beginning of history some 187,200 tons of gold have been extracted , practically all of which is still among us, in different forms, since gold is indestructible.

This amount may seem huge, but if it were melted into a single block, it would make a cube 21 meters on each side . For comparison purposes, a tennis court is 23 meters long.

Due to its enormous ductility and malleability, all that gold could be turned into a fine thread just 5 microns thick , long enough to go around the world 11.2 million times .

Annual world production was 3,503 tons in 2018, 1.8% more than the previous year. For 2019 , the figure is expected to reach its all-time high again, for the tenth consecutive year : 3,516 tons .

To this amount, which is what is extracted from the mines, we must add that which comes from recycling old jewels, coins or ingots, which reaches the refineries as an additional supply. In 2018, a total of 1,168 tons of gold were recycled , bringing last year’s total supply to 4,671 tons .

Russia was the world’s third largest producer, with 297 tonnes . The country also has some of the world’s largest mines in its vast territory, as well as being the largest producer of palladium and one of the largest producers of nickel and platinum.

In fourth place was the United States, with 222 tons . The state of Nevada is the largest gold producer within the US territory. By itself, this state would be among the countries with the highest production.

The fifth place in the classification of the largest producers of 2018 was occupied by Canada, with 189 tons . Canadian mining companies are among the world’s leading gold miners, with holdings on five continents.