How many Bitcoins are there in total?

Bitcoin is scarce by design. Unlike traditional currencies, its supply follows a fixed, transparent schedule written into its code. While the maximum number is capped, there’s still more to be mined. This guide will walk you through the important numbers to know. 

How many Bitcoins are there currently?

As of 2025, approximately 19.95 million Bitcoins have been mined and are in circulation. This figure increases gradually as new blocks are added to the Bitcoin blockchain.

What’s commonly referred to as the ‘Bitcoin supply’ usually means circulating supply: The amount of BTC that has already been created and exists on the network. As new blocks are added roughly every 10 minutes, this number changes continuously.

Circulating supply, however, isn’t the same as usable supply. Some Bitcoin is permanently inaccessible due to lost keys or forgotten wallets; the effective amount in use may be lower than the publicly stated figure.

How are Bitcoins created?

Bitcoins are created through a process called mining. Roughly every 10 minutes, the network adds a new block of transactions to the blockchain and a fixed amount of new BTC is issued as part of that process.

Mining uses a mechanism called Proof-of-Work (PoW). In plain terms, miners compete to solve a computational puzzle. The first to find a valid solution earns the right to add the next block and collect the block reward plus transaction fees. This competition is what helps the network agree on a single, shared transaction history.

Because miners are competing globally, the process consumes energy and makes rewriting transaction history costly. It encourages miners to follow the network’s rules rather than try to subvert them.

New BTC isn’t created on demand. It’s released on a preset schedule that slows over time through events known as halvings, which reduce the block reward at regular intervals without changing the 21 million cap.

Users can receive BTC after purchasing it or transferring it into a wallet or account – for example, by holding BTC in the Crypto.com App and receiving deposits from another wallet address.

What’s the total supply of Bitcoin?

Bitcoin’s total supply is capped at 21 million coins. This limit is enforced by the protocol itself and applies to everyone using the network. No central authority can issue more Bitcoin, and changing the cap would require broad consensus across the network.

The supply cap is not aspirational or flexible. It is a structural rule embedded in Bitcoin’s software, which is why discussions about Bitcoin’s supply tend to focus on timing and distribution rather than expansion.

Difference between circulating supply and total supply 

How many Bitcoins are mined everyday (and how much is there left to mine)? 

Roughly 19.6 million Bitcoins have already been mined. That equals almost 94% of the total 21 million supply, with an estimated 1.4 million BTC still left to be created over the coming decades.

New Bitcoin enters the system through mining. Under normal conditions, the network produces about 144 blocks per day. Following the most recent halving in April 2024 (Bitcoin’s fourth cycle), each block currently releases 3.125 BTC, which puts daily issuance at roughly 450 BTC.

(Note: These figures are an average, not an absolute. They are subject to changes over time.)

Most of Bitcoin’s supply was created early in its life:

• 50% of all Bitcoins had been mined by around 2013
• 75% by around 2016
• 90% by around 2020

Each halving reduces the number of new Bitcoins created per day, gradually lowering the network’s supply growth rate. Over time, issuance trends toward zero without ever abruptly stopping.

In relative terms, this means Bitcoin’s daily supply expansion becomes smaller each year, especially when compared with fiat monetary systems, where supply can expand or contract based on policy decisions (i.e., human intervention).

How many Bitcoins have been lost or stolen?

Not every Bitcoin that has been mined is still accessible. A portion of the supply has either been lost or stolen. Both affect how much Bitcoin is effectively available today.

Some examples of lost Bitcoin situations are when private keys are misplaced, wallets are discarded or early users lose access to storage devices. As Bitcoin has no recovery mechanism, tokens in these situations are lost forever and are effectively removed from circulation.

Chainalysis has previously estimated that roughly 2.3 to 3.7 million BTC may be effectively lost, based on long‑dormant wallets and other on‑chain patterns. These figures are estimates, not provable totals.

Stolen Bitcoin, by contrast, isn’t removed from circulation. These tokens still exist on the blockchain and can often be traced as they move between addresses. While theft changes ownership, it doesn’t reduce the total or circulating supply in the same way permanent loss does.

Access and secure storage matter as much as issuance. Using established wallets with clear backup and recovery processes – including non-custodial options like Crypto.com Onchain, where users retain control of their wallet credentials – can help reduce the risk of accidental loss over time.

How many Bitcoins does Satoshi Nakamoto have?

No one knows exactly how many Bitcoins belong to Bitcoin’s creator, known by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. The most widely cited estimate is around 1 million BTC, based on analyses of early mining patterns rather than confirmed ownership.

This estimate comes from observing blocks mined in Bitcoin’s earliest days, often associated with what researchers call the ‘Patoshi pattern’. These tokens have largely remained unmoved since they were mined, which has fueled speculation about their ownership.

It’s important to note that this analysis doesn’t prove that all of these tokens belong to a single person or that they are inaccessible; they simply haven’t been spent. As a result, discussions about Satoshi’s holdings remain informed conjecture rather than settled fact.

What happens when all 21 million Bitcoins have been mined?

The final Bitcoin is expected to be mined around the year 2140. Long before this distant date, new Bitcoin creation will become negligible. The block reward trends toward zero as halvings continue, meaning almost the entire supply will already be in circulation well ahead of the final block.

After all 21 million Bitcoins have been mined, the network doesn’t stop. Transactions can still be processed and miners are expected to be compensated through transaction fees rather than newly issued Bitcoin. 

When will the final Bitcoin halving be?

Bitcoin halvings occur at regular intervals, roughly every four years, when the block reward is reduced by half. These events continue until the block reward becomes so small that no further halvings are meaningful.

Based on the current schedule, the final halving is expected to take place sometime in the late 2130s, shortly before the last Bitcoin is mined. By then, the reward for each block will be close to zero.

Each halving reduces the rate at which new Bitcoin enters circulation. Over time, this creates a declining issuance curve rather than a sudden cutoff. 

Bitcoin supply vs inflation rate

People liken Bitcoin’s supply growth to inflation rate, but the comparison works differently than it does for traditional currencies.

As explained earlier, Bitcoin’s programmed issuance rate is defined in advance, as opposed to policy decisions. New BTC enters circulation through mining and the pace slows automatically over time as block rewards are reduced through halvings.

As a result, Bitcoin’s effective inflation rate declines predictably. In its early years, supply growth was rapid. Today, the rate is far lower, and it continues to trend downward as fewer new coins are created each day.

This doesn’t mean Bitcoin is immune to economic forces. It simply means that its supply expansion follows a transparent schedule.

How mining difficulty influences Bitcoin supply timing

Bitcoin’s total supply is fixed, but the timing of how new Bitcoin enters circulation can vary. This is where mining difficulty comes into play.

The network aims to add a new block roughly every 10 minutes. To maintain that pace, Bitcoin adjusts its mining difficulty about every two weeks, based on how much computing power is participating. If blocks are being added too quickly, difficulty increases. If they slow down, difficulty decreases.

These adjustments don’t change how many Bitcoins will exist or how many are issued per block. They simply help keep issuance on schedule over long periods, smoothing out short-term fluctuations caused by changes in miner participation.

Understanding Bitcoin block rewards

Block rewards are the mechanism through which new Bitcoins are introduced into circulation. Each time a miner successfully adds a new block to the blockchain, they receive a fixed amount of BTC as a reward, along with any transaction fees included in that block.

In Bitcoin’s early years, block rewards were significantly higher. When the network launched in 2009, each block released 50 BTC. With a new block added roughly every 10 minutes, thousands of new Bitcoins entered circulation each day.

This reward is reduced over time with each halving, which cuts the block reward in half at predetermined intervals. For example, in April 2024, the most recent halving reduced the block reward from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC per block, immediately lowering the rate of new Bitcoin creation.

FAQs about Bitcoin supply and creation

Why is there only 21 million Bitcoin?

Bitcoin’s 21 million cap is a rule built into its software. It was set at launch and enforced by the network’s code, ensuring new Bitcoin is released on a fixed schedule rather than through discretionary decisions.

What happens after all 21 million Bitcoins are mined?

Bitcoin will continue to operate normally. New transactions will still be processed and miners are expected to earn transaction fees instead of block rewards once new Bitcoin issuance ends.

Will Bitcoin ever run out?

Bitcoin won’t suddenly run out. New BTC will continue to be issued in smaller amounts over decades, with issuance gradually tapering off.

How many new Bitcoins are created per block?

Following the April 2024 halving, each new block releases 3.125 BTC. This amount is reduced by half roughly every four years through scheduled halving events.

How often does Bitcoin’s supply change?

Bitcoin’s supply increases whenever a new block is added, which occurs roughly every 10 minutes on average. The rate of increase slows over time as block rewards are reduced.

How accurate are lost Bitcoin estimates?

Lost Bitcoin estimates are approximate. Analysts infer loss from long-inactive tokens and known incidents, but the blockchain cannot reveal whether coins are truly inaccessible or simply unmoved.

Can the Bitcoin supply limit ever be changed?

In theory, the code could be altered. In practice, changing the 21 million cap would require broad agreement across the global network, making such a change highly unlikely.

How does Bitcoin’s issuance compare with gold production?

Gold supply increases through mining at rates influenced by geology, cost and technology. Bitcoin’s issuance follows a predefined schedule, making its future supply path more predictable.

Why does Bitcoin’s supply schedule matter?

Bitcoin’s supply schedule provides transparency. Anyone can verify how much Bitcoin exists today and how much will be created in the future, reducing uncertainty around issuance.

Important Information: This is informational content sponsored by Crypto.com and should not be considered as investment advice. Trading cryptocurrencies carries risks, including price volatility. Past performance may not indicate future results. There is no assurance of future profitability. Consider your risk appetite before trading cryptocurrencies. Past performance may not indicate future results. There is no assurance of future profitability.

If you use a non-custodial wallet, you are responsible for securely storing your seed phrase. Losing it may result in loss of access to your assets.