SesTrading · Answers
Gold price history: 1970 to today
Gold price by year, 1970 to 2026
Annual average of the London afternoon gold price in US dollars per troy ounce, with the highest and lowest monthly average of each year and the change of the average from the year before. Source: World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet), monthly prices, November 2026 release, which quotes whole dollars. Figures are monthly averages, so the intraday extremes were higher and lower.
| Year | Average | Highest month | Lowest month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Oct) | $4,507 | $5,020 (Feb) | $4,073 (Jul) | +31.0% |
| 2025 | $3,442 | $4,309 (Dec) | $2,710 (Jan) | +44.1% |
| 2024 | $2,388 | $2,690 (Oct) | $2,023 (Feb) | +22.9% |
| 2023 | $1,943 | $2,026 (Dec) | $1,855 (Feb) | +7.9% |
| 2022 | $1,801 | $1,948 (Mar) | $1,664 (Oct) | +0.1% |
| 2021 | $1,800 | $1,867 (Jan) | $1,718 (Mar) | +1.7% |
| 2020 | $1,770 | $1,969 (Aug) | $1,561 (Jan) | +27.1% |
| 2019 | $1,393 | $1,511 (Sep) | $1,284 (May) | +9.7% |
| 2018 | $1,269 | $1,335 (Apr) | $1,198 (Sep) | +0.9% |
| 2017 | $1,258 | $1,314 (Sep) | $1,192 (Jan) | +0.7% |
| 2016 | $1,249 | $1,340 (Aug) | $1,098 (Jan) | +7.6% |
| 2015 | $1,161 | $1,251 (Jan) | $1,076 (Dec) | -8.3% |
| 2014 | $1,266 | $1,336 (Mar) | $1,175 (Nov) | -10.3% |
| 2013 | $1,412 | $1,672 (Jan) | $1,222 (Dec) | -15.4% |
| 2012 | $1,670 | $1,747 (Oct) | $1,589 (May) | +6.4% |
| 2011 | $1,569 | $1,772 (Sep) | $1,360 (Jan) | +28.1% |
| 2010 | $1,225 | $1,391 (Dec) | $1,095 (Feb) | +25.9% |
| 2009 | $973 | $1,135 (Dec) | $859 (Jan) | +11.6% |
| 2008 | $872 | $968 (Mar) | $761 (Nov) | +25.1% |
| 2007 | $697 | $806 (Nov) | $631 (Jan) | +15.3% |
| 2006 | $604 | $675 (May) | $550 (Jan) | +35.9% |
| 2005 | $445 | $510 (Dec) | $422 (May) | +8.7% |
| 2004 | $409 | $442 (Dec) | $384 (May) | +12.5% |
| 2003 | $364 | $407 (Dec) | $328 (Apr) | +17.3% |
| 2002 | $310 | $332 (Dec) | $282 (Jan) | +14.5% |
| 2001 | $271 | $283 (Sep) | $260 (Apr) | -2.9% |
| 2000 | $279 | $300 (Feb) | $266 (Nov) | +0.1% |
| 1999 | $279 | $311 (Oct) | $256 (Jul) | -5.2% |
| 1998 | $294 | $308 (Apr) | $284 (Aug) | -11.2% |
| 1997 | $331 | $355 (Jan) | $289 (Dec) | -14.6% |
| 1996 | $388 | $405 (Feb) | $369 (Dec) | +0.9% |
| 1995 | $384 | $391 (Apr) | $377 (Feb) | +0.1% |
| 1994 | $384 | $392 (Sep) | $377 (Apr) | +6.7% |
| 1993 | $360 | $392 (Jul) | $329 (Jan) | +4.7% |
| 1992 | $344 | $354 (Jan) | $335 (Nov) | -5.1% |
| 1991 | $362 | $384 (Jan) | $349 (Sep) | -5.5% |
| 1990 | $384 | $417 (Feb) | $352 (Jun) | +0.5% |
| 1989 | $381 | $409 (Dec) | $362 (Sep) | -12.7% |
| 1988 | $437 | $477 (Jan) | $407 (Oct) | -2.1% |
| 1987 | $446 | $486 (Dec) | $401 (Feb) | +21.4% |
| 1986 | $368 | $424 (Oct) | $339 (Feb) | +15.6% |
| 1985 | $318 | $330 (Aug) | $299 (Feb) | -11.8% |
| 1984 | $360 | $394 (Mar) | $320 (Dec) | -14.7% |
| 1983 | $423 | $491 (Feb) | $382 (Nov) | +12.5% |
| 1982 | $376 | $445 (Dec) | $315 (Jun) | -18.3% |
| 1981 | $460 | $557 (Jan) | $409 (Jul) | -24.4% |
| 1980 | $608 | $675 (Jan) | $514 (May) | +98.2% |
| 1979 | $307 | $455 (Dec) | $227 (Jan) | +58.8% |
| 1978 | $193 | $227 (Oct) | $173 (Jan) | +30.8% |
| 1977 | $148 | $162 (Nov) | $132 (Jan) | +18.3% |
| 1976 | $125 | $134 (Dec) | $110 (Aug) | -22.4% |
| 1975 | $161 | $180 (Feb) | $139 (Dec) | +1.0% |
| 1974 | $159 | $184 (Dec) | $129 (Jan) | +63.6% |
| 1973 | $97 | $120 (Jun) | $65 (Jan) | +67.3% |
| 1972 | $58 | $67 (Aug) | $46 (Jan) | +42.2% |
| 1971 | $41 | $43 (Aug) | $38 (Jan) | +14.2% |
| 1970 | $36 | $38 (Oct) | $35 (Jan) |
The five big moves
1971 to 1980: from $35 to over $600
From 1934 the US dollar was convertible into gold at a fixed $35 an ounce, which pinned the world price. On 15 August 1971 President Nixon ended that convertibility (Federal Reserve History) and gold started to float. With inflation running high through the decade, the monthly average went from $41 in 1971 to $675 in January 1980, a 16-fold rise in under nine years.
1980 to 1999: a twenty-year decline
After the 1980 peak, high US interest rates and falling inflation took the shine off gold. The monthly average drifted down for two decades to $256 in July 1999, 62% below the January 1980 average. Anyone who bought at the top waited more than 25 years to get their dollars back, before inflation.
2001 to 2011: the long bull market
Gold rose in almost every year from 2001, through the 2008 financial crisis and the central-bank money printing that followed, to a monthly average of $1,772 in September 2011. On COMEX, futures traded as high as $1,911.60 that month.
2011 to 2015: the correction
From the 2011 peak gold fell for four years to a monthly average of $1,076 in December 2015, down 39%. It then moved sideways for three years before the pandemic.
2019 to 2026: the record run
Gold passed its 2011 high in 2020 ($1,969 monthly average in August 2020) and, after two flat years, went almost straight up from late 2023. Central banks bought more than 1,000 tonnes a year in 2023 and 2024 (World Gold Council). The annual average rose 23% in 2024 and 44% in 2025; COMEX futures went from a low of $2,624.60 on 6 January 2025 to $5,586.20 on 29 January 2026. Since then the price has fallen: the 2026 low so far is $3,879.30 on 30 October 2026, 31% below the January peak, and the last close in our data is $4,074.90 on 2026-11-06.
Highs, lows and closes on COMEX since 2001
The table above uses monthly averages. For traders the intraday extremes matter more, so here are the yearly high, low and last price of the front-month COMEX gold futures contract, from Yahoo Finance (GC=F), fetched 8 November 2026. Futures trade a little above or below spot, so these differ by a few dollars from the London price.
| Year | High | Low | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to 6 Nov) | $5,586.20 (2026-01-29) | $3,879.30 (2026-10-30) | $4,074.90 |
| 2025 | $4,584.00 (2025-12-26) | $2,624.60 (2025-01-06) | $4,341.10 |
| 2024 | $2,801.80 (Oct) | $1,996.40 (Feb) | $2,657.00 |
| 2023 | $2,152.30 (Dec) | $1,810.80 (Feb) | $2,071.80 |
| 2022 | $2,078.80 (Mar) | $1,618.30 (Nov) | $1,826.20 |
| 2021 | $1,962.50 (Jan) | $1,673.30 (Mar) | $1,828.60 |
| 2020 | $2,089.20 (Aug) | $1,518.00 (Jan) | $1,895.10 |
| 2019 | $1,549.30 (Aug) | $1,266.00 (Apr) | $1,465.60 |
| 2018 | $1,362.40 (Jan) | $1,161.40 (Aug) | $1,278.30 |
| 2017 | $1,355.80 (Sep) | $1,196.20 (Mar) | $1,306.30 |
| 2016 | $1,374.90 (Jul) | $1,063.20 (Jan) | $1,150.00 |
| 2015 | $1,303.50 (Jan) | $1,046.20 (Dec) | $1,060.30 |
| 2014 | $1,391.40 (Mar) | $1,133.00 (Nov) | $1,183.90 |
| 2013 | $1,694.70 (Jan) | $1,183.20 (Jun) | $1,250.60 |
| 2012 | $1,794.80 (Oct) | $1,528.50 (May) | $1,674.80 |
| 2011 | $1,911.60 (Sep) | $1,307.70 (Jan) | $1,565.80 |
| 2010 | $1,431.10 (Dec) | $1,045.20 (Feb) | $1,421.10 |
| 2009 | $1,226.40 (Dec) | $805.60 (Jan) | $1,095.20 |
| 2008 | $1,014.60 (Mar) | $681.00 (Oct) | $883.60 |
| 2007 | $843.20 (Dec) | $607.00 (Jan) | $834.90 |
| 2006 | $723.00 (May) | $535.50 (Feb) | $635.20 |
| 2005 | $538.50 (Dec) | $410.10 (Feb) | $517.10 |
| 2004 | $456.50 (Dec) | $375.80 (May) | $437.50 |
| 2003 | $417.20 (Dec) | $319.30 (Apr) | $415.70 |
| 2002 | $330.30 (Jun) | $278.10 (Jan) | $316.80 |
| 2001 | $294.00 (Sep) | $255.00 (Feb) | $278.70 |
What gold has returned in the long run
- Since 1971: from a $41 average in 1971 to $3,442 in 2025 is 84 times the money, or about 8.6% a year compounded over 54 years, before inflation and before any storage or trading costs.
- The last 10 years: the 2015 average was $1,161; the 2025 average was $3,442, 3.0 times as much.
- The last 20 years: $445 in 2005 to $3,442 in 2025, 7.7 times.
- But the path was not smooth: a 62% fall from 1980 to 1999, a 39% fall from 2011 to 2015, and a 31% fall from the January 2026 peak to the October 2026 low. Gold rewards patience and punishes leverage.
How to use this history
For an investor, the lesson is that gold has held and grown its dollar value over decades but can lose a third of it inside a year. For a trader it is the opposite lesson: what matters is not where gold was in 1980 but how far it moves this week. We measure that on the live price page (a typical day in autumn 2026 moved $82 between high and low) and explain what to do with it in how to trade gold and the lot size calculator. If the symbols are new to you, start with XAU/USD explained. Next, what that history does and does not say about the year ahead: gold forecast. And every price on this page is nominal: see gold adjusted for inflation for what 1980 and 2011 look like in today’s dollars.
Follow gold with SesTrading
We trade gold ourselves and publish the results every week in our public Telegram channel, losing trades included. Open our bot to ask questions and see how it works. It answers in English.
Questions people ask
What was the gold price in 1980?
The monthly average peaked at $675 an ounce in January 1980 and the 1980 average was $608. The intraday peak that month was higher than the monthly average.
What was the gold price in 2000?
The 2000 average was $279 an ounce, with monthly averages between $266 and $300.
What is the highest gold price ever?
On COMEX, the front-month futures contract traded at $5,586.20 on 29 January 2026. The highest monthly average in the World Bank series is $5,020 in February 2026.
How much has gold gone up in 10 years?
The annual average went from $1,161 in 2015 to $3,442 in 2025, so it roughly tripled (2.96 times).
Is gold a good investment?
Over decades gold has kept and increased its dollar value, but it pays no interest and it has had falls of 30% to 60% that took years to recover. Whether it fits you depends on your horizon and how much of a fall you can sit through. Nothing on this page is personal advice.
Where does this data come from?
The monthly series is the World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet), which publishes the London afternoon gold price as a monthly average. The yearly highs and lows since 2001 are COMEX gold futures from Yahoo Finance. Both were fetched on 8 November 2026 and are linked above.
More answers
- Is SesTrading legit?
- About & licence
- Choosing a gold signals Telegram channel
- Start trading gold with a small amount
- Copy trading vs managed account vs automated strategy
- Investing $50k–$100k for monthly income
- Gold price today (live)
- Lot size calculator (gold and forex)
- What is forex?
- How to trade gold (XAU/USD)
- XAU/USD explained
- Pip value calculator
- Trading for beginners: the roadmap
- Margin calculator
- Profit calculator (gold and forex)
- Gold trading strategy: a session-based plan
- Learn trading (free guides and tools)
- How to choose a forex broker (checklist)
- Trading timeframes explained (lesson)
- Common trading mistakes and how to avoid them (lesson)
- Forex trading sessions and kill zones (lesson)
- Market structure: higher highs, lower lows (lesson)
- Candlestick patterns made easy (lesson)
- Support and resistance: levels, ranges, breakout and retest (lesson)
- Fibonacci retracement: levels, discount and premium (lesson)
- Technical analysis for beginners: the tools, in order, with gold measured (lesson)
- Chart patterns: head and shoulders, double top and bottom, triangles (lesson)
- How to backtest a trading strategy, with a real gold backtest (lesson)
- Risk-reward ratio: break-even win rates and what 1:2 and 1:3 did on gold (lesson)
- How to write a trading plan: a filled-in example for gold (lesson)
- Stop loss: where to place it, how to size the trade, and how often gold hit stops of $5 to $100
- Scalping gold: how it works, what it costs, and what 25,416 simulated 5-minute trades showed
- Gold forecast: what 51 years of prices say about the next 12 months, and what they cannot
- Best month to buy gold: what 51 years of monthly prices show (and why it is weak)
- Gold-silver ratio today (78.1) and what 26 years of it show
- Gold vs stocks: how gold behaved when the S&P 500 fell (2000-2026)
- Gold vs the US dollar: what 26 years of the dollar index show
- Gold price adjusted for inflation: 1970-2026 in today’s dollars
- Gold and interest rates: what 23 years of real yields and Fed cycles show
- How to use MetaTrader 5: a beginner's walkthrough
- Gold signals: how to read one, our recorded results and what to check