The share of readily available reserve assets on bank balance sheets differs sharply across countries. Among the 101 World Bank observations dated 2025, the median bank liquid-reserve ratio is 16.70% and the unweighted mean is 24.20%. Libya is the highest observation at 315.45%, followed by Mozambique at 121.35% and Haiti at 119.95%. Korea’s latest observation is not from 2025: it is 3.57% in 2024, so it is kept out of the 2025 ranking.
Table of Contents
What exactly is being compared in the bank liquid-reserve ratio?
The World Bank indicator is Bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%), code FD.RES.LIQU.AS.ZS. Its long definition identifies the numerator as domestic-currency holdings plus deposits with the monetary authorities. The denominator is defined through claims on other governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, the private sector, and other banking institutions. In practical terms, the indicator compares a narrow set of immediately available reserve assets with a broad set of bank claims.
The phrase “bank assets” in the indicator title should therefore not be treated as a perfect synonym for every accounting asset on a modern bank balance sheet. The long definition specifies the claim categories used in the denominator. This ratio is also not the same as a regulatory liquidity coverage ratio, a cash-to-deposits ratio, or a capital adequacy ratio.
The 2025 median is 16.70%, with the middle half between 9.05% and 26.19%
Giving every 2025 observation equal weight, the median is 16.70%. The first quartile is 9.05% and the third quartile is 26.19%, so the middle half of the 101-country set lies roughly between 9.0% and 26.2%. The unweighted mean is higher at 24.20% because a small number of very large ratios pull the upper tail upward.
| 2025 ratio band | Countries/areas | Share of 101 |
|---|---|---|
| <5% | 8 | 7.9% |
| 5–<10% | 20 | 19.8% |
| 10–<20% | 33 | 32.7% |
| 20–<40% | 29 | 28.7% |
| 40–<80% | 7 | 6.9% |
| 80–<150% | 3 | 3.0% |
| ≥150% | 1 | 1.0% |
28 observations are below 10%, while the largest group falls between 10% and 20%. 11 are at or above 40%, and 3 are above 100%. The broad spread shows that the relative scale of reserve assets and bank claims differs substantially across national monetary and banking systems.
Libya’s 315.45% is not automatically a data error
Libya records 315.45% in 2025, followed by Mozambique at 121.35%, Haiti at 119.95%, South Sudan at 86.98%, Tonga at 78.81%, Mongolia at 56.80%, and Ukraine at 55.99%. A ratio above 100% can look impossible if the indicator is mistaken for “cash as a share of total accounting assets.” That is not the World Bank’s long definition. The numerator is currency holdings and deposits with monetary authorities, while the denominator is a set of claims on governments, public enterprises, the private sector, and other banking institutions. The numerator can therefore exceed that denominator.
| Country | Bank liquid-reserve ratio |
|---|---|
| Libya | 315.45% |
| Mozambique | 121.35% |
| Haiti | 119.95% |
| South Sudan | 86.98% |
| Tonga | 78.81% |
| Mongolia | 56.80% |
| Ukraine | 55.99% |
| Guinea | 46.18% |
| Suriname | 45.55% |
| Cabo Verde | 44.54% |
| Zambia | 42.44% |
| Angola | 36.53% |
| Dominican Republic | 35.02% |
| Serbia | 33.19% |
| Papua New Guinea | 33.15% |
A higher ratio does not automatically mean a safer banking system
A larger stock of cash and deposits with the monetary authorities can indicate that immediately available reserve assets are large relative to the claim categories used in the denominator. That is useful information, but it is not a complete measure of bank safety. Solvency, capital, nonperforming loans, deposit and wholesale-funding structures, maturity and currency mismatches, central-bank facilities, and national reserve requirements all matter to financial stability.
The reverse is also true. A low ratio does not by itself establish that banks face a liquidity problem. Other liquid securities, market funding access, central-bank arrangements, and the composition of liabilities can differ widely. FD.RES.LIQU.AS.ZS should be read as a narrow balance-sheet relationship rather than as a single score of banking quality or resilience.
Japan is 30.25%, the United States 12.05%, and India 4.25%
Within the synchronized 2025 set, Japan records 30.25% and ranks 17th. Türkiye is 26.19% and ranks 26th. Indonesia is 19.48%, Brazil 18.74%, the United States 12.05%, Mexico 7.38%, Australia 6.68%, and India 4.25%. Even among large economies with 2025 observations, the range stretches from the low single digits to above 30%.
| Selected country | 2025 ratio | Rank of 101 |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 30.25% | 17 |
| Turkiye | 26.19% | 26 |
| Indonesia | 19.48% | 42 |
| Brazil | 18.74% | 45 |
| United States | 12.05% | 66 |
| Mexico | 7.38% | 80 |
| Australia | 6.68% | 84 |
| India | 4.25% | 98 |
China, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and several other major economies do not appear in this 2025 comparison because the retained latest-value extract has no observation for them. Missing observations are not replaced with zero and older values are not relabeled as 2025.
Korea’s latest observation is 3.57% in 2024
The Republic of Korea’s latest observation in the supplied World Bank series is 3.57% in 2024. Because the main map, median, quartiles and ranking are intentionally synchronized to 2025, Korea is not assigned a 2025 rank. Its 2024 value is still useful as the latest available observation, but it should not be compared to hundredths of a percentage point against 2025 data as if the reference dates were identical.
This timing distinction matters for monetary and banking indicators. Reserve holdings and bank claims can respond to credit conditions, monetary operations, regulatory frameworks, and changes in the balance-sheet structure. A same-year comparison reduces one important source of false precision.
How this differs from deposits-to-GDP, the interest-rate spread, and bank efficiency
Bank deposits to GDP compares deposit balances with annual economic output. The lending–deposit interest-rate spread subtracts a deposit-rate series from a lending-rate series. The bank cost-to-income ratio compares operating expenses with operating income. FD.RES.LIQU.AS.ZS asks a different balance-sheet question: how large are currency holdings and deposits with the monetary authorities relative to bank claims on other sectors? These indicators describe different dimensions of banking and should not be used interchangeably.
Data source and comparison method
The analysis uses the World Bank World Development Indicators FD.RES.LIQU.AS.ZS metadata and country observations. The World Bank identifies the IMF International Financial Statistics database as the underlying source. The map, median, quartiles and rankings use only the 101 observations actually dated 2025, with equal country weights and no interpolation or substitution of missing values.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the bank liquid-reserve ratio measure?
World Bank FD.RES.LIQU.AS.ZS compares domestic-currency holdings and deposits with the monetary authorities with bank claims on governments, public enterprises, the private sector, and other banking institutions.
Can the ratio exceed 100%?
Yes. Under the indicator's long definition, the numerator and denominator are different balance-sheet categories, so currency holdings and deposits with the monetary authorities can exceed the specified bank claims.
What is Korea’s 2025 value?
Korea does not have a 2025 observation in this extract. Its latest value is 3.57% in 2024, so it is excluded from the synchronized 2025 ranking.
Does a higher ratio mean a banking system is safer?
Not by itself. The indicator captures a narrow reserve-to-claims relationship. Capital, asset quality, funding structure, maturity and currency mismatches, regulation, and central-bank arrangements also matter.
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