Most-traded currencies
Percentages sum to 200 because every trade has two sides — buying one currency means selling another.
Headline finding
US Dollar leads the world for most-traded currencies at 88% % of daily forex turnover.
The full top 15: Most-traded currencies
Click any country to read its full profile.
What the numbers show
US Dollar's lead at the top of this ranking is 183.9% above the second-place country — a margin so wide it suggests we're looking at a structural advantage rather than a close-run race.
The five countries leading the table — US Dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen, Pound Sterling, Chinese Yuan — together set the global benchmark. The next 10 countries fill the rest of the table, with Indian Rupee anchoring the list at 2%.
Figures are drawn from BIS Triennial Survey 2022. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- % of daily forex turnover
- Source
- BIS Triennial Survey 2022
- Coverage
- Top 15 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for most-traded currencies?
US Dollar leads with 88% % of daily forex turnover. Euro is second at 31%, with Japanese Yen in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the most-traded currencies ranking?
The figures come from BIS Triennial Survey 2022. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the most-traded currencies figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.