World Gold Council Halves 2026 Investment Demand Forecast
The WGC now expects gold investment demand to grow about 200 tonnes in 2026, down from 400 tonnes, while raising its outlook for central bank purchases.
The World Gold Council has revised its 2026 outlook, cutting the expected increase in gold investment demand to roughly 200 tonnes — half the 400-tonne gain it had projected in an earlier forecast, according to a report covered by BeInCrypto.
In the same set of revisions, the industry body raised its expectations for purchases by central banks, a segment that has been a major source of official-sector demand in recent years.
A change in who drives demand
Taken together, the two adjustments point to a different mix of buyers behind forecast demand growth, with official institutions expected to carry more of the weight while private investment contributes less than previously assumed.
- Investment demand growth trimmed to about 200 tonnes from 400 tonnes
- Central bank buying outlook revised higher in the same report
- Revisions shift the expected composition of demand rather than its direction
Gold forecasts are closely watched as a gauge of institutional appetite for hard assets, and the sector's demand mix is often cited in comparisons between gold and bitcoin as stores of value. The figures reflect the World Gold Council's projections, not realised flows.