As of early 2026, roughly 1 to 1.4 million Bitcoins (BTC) remain unmined out of the 21 million total supply, with nearly 94-95% already in circulation, but this number constantly decreases as new coins are mined daily (around 450 BTC post-2024 halving) until the last one is expected around 2140, slowed by periodic halving events.
When the last Bitcoin is mined (around 2140), no new coins will be created, and miners will rely solely on transaction fees to validate transactions and secure the network, with scarcity potentially increasing demand, though some experts worry about the long-term viability if fees aren't high enough to cover costs and incentivize miners.
Roughly 1.32 million BTC remain unmined in 2026, less than 7 % of total supply. Because halvings slow issuance, each new year adds fewer coins than the last. At the current rate of 450 BTC/day, it takes about three years to mine just half a million more coins.
Key Takeaways
Blockchain data shows that there are just under 1 million wallet addresses that hold one full bitcoin. Many large holders, such as cryptocurrency exchanges, hold their bitcoin across multiple wallets, which puts the estimate for individual owners of at least one bitcoin closer to 800,000.
Laszlo Hanyecz, a programmer and early Bitcoin miner, famously traded 10,000 Bitcoin for two Papa John's pizzas on May 22, 2010, marking the first documented commercial transaction for physical goods with cryptocurrency, a day now celebrated as "Bitcoin Pizza Day". At the time, the Bitcoins were worth only about $41, but the value of those coins would later grow to be worth hundreds of millions, even over a billion dollars, making it one of history's most expensive pizzas.
James Howells, the man who accidentally threw away a hard drive with around 8,000 Bitcoins in 2013, has largely given up his decade-long, costly quest to dig it out of a Welsh landfill after courts repeatedly denied access due to environmental concerns, despite his offers to donate millions to the city of Newport. He's now shifting focus, exploring launching a cryptocurrency backed by the lost funds and advocating for digital asset security, though the lost fortune remains a famous "what if" in crypto history.
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.
MicroStrategy is a major institutional investor in the crypto space, holding an impressive 2% of Bitcoin's total supply. The company's total investment in Bitcoin, including fees and expenses, amounts to $25.6 billion.
"We are concerned about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions," Musk explained in a tweet, "especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel."
Ramsey's Simple Three-Investment Rule
In a 2024 video, Ramsey said, "I have three investments — that's all I have: my business, paid-for real estate and mutual funds. I don't play single stocks. I don't screw around with gold. I don't mess with Bitcoin."
Key Takeaways. The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, meaning that when you buy, sell or exchange it, this counts as a taxable event and typically results in either a capital gain or loss. When you earn income from cryptocurrency activities, this is taxed as ordinary income.
Ten years later, the price of one BTC has hit $88,131.29 as of March 24, 2025, as per Kraken's price feeds. The same investment would be worth $3.59 million. It means that an investment of $10,000 in Bitcoin ten years ago would have offered you more than a 350 times return by today.
2011 – 2012: $1 to $13.50
In 2011, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) accepted BTC for donations for a few months, but quickly backtracked due to a lack of a legal framework for virtual currencies. In February of 2011, BTC reached $1.00 for the first time, achieving parity with the U.S. dollar.