Asked by: Adam King, Huddersfield
As with so much in finance, the answer isn’t straightforward. Economists distinguish between various types of money, ranging from individual savings deposits to the reserves held by central banks.
But taking ‘money’ to be coins and notes, statistics collated by the Swiss-based Bank for International Settlements suggests there’s over $6,000bn worth of the stuff out there. This figure does not, however, include the vast amount believed to be lost down the back of the world’s sofas.
Read more:
Subscribe to BBC Science Focus Magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun facts.
