The global silver trade mainly occurs in the United States, Britain, Japanese, Indian, Italian, China, China, Hongkong and other countries and regions. At present, the two centers of global silver trade and transaction are London, England and new york, USA. London Gold and Silver Exchange (LBMA), the world's largest spot silver trading market, is located in London, while the New York Mercantile Exchange, the world's most important gold and silver futures exchange, is located in new york.

Europe is one of the regions with the most serious shortage of silver supply in the world. The main reason for this structural shortage is that the output of mineral silver and recycled silver in European countries is relatively small, and the existence of markets such as LBMA promotes the frequent circulation and trade of silver. In addition, Italy and other European countries have developed silver jewelry industry, which consumes a lot of silver every year. In 2009, the world's largest importer of silver was Britain, which imported 4,638 tons of silver (silver ingots) that year, and the second largest importer was the United States, which imported 3,775 tons of silver that year.

At present, China is the largest silver producer in the world. China has been one of the most important silver exporters in the world for many years because the domestic silver market opened late and consumption just started. However, with the recovery of domestic demand and the rise of recycling industry, domestic silver exports will show an overall downward trend in the future. China and Hong Kong are one of the largest silver export bases in the world, and most of the silver exported from the mainland of China is re-exported through Hong Kong.