Romanian central bank holds the 36th largest reserves in the world

Romania ranks 36th globally by the size of central bank reserves, around USD 73 billion, according to The World Factbook, but based on 2024 data.

The 36th place is the same as the country’s position by the size of its economy in the world, with GDP calculated at purchasing power parity.

However, this year the reserves of the National Bank of Romania, or BNR, decreased somewhat, to EUR 65 billion, compared to EUR 65.188 billion on August 31, 2025. In 2022, Romania had an estimated USD 55 billion in its central bank vaults.

The cited ranking shows that the top 10 countries together hold USD 9.4 trillion in foreign exchange and gold reserves, representing over 60% of the global total. The Chinese central bank comes in first place, with USD 3.45 trillion, followed by Japan with USD 1.23 trillion, and the US, with USD 910 billion.

The World Factbook estimates that China has USD 3.5 trillion in reserves, far exceeding any other country. According to The Economics Review, this level is due to China’s persistent trade surpluses, which bring more foreign currencies into the country than go out.

Switzerland (USD 909 billion), India (USD 643 billion), Russia (USD 597 billion), Saudi Arabia (USD 463 billion), Hong Kong (USD 425 billion), South Korea (USD 418 billion), and Singapore (USD 383 billion) complete the top 10.

(Photo source: Vlad Ispas | Dreamstime.com)