Bitcoin statistics
Numbers you need to know about the biggest cryptocurrency
The first digital currency and the largest to this day, bitcoin makes up 34% of the total value of all cryptocurrencies as of January 15, 2018.
Bitcoin’s founding is the stuff of legend: It was created in 2009 by the alias Satoshi Nakamoto, who had the idea that money shouldn’t be controlled exclusively by a centralized government or agency.
Since then, bitcoin has smashed all records — notably in December 2017, when it reached more than $19,000 per coin. It’s simply changed the way we think about money.
Key statistics about bitcoin:
- 16.8 million bitcoin are in circulation as of January 16, 2018.
- Bitcoin is unrestricted — meaning it isn’t regulated specifically — in 99 countries out of 246.
- The richest bitcoin partial wallet contains 179,203 bitcoin — or more than $2.4 million in US dollars.
Who uses bitcoin?
- Women comprise only 3% of those in the bitcoin community.
- A 2015 CoinDesk survey revealed that more than 90% of bitcoin users are male.
- The CoinDesk survey also found that 60% of bitcoin owners are under 35 years old, and 65.8% identify as white, followed closely by those who identify as Asian.
- Of bitcoin users, most are 25 to 34 years old (45.71%), followed by those ages 35 to 44 (30.62%).
- The most popular currencies to change into bitcoin are the Japanese yen and the US dollar.
- A December 2017 finder.com.au survey found that 7% of Australians have invested in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency, while a further 20% have considered it.
How popular is bitcoin?
- In the last three months of 2017, each day saw an average 321,775 confirmed bitcoin transactions.
- More than 665,000 Redditors subscribe to the r/Bitcoin community.
- In one day — on December 7, 2017 — there were 155.6K tweets about bitcoin. Even the lowest point, on January 8, 2018, saw 30.6K bitcoin tweets.
What about mining?
- Average bitcoin mining difficulty has increased more than sixfold in the last year, from 336.8999G on January 14, 2017, to 2.2278T on January 14, 2018.
- Bitcoin miners unlocked 142 blocks and 1,775 bitcoin on January 14, 2018.
- The bitcoin blockchain is 179.83GB as of January 16, 2018.
Fun facts
- The first real-world bitcoin transaction was a pizza purchase on May 22, 2010, from Papa John’s, for 10,000 BTC. The pizzas were valued at $25 at the time. Today, those pizzas would be worth nearly $140 million.
- Unlike other cryptocurrencies, the number of bitcoin is finite — exactly 21 million are available for mining, with 16.8 million already mined.
- It took five years for a single bitcoin to be worth $1,000. In contrast, from January 1, 2017, to the 2018 New Year, bitcoin’s value has increased from $800 to $14,000, hitting a high of $19,000 in December 2017.
Disclaimer:
This information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of cryptocurrency or any specific provider,
service or offering. It is not a recommendation to trade. Cryptocurrencies are speculative, complex and
involve significant risks – they are highly volatile and sensitive to secondary activity. Performance
is unpredictable and past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Consider your own
circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before relying on this information. You should also verify
the nature of any product or service (including its legal status and relevant regulatory requirements)
and consult the relevant Regulators' websites before making any decision. Finder, or the author, may
have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.
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Jennifer McDermott
Consumer advocate helping people improve their personal finances.
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