SDRs By the Numbers

SDRs By The Numbers.

The Chinese Yuan was newly admitted to the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights Currency Basket (SDR) on November 30, 2015.

Weighting of the Yuan will be 10.9% of the SDR.

Euro weighting was reduced from 37.4% to 30.93%; yet the Eurozone has 34.4% of GDP and nearly half of the gold of the countries whose currencies constitute the SDR.

U.S. dollar weighting remained virtually unchanged at 41.73% and has 32.3% of GDP and 37.5% of the gold of the countries whose currencies constitute the SDR.

China has 19.3% of the GDP and 7.9% of the gold of the countries whose currencies constitute the SDR.

Changes in weighting will take effect on October 1, 2016.

You can buy Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin through Coinbase.
Click HERE to open a coinbase account and get $10 of free Bitcoin.*

Not a Smaulgld subscriber? Sign up here.

Donate To Smaulgld.com via paypal

Currency Weighting of SDRs 2005 – 2015

On November 30, 2015, the IMF announced changes to the SDR. The addition of the Chinese Yuan resulted in reduced percentages of all the existing currencies in the SDR (U.S. Dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen and the British Pound).

To make room for the Chinese Yuan, the U.S. Dollar and British Pound weightings were reduced by small amounts. The U.S. Dollar went from 41.9% of the SDR in 2010 to 41.73% in 2015. The British Pound was reduced from 8.3% to 8.09%. The Japanese Yen was reduced from 9.4% to 8.33%.

The Euro took the biggest haircut from 37.4% of the SDR in 2010 to 30.93% in 2015.

For background on the SDR, click here.

currency weighting of SDRs 2005-2015

The recent addition of the Chinese Yuan to the SDR came at the expense of a substantial reduction in the Euro’s weighting.

Sign Up For Smaulgld.com Updates Here!

SDR Percentage, Gold Percentage and GDP Percentage By Country

The currency weightings of the SDR are loosely related to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and gold holdings of the countries whose currencies are represented by SDRs.

The correspondence, however, is not always close to one to one.

Under represented:

The Eurozone holds 49.7% of all gold of SDR countries, yet the Euro’s latest SDR weighting is 30.93%.

China has 19.3% of the GDP of SDR countries, yet its SDR weighting is 10.92%.

Over represented:

The United Kingdom has just 1.4% of the gold of SDR countries and 5.4% of their GDP, yet its SDR weighting is 8.09%.

The United States has 37.5% of the gold of SDR countries and 32.3% of their GDP, yet its SDR weighting is 41.73%.

SDR percentage gold percentage & GDP percentage

Large gold holdings and GDP numbers don’t translate to one to one SDR weighting.

Compare American Silver Eagles for sale at:

Golden Eagle Coins
SD Bullion
Money Metals Exchange

Gold Holdings of the SDR Countries

Gold held by countries in the SDR 2015

Eurozone nations hold over 10,000 tonnes of gold.

For more detail on the Top 40 gold holding nations, click here.

Total Gold Held by SDR Countries

total gold held by sdr countries 2015

SDR countries hold over 21,000 tonnes of gold.

You can compare pricing and shipping charges on American Gold Eagles coins of all sizes at these web sites:

Golden Eagle Coins
SD Bullion
Money Metals Exchange

Percentage of gold holdings by SDR Country

gold holdings as a percentage of SDR countries

The Eurozone has nearly half of all the gold represented by countries in the SDR.

SDR Countries vs Total Central Bank Gold Holdings

sdr country gold holdings vs central bank gold holdings

The SDR countries hold two thirds of all the gold held by central banks.

GDP of the SDR Countries

GDP of Countries in the SDR by country

The Eurozone, U.S. China and Japan are the top four countries (in order) as measured by GDP.

Total GDP of the SDR Countries

Total gdp of countries in the SDR

SDR countries have a combined total GDP over $53 trillion.

Percentage of GDP by SDR Country

country gdp as percentage of SDR

The Eurozone and the U.S. each account for about a third of the GDP of the overall GDP of the SDR countries.

GDP of the SDR Countries vs Global GDP

SDR countries vs global gdp

The SDR countries account for 70% of the world’s GDP.

Next up, an analysis of the BRICS nations’ (Brazil, Russia, Indian, China and South Africa) GDP and gold holdings.

To receive the BRICS report as soon as it is published, subscribe to Smaulgld.com.

If you have enjoyed this report, please consider buying your precious metals through the Smaulgld affiliates linked to on this site* and subscribing (for free) to Smaulgld.com.

Get Free Updates From Smaulgld.com

Subscribe to Smaulgld.com and get the free In Case You Missed Itweekly email as well as updates and analysis on gold, silver, real estate and the economy.

Also get the free report “Twelve Key Differences Between Gold and Silver” when you subscribe.






Subscribe to Smaulgld.com for free to receive gold and silver updates.

Sources: Gold holding data – World Gold Council as of November 4, 2015

GDP Data- The International Monetary Fund

Further Reading:

What are SDRs?

Top Forty Gold Holding Nations

Gold Suppy and Demand

The Importance of Gold to Nations and Individuals

Please visit the Smaulgld Store for a large selection of recommended Kindles, books, music, movies and other items.


Or you can support Smaulgld.com by making all your Amazon purchases through the search widget below and by ordering your gold and silver by clicking on the BGASC, Golden Eagle Coin, Money Metals Exchange, SD Bullion and Royal Canadian Mint ads on the site.

DISCLOSURE: Smaulgld provides the content on this site free of charge. If you purchase items though the links on this site, Smaulgld LLC. will be paid a commission. The prices charged are the same as they would be if you were to visit the sites directly. Please do your own research regarding the suitability of making purchases from the merchants featured on this site.

Chart Disclaimer: Information presented here has been obtained from a third party and is presented for information purposes only. Smaulgld can not and does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the data displayed on this site and therefor the data provided should not be used to make actual investment decisions. You should always consult a professional investment adviser before investing in precious metals or any type of investment. You acknowledge that Smaulgld assumes no responsibility for the integrity of data on this site.

The content provided here is for informational purposes only. Making investment decisions based on information published by Smaulgld (SG), or any Internet site, is not a good idea. Accordingly, users agree to hold SG, its owner and affiliates, harmless for all information presented on the site. SG presents no warranties. SG is not responsible for any loss of data, financial loss, interruption in services, claims of libel, damages or loss from the use or inability to access SG, any linked content, or the reliance on any information on the site.

The information contained herein does not constitute investment advice and may be subject to correction, completion and amendment without notice. SG assumes no duty to make any such corrections or updates. As with all investments, there are associated risks and you could lose money investing. Prior to making any investment, a prospective investor should consult with its own investment, accounting, legal and tax advisers to evaluate independently the risks, consequences and suitability of that investment. SG disclaims any and all liability relating to any investor reliance on the accuracy of the information contained herein or relating to any omissions or errors and as such disclaims any and all losses that may result.

Post Navigation