bitcoins existence illustration
Total BTC in Existence
bitcoins left mining axe
Bitcoins Left to Be Mined
bitcoins issued pie chart
% of Bitcoins Issued
bitcoins per day illustration
900
New Bitcoins per Day

All data/stats on this page are real-time.

bitcoin in tube

How Many Bitcoins Are There Now in Circulation?

There are currently bitcoins in existence. This number changes about every 10 minutes when new blocks are mined. Right now, each new block adds 6.25 bitcoins into circulation.

total bitcoins in circulation
This chart shows the historical amount of bitcoin in circulation. It does not account for lost bitcoins.
Total BTC in Existence
Bitcoins Left to Be Mined
% of Bitcoins Issued
New Bitcoins per Day 900
Mined Bitcoin Blocks

How Many Bitcoins Will Ever be Created?

The maximum and total amount of bitcoins that can ever exist is 21 million.

21 million bitcoins will ever be created

How Many Bitcoins Are Left to Be Mined?

There are bitcoins left to be mined. However, you can always buy bitcoins from existing users on exchanges.

➤ MORE: How many bitcoin users are there?

Is there a limited amount of Bitcoin?

Yes, there are only about 19.1 million Bitcoin in existence. And there will only ever be 21 million in the future.

How Many Bitcoins Are Lost?

There's no exact answer. One recent estimate is that about 3-4 million bitcoins are lost forever.

➤ MORE: Bitcoin halving countdown

It is impossible to know an exact number since a lost Bitcoin looks exactly the same on the blockchain as one that is not lost. We can make some educated guesses based on how long a Bitcoin has sat in an addresses unmoved.

Dhruv Bansal geology of lost coins
This study by Unchained Capital details how they estimate the amount of lost bitcoins

We also have media reports of large wallets where the owner claims to have lost the private key.

Stories like these are common and by knowing about them we can keep an informal minimum tally on lost coins

The truth is, no Bitcoin is really "lost" as much as it is permanently locked away. We know where all the Bitcoins are. When we say a coin is "lost", it is sort of like saying someone locked the coin in a box and lost the key to the box. And this box is impossible to open without the key.

How Many Bitcoins Are Mined Everyday?

144 blocks per day are mined on average, and there are 6.25 bitcoins per block. 144 x 6.25 is 900, so that's the average amount of new bitcoins mined per day.

bitcoin mining illustration
Mining is the method through which Bitcoin is secured

Because many miners are adding new hash power, over the last few years blocks have often been found at 9.5 minute intervals rather than 10. This creates new bitcoins faster, so on most days there are actually more than 900 new bitcoins created.

How Many Bitcoins Have Been Mined Already?

Since bitcoins can only be created by being mined, all the bitcoins in existence are all bitcoins that have been mined. The total is BTC.

➤ MORE: Bitcoins held by public companies

How Many Bitcoin Blocks Are There Today?

There have been blocks mined.

more than 700,000 bitcoin blocks mined

How Many Bitcoins Does Satoshi Have?

Some estimate Satoshi has around 1,000,000 bitcoins (BTC). This number is heavily debated, though, as some claim he has around 300,000 BTC.

How Many Bitcoin Have Been Stolen?

It's unclear exactly how many bitcoins have been stolen.

850,000 BTC were stolen in the Mt. Gox hack, which was the largest Bitcoin hack ever. Another 120,000 BTC were stolen from Bitfinex in 2016. Together, that adds up to about 970,000 BTC.

Stolen BTC, however, does not mean lost BTC. It's likely these stolen coins are still circulating, and may not even be in the hands of the original thieves.

How Many Millionaires Were Made From Bitcoin?

It's impossible to know exactly. With some quick math, however, we can estimate the max number of people who are Bitcoin millionaires.


Mike Novogratz bitcoin millionaire
Mike Novogratz - one of the richest and most well-known Bitcoin millionaires.

With Bitcoin's price at $, you'd need bitcoins to be a Bitcoin millionaire in dollars. Since there are BTC in circulation, there are a maximum of people holding bitcoins.

In all likelihood, the number is much lower than that and probably around 30,000-60,000 people with more than $1 million worth of bitcoins.

How Many Bitcoin Miners Are There?

Slushpool has about 200,000 miners. They have 12% of the network hashrate. Assuming all pools have similar numbers, there are likely to be over 1,000,000 unique individuals mining bitcoins.

We can also look at the hashrate to make some rough assumptions about how many miners there are.

When Will the Last Bitcoin Be Mined?

The short answer is: likely sometime in 2140 when the last Bitcoin halving is expected to occur.

bitcoin halving countdown clock
The next halving will occur in 2024, then every 4 years until 2140.

It is hard to know for sure, though. New blocks are added approximately every 10 minutes. The further out we try to predict when specific halvings will occur, the harder it is. Over 120 years, a lot can change, and so it may happen sooner or later, perhaps even by more than year.

What Will the Block subsidy (reward) be before going to 0 BTC?

The block reward will be a mere 0.000000011641532 BTC per block. Currently the block reward is 6.26 BTC. There are 30 more halvings before it goes to 0. If we divide 6.25 by two 29 times, then we get 0.000000011641532.

What Happens When All 21 Million Bitcoins Are Mined?

Right now, miners earn most of their income via the block reward. When all 21 million bitcoins are mined, there won't be a block reward to pay to miners.

When a Bitcoin user sends a BTC transaction, a small fee is attached. These fees go to miners and this is what will be used to pay miners instead of the block reward.

How Many Bitcoins Will Be Mined Before The Next Halving?

There are BTC left to be mined until the next block reward halving.

How Many Bitcoin Billionaires Are There?

With Bitcoin prices hitting around $23,000 US dollars, there may not be many Bitcoin billionaires. The Winklevoss twins are Bitcoin billionaires while the price is above $10,000, since they own more than 100,000 BTC. So they are well beyond Bitcoin billionaires!

How Many Litecoin Are There?

At the time of writing, there are a little under 67 million litecoin (LTC) in existence. The Litecoin block halving is projected to be in August 2023.

total litecoins in circulation

Is Bitcoin Issuance Similar to Gold?

Gold's supply has historically increased at around 2% per year. Bitcoin's supply will increase less than 2% starting at the 2020 halving, and will eventually go to less than 1% a year after the 2024 halving.

Bitcoin vs gold will be a big debate in the coming few years.

How Many Ethereum Are There?

The truth is, no one really knows. We do know there are a little over 100 million ether (ETH) in existence but we aren't sure how many.

There is no real cap on the total number of ETH than can come into existence like there is with Bitcoin. ETH is not a fork or clone of Bitcoin like Litecoin is.

michael goldstein on eth total supply
No one actually knows the total supply of ETH and that's not a good thing.

How Long Does it Take to Mine a Bitcoin?

New bitcoins are mined every 10 minutes. The amount of time it takes a miner to mine a bitcoin will depend on how much mining power he has.

Who Has the Most Bitcoins?

As discussed above, it's likely that Satoshi, the creator of Bitcoin, has the most bitcoins of anyone.

Which Countries Are Most Interested in Bitcoin?

Based on our website traffic, the following countries have shown extreme interest in Bitcoin:

  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • Germany

How Long Has Bitcoin Been Around?

Bitcoin has been around since 2009. You can see the tiny amount of data included in that first block below:

satoshi nakamoto email launch of bitcoin
The email Satoshi Nakamoto sent to Hal Finney to tell him Bitcoin launched.
Article Sources

BuyBitcoinWorldWide writers are subject-matter experts and base their articles on firsthand information, like interviews with experts, white papers or original studies and experience. We also use trusted research and studies from other well-known sources. You can learn more about our editorial guidelines.

  1. Entrepreneur - The 50 Richest People in Crypto, https://www.entrepreneur.com/money-finance/the-50-richest-people-in-crypto/398707
  2. Make Use Of - What Will Happen After All 21 Million Bitcoins Are Mined?, https://www.makeuseof.com/what-happens-to-bitcoin-after-all-21-million-coins-are-mined/
  3. CNBC - What happens after all Bitcoins are mined and network reaches its final cap of 21 million?, https://www.cnbctv18.com/cryptocurrency/what-happens-after-all-bitcoins-are-mined-and-network-reaches-its-final-cap-of-21-million-13022482.htm

About the Author

jordan tuwiner

Jordan Tuwiner is the founder of BuyBitcoinWorldwide.com. He studied computer science at Towson University and holds an online degree in trading & cryptocurrency. Jordan has been writing about Bitcoin since 2015. His work has been featured in The Guardian, International Business Times, Forbes, VentureBeat, CoinDesk and many other top Bitcoin media outlets.