Although Bitcoin has been growing since 2009, the average Joe has not adopted it fully yet. In fact, Bitcoin statistics show that the majority of Bitcoin owners treat this currency as a commodity for trade or investment rather than an ordinary payment method.
Cryptocurrency is still in its infancy, and it remains a volatile and insecure market. Still, the awareness about it is spreading, and many people intend to invest in this novel fintech over the next few years.
The Essential Bitcoin Stats & Facts (Editor’s Pick)
- The longest ever average block mining time for Bitcoin was 94.8 minutes.
- Bitcoin reached a value of $1 in February 2011.
- Men comprise 85.77% of all Bitcoin users.
- 34% of Americans believe they’ll buy Bitcoin within five years.
- The richest Bitcoin wallet holds 293,427 BTC as of December 2021.
- 90% of all bitcoins have been mined.
- Bitcoin mining consumes 0.54% of the total world electricity supply.
- The Mt. Gox heist of 2011 claimed 80,000 BTC.
Bitcoin Statistics Over Years
Bitcoin’s first decade has been quite turbulent and unpredictable, to say the least. Its destiny was uncertain till it passed the first milestone of $1, but then formed a hype that quickly pushed its price above the $300 threshold. Next thing you know, it reached a value of nearly $20k by the end of 2017.
1. 94.8 minutes is the highest ever average block mining time for the Bitcoin network.
(Bitcoinity)
Bitcoin’s network has established a relatively stable mining time. In its early days, however, it was significantly slower, taking almost ten as much time to mine a single block.
After August 2009, when it was at its peak, the mining time declined drastically. If we take a look at its history, Bitcoin statistics show that by the same month of the following year, the average mining time had dropped to 7.54 minutes, one of the lowest times in the crypto’s history.
2. In August 2010, one Bitcoin was worth $0.06-$0.07.
(Buy Bitcoin Worldwide)
Despite Bitcoin being a relatively new introduction to the global financial world, its value has increased beyond expectations. It wasn’t always the case, however. In 2010, a gallon of milk cost around 50 BTC. According to the latest Bitcoin stats, in 2018, this currency saw its first great leap in value, increasing to $17,500.
3. In February 2011, Bitcoin reached a value of $1.
(LiveMint)
For well over a year after its inception, Bitcoin’s value crawled up and down in the sub-dollar range. In early 2011, it managed to burst through this barrier, an important first milestone of any new currency. According to Bitcoin price statistics, it had jumped to $30 by June of the same year.
4. By October 2009, 1.3 million bitcoins were in circulation.
(Statista)
Currently, around 18.9 million bitcoins are in circulation, showing a substantial increase over the first decade since the currency’s launch.
However, the rate of fresh bitcoins being generated has been slowly stalling over the years. During Bitcoin’s “baby years,” miners “minted” an average of 3 million bitcoins annually, but as the statistics behind Bitcoin highlight, the current annual rate is well below a million.
5. On January 11, 2021, Bitcoin’s value dropped to $32,000.
(Decrypt)
At the start of 2021, Bitcoin was on its way up in a big way. It broke the $40,000 benchmark and looked primed to go much further. On January 11, 2021, however, it experienced a big dip, falling to $32,000 in just one day.
Top Statistics About Bitcoin Users
There’s no question that Bitcoin awareness is steadily increasing. Still, statistics reveal that young, tech-savvy, white men comprise the majority of BTC owners and industry commentators.
6. 85.77% of all Bitcoin users are men.
(Coin Dance, Coin Dance)
The Bitcoin user base is predominantly male, with just under 15% of the female user base. Not only are men more likely to be users of this novel digital currency, but the Bitcoin crowd also represents a younger demographic. Bitcoin user statistics show that almost 58% of all Bitcoin users are between 18 and 34. The smallest demographic is represented by people over 65, at just 4.45%.
7. 80% of white people have heard of Bitcoin.
(PR Newswire)
Bitcoin has been around for well over a decade, and practically everyone involved in finance knows about it. Still, it’s been shown that not only age but race drastically impacts the likelihood of knowing about this new fintech. According to user statistics for Bitcoin, approximately 66% of Hispanics and 61% of black people know about Bitcoin, compared to 80% of the white population.
8. 2% of Bitcoin accounts hold 95% of all bitcoins.
(Bloomberg)
Accounts that hold a large amount of BTC are commonly referred to as Bitcoin whales, and just 2% of these accounts own almost all of the bitcoins currently available on the market.
9. 34% of Americans claim they’ll probably buy Bitcoin in the next five years.
(Medium)
Bitcoin statistics for the USA show that Bitcoin has gained so much traction over the last decade that people are beginning to believe it will last longer than the Dollar, for example. This revolutionary currency is still in its infancy, but still, one in three Americans plan on buying Bitcoin in the next five years.
10. 41% of Americans think that the majority of people will use Bitcoin in the next ten years.
(Medium)
The younger the generation, the more likely they will be receptive to crypto. Still, a large proportion of all Americans believe that Bitcoin will become a frequently used currency over the next decade.
Bitcoin Statistics on Trading & Mining
A whole ecosystem is beginning to form around mining, trading, and usage of Bitcoin. Keep reading to discover which wallets hold the most BTC, which platform hosts these whales, the best Bitcoin mining software and hardware, and more.
11. OKEx hosted around 8,500 whale trades in June 2020.
(Kaiko)
OKEx is a crypto exchange platform with the highest level of whale activity. In July 2020, it hosted way more whale trades than any of its competitors. According to reports on Bitcoin whales and trades statistics, only Binance had comparable numbers in this respect. Even then, it hosted under 4,000 trades, less than half of OKEx’s numbers.
12. The richest Bitcoin wallet holds 293,427 BTC.
(BTC.com)
At the moment of writing, a single Bitcoin is worth around $50,000, making the richest Bitcoin wallet in 2021 worth over $14.6 billion. Wallets don’t necessarily represent just one person, however. Distribution statistics of Bitcoin show that several people can hold a single wallet, as wallets and addresses do not have to be related to an individual only. It is possible to share it with your friends, family, or even coworkers.
13. At the beginning of May 2021, the average miner revenue was $53.167 million.
(Blockchain)
The miners’ revenue has grown tremendously over the last year. At the start of May 2020, the revenue was around $17.5 million, but Bitcoin mining statistics show that in the first half of 2021, it increased by $53.167 million.
14. In 2020, Square earned $4.57 billion in Bitcoin sales.
(SEC.gov)
Square, Inc. is a financial services and digital payments company that also handles Bitcoin. In 2020, it raked in a huge revenue by selling the renowned cryptocurrency. Notably, Square’s Bitcoin gross profit was $97 million in 2020, 2% of the year’s total revenue.
15. 90% of bitcoins have already been mined.
(CoinMarketCap)
Bitcoin was given a cap of 21 million coins when it was created, and as Bitcoin block statistics show, around 900 bitcoins are mined every day. It is estimated that miners will mine the last Bitcoin by 2140. An average of 144 blocks are added to the blockchain per hour, with each block rewarding miners with 6.25 bitcoins.
16. Chinese mining pools account for 76% of Bitcoin’s hash rate.
(Buy Bitcoin Worldwide)
Mining pools are groups of individual miners who cooperate and share block rewards in relation to the invested hash power. The most popular mining pool is F2Pool, mining about 19% of all blocks. Antpool is the second-biggest pool, mining approximately 14% of all Bitcoin blocks. These Bitcoin pool statistics show that the bulk of Bitcoin mining traffic comes from China, while the United States handles around 3% of all Bitcoin mining.
17. The size of the Bitcoin blockchain reached 382 GB by the end of 2021.
(Blockchain.com)
Blockchain is the underlying technology supporting Bitcoin and all other cryptocurrencies. In simple terms, a blockchain is a public ledger holding immutable data in chronological order. According to Bitcoin block statistics, each Bitcoin node is 1.348 MB in size.
18. The 2020 Bitcoin halving increased its value by 2,000% compared to 2016.
(Forbes)
The Bitcoin blockchain was designed to cut mining rewards in half after every 210,000 blocks were mined to ensure a steady release of the currency. This means that the number of bitcoins produced per block is halved. Bitcoin halving statistics show that this usually results in a substantial markup in Bitcoin’s value. For example, it increased by 6,800% from 2012 to 2016.
19. There’s an average of 11,194 Bitcoin transactions every hour.
(BitInfoCharts)
As Bitcoin value rises, trading networks increase as well. An average of 35,646 BTC are transferred every day, while the average BTC transaction contains 3.18 BTC (that’s $151,612 at the moment of writing).
20. In the last two years, 27.44% of all Bitcoin trading occurred on Coinbase.
(Bitcoinity.org)
Coinbase is currently one of the biggest Bitcoin trading hubs, and Bitcoin trade statistics indicate that it hosts the largest number of transactions. Kraken and Bitstamp exchanges come in second and third and account for 59.97% of the Bitcoin trading volume.
21. The Bitcoin market cap constituted 79% of all cryptocurrencies’ total market cap in 2020.
(CoinMarketCap)
Although Bitcoin remains the most popular cryptocurrency, its market share has decreased over time, with new coins and currencies like Ethereum joining the market. In 2015, Bitcoin reigned supreme with 86% of the market cap, showing a 15% decrease till 2020.
22. Bitcoin accounts for 26.5% of total cryptocurrency use in online casinos.
(TheBitcoinStrip)
Bitcoin gambling statistics show that Bitcoin is becoming a standard in online casinos. Thanks to the demographic of young, tech-savvy people, the use of crypto in online gambling allows for increased anonymity, faster transaction times, and lower fees.
23. Bitcoin’s electricity consumption is 0.54% of the total world supply.
(University of Cambridge)
One of the biggest critiques of Bitcoin is the question of its energy sustainability. According to Bitcoin mining statistics, Bitcoin consumes more electricity than the whole country of the Netherlands. Many mining pools have been established in countries with low electricity prices, though it’s not a long-term solution.
The Dark Side of Crypto
Bitcoin shows potential to create a financial system outside of the burdensome legalities and red tape that surround traditional currency, but this increased freedom may come at a cost. Due to its anonymity, many are using this currency to evade taxes and other legal regulations, commit crimes, and launder money.
24. In 2020, Finnish exchanges received 12.01% of all Bitcoin funds from criminal sources.
(CipherTrace)
Statistics on the number of crimes using Bitcoin show that the majority of illegal activity with BTC includes thefts, frauds, and hacks. Just from January to May 2020, these activities totaled a value of $1.36 billion. CipherTrace also found that 74% of BTC funds moved between exchanges went across borders, raising money laundering concerns and tax evasion.
25. In 2019, $2.8 billion was moved in Bitcoin to facilitate money laundering schemes.
(MIT Technology Review)
Bitcoin money laundering statistics show that the number of Bitcoin exchanged in money laundering schemes grew from $1 billion in 2018 to $2.8 billion in 2019, making it a major concern of governing bodies worldwide.
26. The 2011 Mt. Gox heist went away with 80,000 BTC.
(Cointelegraph)
In 2013, over 70% of all Bitcoin worldwide transactions were carried out on the crypto exchange called Mt. Gox, but in 2011, 80,000 BTC was stolen from the founder’s wallet.
It was later revealed that in the three years between 2011 and 2014, 850,000 BTC were stolen from the platform, 750,000 of which belonged to its clients. According to Bitcoin price statistics, the amount equaled $460 million at the time.
Conclusion
Bitcoin is the oldest cryptocurrency, and so far, the most popular one. As the above stats demonstrate, the mainstream adoption and understanding of cryptocurrencies have been on the rise, especially for young, white, tech-savvy men.
While the widespread use of bitcoins for everyday transactions, such as groceries, is still in the future, Bitcoin adoption depends on its scalability, transaction speeds, and ultimately how available it is to the general public. Still, legal concerns pervade this popular fintech, as anonymity is both its bravest feature and its crutch.
Frequently Asked Questions
In April 2020, one BTC was worth approximately $67,566. This was its highest price so far. The crypto’s value began skyrocketing around October 2020, hitting $27,000 at the end of the year.
Further increases are possible in the future, but they’re unpredictable due to the volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market.
The novelty of Bitcoin makes it difficult to predict. Analysts generally put the price of one Bitcoin in 2030 between $300,000 and $500,000. Still, especially as cryptocurrency is only at the beginning of its potential legacy, only time will tell what will happen over the next decade.
An average of 144 Bitcoin blocks were mined every day during 2021. Since each block rewards miners with 6.25 bitcoins, that’s 900 bitcoins mined per day.
At the moment, every block rewards miners 6.25 bitcoins, but this number will only apply until 2024 when the next halving takes place. Before 2020, when the previous halving took place, a single block on the Bitcoin network granted 12.5 BTC.
Since Bitcoin holders can choose to remain anonymous (and many opt for that), it’s hard to say who has the most Bitcoins.
One theory is that Satoshi Nakamoto, the person or persons behind Bitcoin’s invention, have the most coins. Reports claim they’ve never sold or exchanged any of the Bitcoins in their possession since Satoshi introduced crypto to the world.
Just because he can, doesn’t mean he does. It’s reported that Bill Gates doesn’t invest in BTC. He was quoted saying he’d rather invest in products rather than something so “intangible.” He was gifted some BTC in 2018, however, but he didn’t do much with it, letting it sit in his wallet for a while before selling it.
As of December 2021, there are 2,084,850 BTC left to be mined. So far, around 90% of all bitcoins have been mined, around 20% of which are lost due to forgotten passwords or misplaced hardware wallets.
It will only get harder to mine Bitcoin in the future because of the increasing competition and more expensive mining machines. Nevertheless, Bitcoin’s network is programmed to mint the final unit in 2140, implying that Bitcoin statistics will remain relevant for another century.