• 2005 demand for gold hits record of $53.7 billion
  
• 26% rise in investment demand in tonnage terms in 2005
  
• Jewellery demand 14% higher in $ terms than 2004 despite the impact of a volatile price in Q4
  
• Net inflows into Exchange Traded Funds totalled 203 tonnes or $3 billion

Consumers and investors pushed demand for gold to a record level of $53.6 billion in 2005, according to figures published today by the World Gold Council (WGC), with all categories of demand (jewellery, industrial and investment) recording double-digit year-on-year growth in dollar terms.

Identifiable investment demand totalled 600 tonnes in 2005, a 26% rise on the previous year, whilst jewellery demand rose 5% (2,736 tonnes) and industrial demand by 2% (419 tonnes). It was also a record year in dollar terms for total consumer demand (3,132 tonnes) which includes both retail investment and jewellery.

Full details are given in the press release.

Data on the supply and demand for gold are compiled by GFMS Ltd. The company provides a number of tables exclusively for the World Gold Council. The following table shows a summary of gold demand. Links to more detailed tables, and to notes and copyright information, are given below. Please note the restrictions on disseminating these data.

Notes to tables.
Notes: Source: GFMS Ltd. 1. Identifiable end-use consumption excluding central banks. 2. Provisional. 3. "Other retail" excludes bar and primary coin offtake; it represents mainly activity in North America and Western Europe. 4. Exchange Traded Funds and similar products including LyxOR Gold Bullion Securities, Gold Bullion Securities (Australia), streetTRACKS Gold Shares, NewGold Gold Debentures, iShares Comex Gold Trust, Central Fund of Canada and Central Gold Trust.