ASX 200 gold shares ripped in 2025 on the back of two consecutive years of extraordinary growth in the gold commodity price.
The best performing ASX 200 gold share for capital growth was Pantoro Gold Ltd (ASX: PNR).
Shares in Pantoro Gold, which only joined the benchmark index in the December quarter rebalance, rocketed 220%.
Next best was Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX: RSG) shares, up 206%.
The Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) share price roared 196% and Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) shares ripped 194%.
Rounding out the top five ASX gold shares of 2025 is Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU), up 121%.
The safe-haven asset's ascendancy last year also led to extraordinary gains for the large-cap players.
The share price of the market's largest gold miner, Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST), rose by 73% in 2025.
The second and third biggest ASX 200 gold shares more than doubled in 2025.
Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) shares ripped 164% while Newmont Corporation CDI (ASX: NEM) shares increased 152%.
Gold price rises 65% in 2025
The gold price experienced its strongest year of gains since 1979, rising 65% last year.
The strength of last year's rally was surprising after an impressive 27% gain in 2024.
The yellow metal clocked a new record high of US$4,533 per ounce in December. It finished the year at US$4,319.82 per ounce.
A combination of tailwinds including interest rate cuts, geopolitical tensions, and aggressive central bank buying has pushed gold higher.
Many retail investors piled into the trend fairly late, with inflows into gold ETFs rising strongly in the second half of 2025.
Even non-shares investors got in on the act, with city workers lining up in their lunch breaks to buy physical bullion from dealers.
Meanwhile, other Aussies cashed in their gold jewellery.
What's next for the gold price?
America's biggest bank, JPMorgan and French bank Societe Generale SA both project the gold price to reach US$5,000 per ounce in 2026.
Goldman Sachs is tipping US$4,900 per ounce by the end of the new year.
Far East Capital, a mining investment advisory firm, commented (courtesy ListCorp):
Longer term, we expect to see continued buying by the Chinese central bank as a major theme that will not terminate soon.
It now seems assured that the next test will be at US$5,000/oz.
Ed Coyne from global asset manager Sprott Inc says the gold price rally has changed the margins of gold mining shares worldwide.
Coyne said:
What's been interesting is that investors understand the value of gold from a diversification standpoint.
Still, they are just now starting to wake up to the opportunity in the mining stocks as well, so we're excited about that.
He added:
Now that gold has continued to perform as it has, the margins on these mining stocks are spectacular.
The return on invested capital, the return on assets, and the return on all these different metrics look very attractive.
Their debt-to-equity ratio is very attractive. Their dividend yields are actually higher than the S&P 500.
