Global demand for gold in 2011 rose to 4,067.1 tonnes (t) worth an estimated US$205.5 billion - the first time that global demand has exceeded US$200 billion and the highest tonnage level since 1997, the World Gold Council said today.

The main driver for this increase was the investment sector where annual demand was 1,640.7t up 5% on the previous record set in 2010 and with a value of US$82.9 billion.

The pre-eminent markets for investment demand in 2011 were India, China and Europe. Central banks continued the trend established in 2010 of being net buyers of gold.

Marcus Grubb, WGC Managing Director, Investment said: “What we can see from these 2011 figures is that there were two main factors driving the results: Asian growth and optimism on the one hand and western desire to protect assets against uncertainty on the other."

Download Gold Demand Trends Full Year 2011