6. How much gold comes from recycling each year?
The total supply of gold per year consists of about a quarter to a third of scrap gold, according to figures from the World Gold Council. When the gold price rises, the supply of scrap gold increases, while it decreases again when the gold price is lower. Scrap gold is old coins, bars and jewellery that are melted down and purified into new gold. The supply of scrap gold is an essential part of the total supply of gold. The first graph shows the supply of scrap gold per quarter from the fourth quarter of 2009 onwards. The second chart shows the annual supply of scrap gold since 1997.
Quarterly supply of scrap gold since fourth quarter 2009
Scrap gold is a vital part of global gold supply
