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Gold Price in 1981

In 1981, the price of gold averaged $460 per troy ounce, down 25.2% from the year before. This page covers the 1981 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that gold would be worth in today's dollars.

1981 Average

$460

LBMA annual average, USD/oz

Change vs 1980

-25.2%

from $615 in 1980

1981 High

$612

from daily trading data

1981 Low

$393

from daily trading data

Year-End Close

$403

last trading day of 1981

What happened to the gold price in 1981

Gold averaged $460 per troy ounce in 1981, sliding 25.2% from the $615 average of 1980. Daily trading data shows gold moved between a low of $393 and a high of $612 during the year, ending 1981 at $403.

The 1980s marked the start of a two-decade bear market for gold. Paul Volcker's aggressive interest rate hikes broke the back of inflation and pushed real yields sharply higher, pulling capital out of bullion and into bonds and equities.

Adjusted for inflation, gold's 1981 average of $460 equals about $1,631 in today's dollars. The conversion uses US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U annual averages, so treat it as a close approximation rather than an exact figure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the price of gold in 1981?
Gold averaged $460 per troy ounce in 1981, based on LBMA annual average data. Daily prices ranged from a low of $393 to a high of $612, and the year closed at $403. That average was down 25.2% from $615 in 1980.
What is a 1981 gold price worth in today's dollars?
Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, gold's 1981 average of $460 works out to roughly $1,631 in today's dollars, using 2025 as the CPI base year. The conversion uses BLS CPI-U annual averages, so treat it as a close approximation rather than an exact figure.

Annual averages are LBMA prices per troy ounce in US dollars. Where shown, the yearly high, low, and close come from MetalCharts daily historical data and may differ slightly from figures published elsewhere. Inflation adjustments use BLS CPI-U annual averages.