Gold is the most expensive it’s ever been. On September 2, 2025, the price of the precious metal hit $3,508.50 per ounce. It’s reached record highs several times this year.

The high price is pushing more people to invest in it — buying gold from Costco, selling gold jewelry, and extracting gold from electronic waste.

But this modern-day gold rush is also leading to consequences in Africa’s gold-rich nations. In Liberia, foreign mining companies have moved in to extract the resource to meet the growing demand but are leaving local communities to deal with the fallout, including polluted waterways and damaged land.