Japan vs United States: Total reserves
Total reserves over time
- Japan
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1.39 trillion includes gold, current US$ against 1.37 trillion includes gold, current US$ in Japan, a difference of 14.05 billion includes gold, current US$.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United States ahead.
Japan ranks 3rd and United States ranks 2nd of 181 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 4 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.27 billion includes gold, current US$ | 16.96 billion includes gold, current US$ | 14.69 billion includes gold, current US$ | United States |
| 1970s | 19.87 billion includes gold, current US$ | 49.34 billion includes gold, current US$ | 29.47 billion includes gold, current US$ | United States |
| 1980s | 55.83 billion includes gold, current US$ | 139.91 billion includes gold, current US$ | 84.08 billion includes gold, current US$ | United States |
| 1990s | 165.26 billion includes gold, current US$ | 156.21 billion includes gold, current US$ | 9.05 billion includes gold, current US$ | Japan |
| 2000s | 754.94 billion includes gold, current US$ | 217.58 billion includes gold, current US$ | 537.36 billion includes gold, current US$ | Japan |
| 2010s | 1.25 trillion includes gold, current US$ | 469.10 billion includes gold, current US$ | 781.17 billion includes gold, current US$ | Japan |
| 2020s | 1.32 trillion includes gold, current US$ | 853.35 billion includes gold, current US$ | 466.79 billion includes gold, current US$ | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total reserves, Japan or United States?
- United States, at 1.39 trillion includes gold, current US$ against 1.37 trillion includes gold, current US$ in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in total reserves between Japan and United States?
- 14.05 billion includes gold, current US$, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United States?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Japan and United States rank globally for total reserves?
- Japan ranks 3rd and United States ranks 2nd of 181 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Total reserves (includes gold, current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Reserve assets are external assets, including 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.