There were 19,124,681 bitcoins in existence as of August 2022. At that moment, there were 1,875,319 left to be mined before the limit of 21 million bitcoins is reached.
In fact, one of the chief characteristics of Bitcoin (BTCUSD) is its limited coin supply. Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous name used by the creators of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, designed the cryptocurrency essentially as digital gold and capped the Bitcoin maximum supply to mimic the finite quantity of physical gold.
The maximum number of bitcoins that can be issued—mined—is 21 million.
New bitcoins are added to the Bitcoin supply approximately every 10 minutes, which is the average amount of time that it takes to create a new block of Bitcoin. By design, the number of bitcoins minted per block is reduced by 50% after every 210,000 blocks, or about once every four years.
Key Takeaways
The maximum total supply of Bitcoin is 21 million.
The number of Bitcoins issued will likely never reach 21 million due to the use of rounding operators in the Bitcoin codebase.
When the Bitcoin supply reaches its upper limit, no additional bitcoins will be generated. Bitcoin miners will likely earn income only from transaction fees.
Will the Number of Bitcoins Ever Reach 21 Million?
The total number of bitcoins issued is not expected to reach 21 million. That's because the Bitcoin network uses bit-shift operators—arithmetic operators that round some decimal points down to the closest smallest integer.
This rounding down may occur when the block reward for producing a new Bitcoin block is divided in half, and the amount of the new reward is calculated. That reward can be expressed in satoshis, with one satoshi equaling 0.00000001 bitcoins. Because a satoshi is the smallest unit of measurement in the Bitcoin network, it cannot be split in half. The Bitcoin blockchain, when tasked with splitting a satoshi in half to calculate a new reward amount, is programmed—using bit-shift operators—to round down to the nearest whole integer. This systematic rounding down of Bitcoin block rewards, in fractions of satoshis, is why the total number of bitcoins issued is likely to fall slightly short of 21 million.
As of January 2022, 18.9 million bitcoins have already been issued, with about 2.1 million bitcoins still to be released.
With the number of new bitcoins issued per block decreasing by half approximately every four years, the final bitcoin is not expected to be generated until the year 2140. The number of new bitcoins minted per block was 50 when Bitcoin was first established, and has since decreased to 6.25 as of May 2020.
Although a maximum of 21 million bitcoins can be minted, it's likely that the number of bitcoins circulating remains substantially below that number. Bitcoin holders can lose access to their bitcoins, such as by losing the private keys to their Bitcoin wallets or passing away without sharing their wallet details. A June 2020 study by the crypto forensics firm Chainalysis estimates that up to 20% of the Bitcoin already issued may be permanently lost.
What Happens After All 21 Million Bitcoin Are Mined?
After the maximum number of bitcoins is reached, even if that number is ultimately slightly below 21 million, no new bitcoins will be issued. Bitcoin transactions will continue to be pooled into blocks and processed, and Bitcoin miners will continue to be rewarded, but likely only with transaction processing fees.
Bitcoin reaching its upper supply limit is likely to affect Bitcoin miners, but how they are affected depends in part on how Bitcoin evolves as a cryptocurrency. If the Bitcoin blockchain in 2140 processes many transactions, then Bitcoin miners may still be able to generate profits from only transaction processing fees.
If Bitcoin in 2140 largely serves as a store of value, rather than for daily purchases, then it's still possible for miners to profit—even with low transaction volumes and the disappearance of block rewards. Miners can charge high transaction fees to process high-value transactions or large batches of transactions, with more efficient "layer 2" blockchains like the Lightning Network working in conjunction with the Bitcoin blockchain to facilitate daily bitcoin spending.
But if Bitcoin mining in the absence of block rewards ceases to be reliably profitable, then some negative outcomes can occur:
Miners form cartels: Groups of miners may collude in an attempt to control mining resources and command higher transaction fees.
Selfish mining occurs: Miners engaging in selfish mining collude to hide new valid blocks and later release them as orphan blocks that are not confirmed by the Bitcoin network. This practice can increase block processing times and ensure that high fees are paid for the new blocks when they are finally released to the blockchain.
The Bottom Line
Will Bitcoin function like pocket change or bars of gold in the year 2140? The Bitcoin ecosystem is still developing, making it possible if not likely that Bitcoin itself will continue to evolve over the coming decades. But however Bitcoin evolves, no new bitcoins will be released after the 21-million coin limit is reached. Reaching this supply limit is likely to have the biggest impact on Bitcoin miners, but it's possible that Bitcoin investors could experience negative impacts as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Bitcoins Have Been Mined?
As of January 2022, 18.9 million bitcoins have already been mined, with about 2.1 million bitcoins still to be released. The total Bitcoin supply is capped at 21 million.
How Long Does It Take to Mine One Bitcoin?
The length of time it takes to mine one Bitcoin depends on the amount of the block reward, or how many new Bitcoins are paid to crypto miners for generating a new Bitcoin block. The current block reward is 6.25 Bitcoins, and a new block is produced approximately every 10 minutes. A new bitcoin is mined on average every 1.6 minutes.
What Happens to Mining Fees When Bitcoin's Supply Limit Is Reached?
Bitcoin mining fees will disappear when the Bitcoin supply reaches 21 million. Miners will likely earn income only from transaction processing fees, rather than a combination of block rewards and transaction fees.
After all bitcoins are mined, miners will no longer receive block rewards for verifying transactions, but will instead earn transaction fees. It's estimated that all bitcoins will be mined by the year 2140, at which point the last block reward will be released.
The current reward for mining a block is 6.25 Bitcoins. When all 21 million Bitcoins are mined, there will be no more block rewards to be earned. Miners will still be able to earn transaction fees, but these fees will likely be much lower than they are today.
The upcoming Bitcoin halving will occur in 2024 when the current reward of 6.25 BTC will be halved to 3.125 BTC. Stakeholders such as Bitcoin miners, retail and institutional investors, and governments are most likely to be affected when all 21 million bitcoins have been mined.
When all bitcoin have been mined, miner revenue will depend entirely on transaction fees. The price and purchasing power of bitcoin will adjust to the lack of new supply. The scarcity of Bitcoin will make it more attractive to investors and users.
It has a stipulation built into its source code that it must have a finite supply, which means both Bitcoin and gold are limited resources. For this reason, only 21 million Bitcoin can ever be in circulation. Also, like gold, Bitcoin cannot be created out of the blue.
The largest holder of Bitcoin is believed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous founder of Bitcoin. Nakamoto is estimated to own approximately 1,000,000 BTC, worth around $27.13 billion.
In the absence of miners, it would be nearly impossible to maintain the blockchain. Mining involves spending large amounts of computing power on algorithms to secure the network and order data. The algorithm relies on third-party participants to be decentralized and receive monetary rewards for their efforts.
Peterson shared a link to a 2020 study from Cane Island Alternative Advisors which showed at the time that about 4 million BTC were lost forever, with the claims that there will never be more than 14 million BTC in circulation.
Basic Info. Ethereum Supply is at a current level of 120.19M, down from 120.19M yesterday and up from 119.45M one year ago. This is a change of -0.00% from yesterday and 0.62% from one year ago.
The supply of bitcoin is limited to a final cap of 21 million. This is determined by bitcoin's source code which was programmed by its creator(s), Satoshi Nakamoto, and cannot be changed. Once all bitcoin is mined, the amount of coins in circulation will remain fixed at that level permanently.
What Does Lost Bitcoin Mean For The Rest Of The Bitcoin Network? Lost bitcoin increases the value of the remaining bitcoin on the network. Bitcoin is infinitely divisible, so lost bitcoin does not harm the network as a whole.
Bitcoin is not controlled by any single group or person. Instead, it is governed by multiple stakeholders — including developers, miners, and users. Developers write the code that makes Bitcoin run; miners validate transactions; and users put the software to work by trading, transacting, holding, and more.
Guessing the right number, however, is difficult. As per the data available from various sources, there are a minimum of 32,500 millionaires in the crypto industry as of 2023, and the actual number is expected to be higher.
The supply of bitcoins is replenished at a set rate of one block every ten minutes. The system design reduces the number of new bitcoins in each block by half every four years. There are only about 2 million bitcoins left. Experts predict that the last bitcoins will be mined by 2140.
F rom the increasingly ferocious federal crackdown on the cryptocurrency business, it might appear the U.S. government cannot stand digital currencies. Yet there is a love-hate dynamic: the Treasury is sitting on a stash of 207,189 bitcoin, worth $5 billion, by far the largest such state-owned hoard.
1. Changpeng Zhao (CZ) – Founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao (CZ) is one of the richest crypto billionaires in the world. Zhao's net worth is estimated at $1.9 billion. 2.
The research report put together by Ark Invest sees Bitcoin hitting price targets in 2030 of $258,500 in the bearish forecast, $682,000 in the average market and $1.48 million in a bullish market.
Only 7% of the supply (1.356 million BTC, worth $36.4 billion) is distributed among the nearly 46.5 million addresses with at least some bitcoin — but less than one — per BitInfoCharts. The other 93% (18 million BTC, worth $482.7 billion) exists in the one million addresses that now own a full BTC.
“Globally, the mining, or production, of Bitcoin is using tremendous amounts of electricity, mostly from fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas. This is causing huge amounts of air pollution and carbon emissions, which is negatively impacting our global climate and our health,” said Jones.
Bitcoin mining produces electronic waste (e-waste) annually comparable to the small IT equipment waste of a place like the Netherlands, research shows. Miners of the cryptocurrency each year produce 30,700 tonnes of e-waste, Alex de Vries and Christian Stoll estimate.
Key Takeaways. By mining, you can earn cryptocurrency without having to put down money for it. Bitcoin miners receive bitcoin as a reward for completing "blocks" of verified transactions, which are added to the blockchain.
636,000 ETH lost forever. Since the creation of the Ethereum network in 2015, the network has evolved a lot. However, bugs and human errors have resulted in the loss of over a billion dollars in ETH..
A cryptocurrency analyst, Timothy Peterson claims that 1,500 bitcoins are lost each day meaning only 14 million BTC will ever circulate. The figure is at odds with the estimate of many organizations including Markets.bitcoin.com which place the figure at 18.5 million coins.
If the cryptocurrency exchange where you are trading actively goes bankrupt, you may lose your Bitcoins. So, while there are many ways to lose your investments, these are some of the most common reasons why Bitcoins are lost.
Vitalik Buterin, one of the founders of Ethereum along with Gavin Wood (Polkadot) and Charles Hoskinson (Cardano), has many ETH addresses, but his VB 3 address is the largest.
“Number of Addresses Holding 10+ Coins just reached a 1-year high of 280,792. A previous 1-year high of 280,766 was observed on 01 November 2021,” Glassnode mentioned in its recent data update.
The future of Ethereum looks very promising for the long term based on our analysis. Our ETH price prediction 2030 indicated the coin may record a significant high of $14,088 by the end of 2030.
The short answer: As a concept, cryptocurrencies will probably survive, experts told Al Jazeera. But the sector will likely face increased regulation and an extended period of uncertainty. Many firms and currencies will perish.
However, the hardware needed for mining is expensive, and everyone cannot afford it. Moreover, mining Bitcoins requires a lot of electricity consumption. Only people who have access to low-cost electricity can afford to mine Bitcoins at home.
How Bitcoin Mining Works. Bitcoin is mined in blocks, rather than in a consistent stream. Roughly every ten minutes, a block is produced by a miner, earning that miner new bitcoin.
Bitcoin holds value due to its utility, scarcity, marginal cost of production, and monetarist theories. Bitcoin's rarity is reinforced by its 21-million supply limit, earning it the nickname “digital gold.”
revealed on Twitter that he owns only a tiny fraction of one bitcoin token. "I literally own zero cryptocurrency, apart from . 25 BTC that a friend sent me many years ago," Musk confessed. Using today's bitcoin price of about $10,000 a coin, that translates to $2,500.
As Bitcoin is decentralised, the network as such cannot be shut down by one government. However, governments have attempted to ban cryptocurrencies before, or at least to restrict their use in their respective jurisdiction. Governments could still try to jointly ban Bitcoin.
When the deal went through, Jackson is believed to have walked away with between $60 million and $100 million. Now that cryptocurrencies have soared in popularity, many other musicians are beginning to accept virtual coin payments for songs.
According to historical data at Investing.com, Bitcoin's price never broke above $0.40 per bitcoin in 2010 but did manage to hit that level in early 2011. Then in February, it crossed $1. Just a few months later, in May, it briefly exceeded $8 – a stunning 8-bagger in mere months!
At the end of the day, you have 5 options: a cryptocurrency exchange, an OTC brokerage, peer-to-peer exchanges, Bitcoin ATMs, and crypto gift cards. These are the most commonly used, and ultimately, the best way to cash out Bitcoin will depend on your specific needs and circ*mstances.
For example, if the coin ever reaches $1 million, the company's current cache of roughly 130,000 Bitcoins would soar from $2.8 billion to $130 billion.
Answer: Bitcoin could be worth between $800,000 and $1 million in 10 years based on analysts' predictions. The $1 million price target is anticipated in 2030.
China's first exchange CEO Bobby Lee said it will take 20 years for the BTC to reach $1 million. In his future price prediction, he correctly predicted that the value will increase in 2020. Lee believes Bitcoin reach $333,000 in 2022.
The bitcoin halving, which occurs every four years, reduces rewards for successfully mining new bitcoin by 50%. The aim is to reduce the supply of bitcoin over time. Before the last halving, on May 11, 2020, the price of bitcoin increased by 19% from the same day a year earlier.
When Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin, he installed a strict limit on the number of Bitcoin that could ever exist. There will never be more than 21 million bitcoin. This limit, known as the hard cap, is encoded in Bitcoin's source code and enforced by nodes on the network.
The bitcoin halving, which occurs every four years, reduces rewards for successfully mining new bitcoin by 50%. The aim is to reduce the supply of bitcoin over time. Before the last halving, on May 11, 2020, the price of bitcoin increased by 19% from the same day a year earlier.
As things stand now, the very last bitcoin is estimated to be mined sometime in 2140. There are no guarantees bitcoin will survive this long, so to answer Jamie Dimon's question: we don't really know.
Technically, mining the Bitcoin can be done for free, as the software has no cost associated with it. However, there are huge costs involved with the hardware and electricity expenses.
The maximum supply of a cryptocurrency refers to the maximum number of coins or tokens that will be ever created. This means that once the maximum supply is reached, there won't be any new coins mined, minted or produced in any other way.
How Bitcoin Mining Works. Bitcoin is mined in blocks, rather than in a consistent stream. Roughly every ten minutes, a block is produced by a miner, earning that miner new bitcoin.
Introduction: My name is Lidia Grady, I am a thankful, fine, glamorous, lucky, lively, pleasant, shiny person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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