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Gold Affordability Index 2026: days of income for 10 grams of gold
How long an average person has to work to afford 10 grams of gold, in 21 countries, in 2015 and in 2025. In India it took 146.3 days of average income in 2025, up from 86.2 days ten years earlier.
Built 30 October 2026 from World Bank gold prices and GNI per capita. Updated each year.
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In India, 10 grams of gold cost 146.3 days of average income in 2025, up from 86.2 days in 2015.
Source: FX Recap Gold Affordability Index, from World Bank gold prices and GNI per capitaIn Pakistan the same 10 grams took 269.2 days of average income in 2025, 2.5 times as long as in 2015 (106.4 days).
Source: FX Recap Gold Affordability Index, World Bank dataTen grams of gold cost about 142.2 days of average income in Bangladesh in 2025, against 4.5 days in the United States.
Source: FX Recap Gold Affordability Index, World Bank dataThe world gold price averaged $3,441.5 an ounce in 2025, 3 times its 2015 average of $1,160.75, so 10 grams went from about $373 to $1,106.
Source: World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet)Gold became harder to afford in all 11 Asian countries in the index between 2015 and 2025: incomes rose, but nowhere near as fast as the gold price.
Source: FX Recap Gold Affordability Index, World Bank dataIn 8 of 21 countries (Nigeria, Pakistan, Nepal, Kenya, Ghana, India, Bangladesh, Egypt), 10 grams of gold cost more than 100 days of average income in 2025. In Nigeria the figure jumped from 49.4 to 297 days, partly because the naira's fall halved incomes measured in dollars.
Source: FX Recap Gold Affordability Index, World Bank data
Days of income for 10 grams of gold
The world gold price averaged $3,441.5 an ounce in 2025, so 10 grams cost about $1,106. In 8 countries that was more than 100 days of average income. In United States it was 4.5 days.
How much harder gold has become to afford
The gold price rose 3 times between 2015 and 2025. Incomes grew too, but far more slowly almost everywhere, so in most countries 10 grams now takes between one and a half and three times as many days of income. Where a currency fell hard against the dollar, the jump was bigger: Nigeria's figure rose about six-fold.
All 21 countries
Sorted by days of income in 2025. The last column uses the latest monthly gold price (September 2026, $4,319/oz) with 2025 incomes.
| Country | Income per person, 2025 | Days for 10 g, 2025 | Days for 10 g, 2015 | Change | At September 2026 price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | $1,360 | 297 | 49.4 | 6x | 372.7 |
| Pakistan | $1,500 | 269.2 | 106.4 | 2.5x | 337.9 |
| Nepal | $1,570 | 257.2 | 156.6 | 1.6x | 322.8 |
| Kenya | $2,200 | 183.6 | 103.2 | 1.8x | 230.4 |
| Ghana | $2,630 | 153.6 | 72.5 | 2.1x | 192.7 |
| India | $2,760 | 146.3 | 86.2 | 1.7x | 183.6 |
| Bangladesh | $2,840 | 142.2 | 113.5 | 1.3x | 178.5 |
| Egypt | $3,260 | 123.9 | 43.9 | 2.8x | 155.5 |
| Sri Lanka | $4,670 | 86.5 | 34.7 | 2.5x | 108.5 |
| Philippines | $4,850 | 83.3 | 41.5 | 2x | 104.5 |
| Vietnam | $4,970 | 81.3 | 55.4 | 1.5x | 102 |
| Indonesia | $5,120 | 78.9 | 40.2 | 2x | 99 |
| South Africa | $6,270 | 64.4 | 21.1 | 3.1x | 80.8 |
| Thailand | $7,690 | 52.5 | 24.5 | 2.1x | 65.9 |
| Malaysia | $12,380 | 32.6 | 13.2 | 2.5x | 40.9 |
| China | $14,230 | 28.4 | 16.9 | 1.7x | 35.6 |
| Saudi Arabia | $36,070 | 11.2 | 5.1 | 2.2x | 14.1 |
| Japan | $38,340 | 10.5 | 3.4 | 3.1x | 13.2 |
| United Kingdom | $54,550 | 7.4 | 3.1 | 2.4x | 9.3 |
| Singapore | $81,760 | 4.9 | 2.6 | 1.9x | 6.2 |
| United States | $88,810 | 4.5 | 2.4 | 1.9x | 5.7 |
Income is GNI per capita, Atlas method, current US dollars (World Bank indicator NY.GNP.PCAP.CD). It is an average across everyone, not a typical wage.
Gold then and now
Pick a year and an amount in US dollars. The calculator shows how much gold that bought at the year's average world price, and what the same gold is worth at the latest monthly average.
Prices: World Bank annual averages of monthly world gold prices; latest is the September 2026 monthly average ($4,319/oz). Ignores dealer margins, tax and storage. Past prices do not predict future prices.
How the index is built
Gold price
The average of the World Bank's twelve monthly world gold prices for the year (Commodity Price Data, the "Pink Sheet"): $1,160.75 an ounce in 2015 and $3,441.5 in 2025.
Income
The World Bank's GNI per capita, Atlas method, in current US dollars (NY.GNP.PCAP.CD), divided by 365 for one day of average income.
Formula
Days = (gold price per ounce × 10 ÷ 31.1035) ÷ (GNI per capita ÷ 365). Everything is in US dollars, so a falling local currency raises the figure even if local prices and wages kept pace.
Limits
It shows the world price, not what a shop charges after duty, tax and making charges, and an average income, not a typical one. The United Arab Emirates is left out because its latest income figure is for 2024.
Cite this page
Free to use, including commercially, with a credit to FX Recap and a link to this page (CC BY 4.0). Please also credit the World Bank as the source of the underlying data.
FX Recap, "Gold Affordability Index 2026", 30 October 2026, https://fxrecap.com/gold-affordability-indexMedia enquiries
More for journalists in our press room. Daily gold analysis: gold today.
Gold affordability: common questions
How is the gold affordability index calculated?
We take the World Bank's average world gold price for the year, work out the cost of 10 grams (one troy ounce is 31.1 grams), and divide it by one day of average income: the World Bank's GNI per capita for that country and year, divided by 365.
Is this the price people pay in shops?
No. It uses the world price in US dollars. Shoppers in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh also pay import duty, tax and the jeweller's making charge, so the real local cost is usually higher than the index shows.
Why did Nigeria's figure jump so much?
Two things happened at once: the gold price roughly tripled, and the naira fell sharply against the dollar, which roughly halved Nigeria's income per person when measured in US dollars.
Is gold a good investment because it rose so much?
This page does not say so. Past price rises tell you nothing certain about the future, and gold can fall hard: the World Bank's monthly average dropped from $5,020 in February 2026 to $4,073 in July 2026.
Risk warning. Gold prices can fall as well as rise, and trading gold with leverage can lose money quickly. This page is information, not financial advice.