Countries by Bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%)
Libya ranks first among 148 countries with a bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio of 214.12%, meaning liquid reserves more than double total bank assets by this measure. At the other end, Norway ranks last at just 1.05%. That 20,000-percentage-point spread reflects the extraordinary variation in how banking systems across the world hold and deploy liquid assets.
Ranking 2024
Values shown in %.
Analysis
This metric measures the ratio of domestic currency holdings and deposits with the monetary authorities to claims on other governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, the private sector, and other banking institutions, expressed as a percentage (a÷b)*100, as defined by the World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator code FD.RES.LIQU.AS.ZS). A higher ratio indicates that a greater share of bank assets is held in liquid form relative to outstanding claims. The data covers 148 countries, with 147 of 148 (99.3%) having data from the last seven years and 100% of datapoints classified as official. The latest data year is 2024, though only 114 of 148 countries (77.0%) report values for that specific year. The dataset contains 17 extreme statistical outliers identified at the 3-sigma threshold, and the range runs from 1.05% to 214.12%, a spread of over 20,000%.
Libya leads all 148 countries at 214.12%, a value more than 80 percentage points above the second-ranked Solomon Islands (117.04%) and third-ranked Haiti (116.51%). Mozambique (rank 4, 106.96%) and Afghanistan (rank 5, 86.89%) also post ratios above 80%. Several more countries, including Tonga (rank 6, 81.49%), Sudan (rank 7, 70.64%), Ghana (rank 8, 66.11%), and South Sudan (rank 9, 65.35%), record ratios above 60%. A high ratio in this metric indicates that liquid reserves held with monetary authorities are large relative to credit claims, which can reflect constrained lending activity or elevated reserve-holding behavior in the banking system.
The middle of the ranking includes a diverse mix of economies. Czechia ranks 16th at 51.30%, an unusually high placement for a high-income European Union member relative to its peers. Japan ranks 30th at 34.81%, while the United States places 93rd at 14.11%. At the lower end, Norway ranks last (148th) at 1.05%, Denmark ranks 145th at 3.71%, and South Korea ranks 146th at 3.57%. Several large emerging economies appear in the lower half: Russia ranks 124th at 6.95%, Colombia ranks 140th at 4.89%, and Morocco ranks 143rd at 4.06%. Panama ranks 147th at 2.51%, just above Norway.
This metric has notable limitations. A ratio above 100%, as seen in Libya (214.12%), Solomon Islands (117.04%), Haiti (116.51%), and Mozambique (106.96%), indicates that the numerator exceeds the denominator as defined, which may reflect data construction differences, measurement inconsistencies, or unusual balance sheet structures rather than straightforwardly interpretable liquidity conditions. The 17 extreme outliers flagged at the 3-sigma threshold concentrate in the top ranks and can distort cross-country comparisons. Coverage for the specific 2024 data year is 77%, meaning nearly a quarter of country values are carried from prior years, reducing strict comparability. The metric does not capture the quality or composition of liquid assets beyond domestic currency holdings and monetary authority deposits.
Methodology
Data are drawn from the World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code FD.RES.LIQU.AS.ZS, with a reference data year of 2024. The metric is defined as the ratio of domestic currency holdings and deposits with the monetary authorities to claims on other governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, the private sector, and other banking institutions, expressed as a percentage (a÷b)*100. The dataset covers 148 countries, all above the 80-country coverage threshold. Of these, 147 of 148 countries (99.3%) have data from within the last seven years, and 100% of datapoints are classified as official quality. Data for the specific year 2024 are available for 114 of 148 countries (77.0%); remaining values are drawn from the most recent available prior year. The viability check identified 17 extreme outliers at the 3-sigma threshold, with values ranging from 1.05% (Norway) to 214.12% (Libya), a spread of over 20,000%. Average year-over-year change across the dataset is 19.2%, below the 50% volatility threshold. No microstates under 1 million population are included in the ranked set.