Gold Price History, from 2000 to Today
$4,048.80 per troy ounce, today
Record close $5,318.40 on January 29, 2026
Gold spot $4,048.80/oz · updated
Quick answer: Gold stands at $4,048.80 per troy ounce as of October 28, 2026. The highest daily close in our dataset was $5,318.40 on January 29, 2026, and the intraday record is $5,586.20, reached the same day. From that closing peak, the lowest close since was $3,992.10 on July 16, 2026. Measured against its 2000 level, the metal has risen to roughly 14 times.
The long-range chart
The line below runs from the start of 2000 to the latest close. It plots COMEX gold futures closes in US dollars per ounce, so a day's point can differ slightly from the spot number at the top of the page.
Gold price, 2000 to today
Longer ranges use weekly and month-end closes, which smooth over spikes inside a single week or month.
Data sources: Spot price via api.gold-api.com · COMEX futures (GC=F) via Yahoo Finance. Prices are for informational purposes only and may be delayed. Figures on this page were generated . Gold is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce.
A first look at the shape: a long climb through the 2000s, a fast run to a peak in 2011, a multi-year decline, a plateau, then a steep climb from 2019 onward. The sections that follow label each of those stretches, but the dated table underneath is the thing to rely on if you need to quote a number.
Year by year, open to close
| Year | Open | Close | High | Low | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $274 | $272 | $274 | $270 | -0.6% |
| 2001 | $266 | $279 | $292 | $258 | +4.9% |
| 2002 | $282 | $317 | $326 | $282 | +12.3% |
| 2003 | $368 | $416 | $416 | $336 | +12.9% |
| 2004 | $402 | $438 | $451 | $387 | +8.8% |
| 2005 | $422 | $517 | $517 | $422 | +22.6% |
| 2006 | $562 | $635 | $652 | $562 | +13.1% |
| 2007 | $652 | $835 | $835 | $648 | +28.1% |
| 2008 | $923 | $884 | $972 | $717 | -4.2% |
| 2009 | $927 | $1,095 | $1,095 | $891 | +18.1% |
| 2010 | $1,083 | $1,421 | $1,421 | $1,083 | +31.2% |
| 2011 | $1,334 | $1,566 | $1,828 | $1,334 | +17.4% |
| 2012 | $1,710 | $1,675 | $1,771 | $1,563 | -2.1% |
| 2013 | $1,661 | $1,251 | $1,661 | $1,224 | -24.7% |
| 2014 | $1,240 | $1,184 | $1,321 | $1,171 | -4.5% |
| 2015 | $1,278 | $1,060 | $1,278 | $1,060 | -17.1% |
| 2016 | $1,116 | $1,150 | $1,349 | $1,116 | +3.0% |
| 2017 | $1,253 | $1,306 | $1,316 | $1,241 | +4.3% |
| 2018 | $1,339 | $1,278 | $1,339 | $1,192 | -4.5% |
| 2019 | $1,320 | $1,466 | $1,519 | $1,283 | +11.1% |
| 2020 | $1,583 | $1,895 | $1,979 | $1,564 | +19.7% |
| 2021 | $1,847 | $1,829 | $1,902 | $1,714 | -1.0% |
| 2022 | $1,795 | $1,826 | $1,985 | $1,641 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $1,870 | $2,072 | $2,090 | $1,817 | +10.8% |
| 2024 | $2,050 | $2,655 | $2,755 | $2,017 | +29.5% |
| 2025 | $2,812 | $4,341 | $4,553 | $2,715 | +54.4% |
| 2026 | $4,745 | $4,062 | $5,318 | $3,992 | -14.4% |
Each row shows the year's first and last close, its high and low, and the percentage change. A year can look calm in its closing change and still have swung widely inside it, so read the high and low columns alongside the change.
The eras that shaped the line
Before 1971. The US dollar was tied to gold at a fixed rate of $35 an ounce. Gold did not float, so there is no meaningful price history in the sense this page shows.
1971 to 1975. The fixed link ended in 1971. Private bullion ownership became legal again for Americans from 1975, which opened the door for ordinary buyers to hold bars and coins.
The 1980 peak. Gold reached about $850 an ounce around 1980 and then fell for years. A buyer at that peak waited a long time to see the price recovered in nominal terms.
The 2000s climb and the 2011 high. Gold rose through the 2000s and the 2008 financial crisis, and it hit about $1,900 in 2011. Analysts often point to falling interest rates, a weaker dollar and fear about the banking system as influences, though no single cause is ever proven.
The 2015 low. After the 2011 peak the price slid, bottoming at about $1,050 in 2015.
The 2020 record. Gold set a record near $2,070 in 2020, during the pandemic shock and a period of very low interest rates.
Since then. The newest records in our dataset are the tokens at the top of this page: a closing high of $5,318.40 in 2026, and a decline of 23.6% from that close to $3,992.10 afterward. The worst peak-to-trough fall anywhere in the dataset was 24.9%.
The figures from 1971 to 2020 are rounded and given as "about" because they come from widely reported milestones, and the exact dates shift depending on whether you use a closing price or an intraday reading.
What moved the price, with the caveats
Analysts often point to a few recurring influences: changes in interest rates, the strength of the US dollar, central-bank buying, and moments of crisis when buyers look for safety. Each one has pushed gold in a particular direction at some point, and each has also failed to do so at other times. Treat the list as a reading aid and nothing more. No chart or table can prove that a given event caused a given move, and a story that fits the past neatly may not fit what comes next.
Reading history without forecasting
A price chart is a record of what happened. It does not contain a prediction, and we publish none. Three habits make it more useful.
First, compare like with like. Gold priced in dollars in 2000 and gold priced in dollars today are not the same thing in buying power, because the dollar itself changes. Second, look at the drawdowns as well as the gains. Gold has had long stretches where it sat below an earlier peak, and the table above lets you measure how long. Third, read the shorter window as well: the 10-year gold price chart zooms in on the last decade, where the recent moves are easier to see.
From the ounce to your hand
History is quoted per ounce, but most people deal in smaller units. The price per ounce page shows the current benchmark and its conversions, and the price per gram page breaks the same price down by karat, so a historical high can be translated into what a gram of 14K would have been worth. If you are thinking about buying, the where to buy gold guide covers premiums, coins versus bars and what to ask a dealer.
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What this chart cannot tell you
It cannot tell you where gold goes from here, whether today's price is high or low for you, or what you personally would have earned by buying on a given date. It stops at the close of each trading day, so it hides what happened inside the day. And it uses a futures series for the line, which is not identical to the spot price in the headline. For the distinction, see the gold value chart home page, which sets the one-year line beside the live number.
Frequently asked questions
What was the highest price gold has ever reached?
In our dataset, the highest daily close is $5,318.40 on January 29, 2026, and the highest intraday price is $5,586.20, reached the same day. Intraday highs are momentary and are usually above any close.
When did Americans get the right to own gold again?
Private ownership of gold bullion became legal for Americans again from 1975. Before that, owning bars and most coins was restricted, and the dollar was tied to gold at a fixed price.
How far has gold fallen from its peak?
The latest peak-to-low drop in our data is 23.6%, from the close of $5,318.40 to $3,992.10 on July 16, 2026. The largest fall measured over the whole record is 24.9%.
Why does the chart start in 2000?
The dataset gives a continuous daily series that starts at the beginning of that year, which is enough to cover several full cycles. Earlier decades appear in the era notes in rounded form only.
Does the history table predict future prices?
No. It records past closes, highs and lows. We make no forecast, and past moves do not fix future ones.
Is this chart spot or futures?
The line plots COMEX gold futures closes. The headline number at the top is spot. They are close but not identical, and the ounce page explains the gap.
Data sources: Spot price via api.gold-api.com · COMEX futures (GC=F) via Yahoo Finance. Prices are for informational purposes only and may be delayed. Figures on this page were generated . Gold is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce.