Subscribe to stay updated
Learn Profitable Crypto Trading and receive our free resources to master automated bot 🤖 trading strategies.
(We respect your privacy.)
The pricing fluctuation, Musk-effect, conspiracy theories, hacks, and a lot more deserve a special documentary on Netflix. All the bitcoin and cryptocurrency statistics that we are going to discuss below will make you believe the same.
What comes to your mind first when you hear “Bitcoin”, whether it's in the newspaper, a WhatsApp forward from your friend who has been telling you to invest, or your favorite influencer shares a story about cryptocurrency.
You are either on the “Yea” or “nay” side when it comes to Bitcoin. Certainly, something so discreet yet transparent in the financial system requires a lot of legitimate backing to be proved as a viable option to invest funds into.
Well, 97% of cryptocurrency users have shown complete faith in this industry.
People have been making bold assumptions every time there is a bull run of the crypto market. In fact, Bitcoin has been declared dead over 400 times.
Bitcoin was literally trading at $0 in 2009 (insane, isn't it!). Since then, a lot has changed, well, except Satoshi Nakamoto revealing himself/herself on camera!
When money is involved numbers become everything. And we have 200+ statistics below to showcase the impact of crypto.
Today, we have compiled 200+ statistics of bitcoin and cryptocurrency and dived deep into the numbers game of Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency users' & usage statistics followed by facts about exchange, mining, and money laundering.
Any money is good money as long as its relative value is increasing over the long haul. That's why we are seeing a 300% CAGR in Bitcoin in the last year even though the currency is banned or in some areas restricted too.
Bitcoin has a fascinating history that deserves a Netflix show in itself. Ever since its inception and every bull and bear cycle, Bitcoin has made headlines.
Below is the overall graph of bitcoin statistics history. It shows the real-time fluctuations of the biggest cryptocurrency on the planet.
There are quite a few fascinating behaviors too which we will see from the bitcoin spending statistics. People are using Bitcoin for daily transactions, trading, shopping, and investing.
Let's dive deep into bitcoin history and spending statistics to know more.
In 1983, David Chaum, an American cryptographer created the first untraceable digital currency. It's called ecash which requires software to enable money withdrawal, and a key to be sent to a recipient.
- IEEELitecoin, Namecoin, Swiftcoin, and other cryptocurrencies made their debut in 2011.
- Hodder EducationThe Global Bitcoin payment ecosystem market size is forecast to reach $630 million by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 23.4%.
- NewsLogicalIn 2020, digital remittances and cross-border transfers reached almost US$95.96 billion.
- Bitcoin NewsCompared to traditional remittance methods, crypto remittance is 388 times faster and 127 times cheaper.
- Blockdata2019-2020 proved a fruitful duration for Bitcoin recovery as it strengthened to above $15,000.
- InvestopediaBefore February 2021, Bitcoin's price increased at least five times, from $10,000 to more than $50,000.
- KnoemaAfter Tesla's investment, Bitcoin's market capitalization reached an all-time high in February 2021—at $1,072.26 billion.
- CoinMarketCapThe value of global cryptocurrency markets increased by almost 900% in the period March 2020 to February 2021.
- KnoemaBitcoin usage is likely to outnumber many conventional financial institutions of today's age. The need for Bitcoin and its usage is so massive, that carbon emission from Bitcoin mining has already surpassed the carbon emission generated through VISA.
Developing an algorithm that can find crypto market-moving signals costs between $500,000 and $1 million.
- ReutersGlobally, around 18.67 million Bitcoins are in circulation, as of February 2021.
- Blockchain ExplorerUsers who have invested 50-100% of their crypto wealth in Bitcoin are:
- Binancemore likely to hold a doctorate degree.
Users who have invested 50-100% of their crypto wealth in Bitcoin are 400% more likely to hold a doctorate degree. - Binancemore likely to earn US$90,000/year.
Users who have invested 50-100% of their crypto wealth in Bitcoin are 179% more likely to earn US$90,000/year. - Binancemore likely to use crypto as a primary source of income.
Users who have invested 50-100% of their crypto wealth in Bitcoin are 265% more likely to use crypto as a primary source of income. - Binancemore likely to buy Bitcoin from borrowed money.
Users who have invested 50-100% of their crypto wealth in Bitcoin are 400% more likely to buy Bitcoin from borrowed money. - BinanceIn January 2021, the cryptocurrency market lost $150 billion (17%) in 24 hours when Bitcoin and Ether coin prices dropped.
- AIMultipleMore than 10 crypto billionaires lost $15.5 billion value from their Bitcoin, Gemini, XRP, FTX tokens, and Coinbase stocks, during the May 2021 market crash.
- CointelegraphThe usage of Bitcoin has increased a lot of opportunities for other cryptocurrencies in the form of wallets, exchanges, trading, and more.
Let's have a brief overview of cryptocurrency user statistics.
Crypto users are in the millions. The people are literally spending millions daily on trading and investing in cryptocurrencies.
As the number of users, companies, organizations, and investors are onboarding cryptocurrencies and believing in their potential, right from the well-known entrepreneurs like Elon Musk to a teenager predicting “Doge to the moon” on Twitter.
Let's have a look at cryptocurrency users statistics to get an idea of how this market segment is utilized by people in general.
Top uses for cryptocurrencies are
- StatistaAmong 16,000 cryptocurrency users: 52% consider crypto investing as a means of income, not a hobby 15% say that it is their primary income source.
- BinanceU.S. investors collectively made over $4 billion in 2020 from Bitcoin; more than 3x the next highest country, China.
- ChainalysisAmericans invest an average of $1,003 in crypto. But the average amount of crypto in American digital wallets is just $191.
- FinderThe cryptocurrency market cap rose 178,471% from $1.5 billion in 2013 to $2.5 trillion in May 2021.
- AIMultipleGlobal spending on blockchain solutions is projected to reach $6.6 billion by the end of 2021, and $19 billion by 2024.
- IDCAs of October 2021, the top 5 cryptocurrencies with the largest market cap are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, Binance Coin, and Tether.
- CoinMarketCapAs of 2021, companies like Tesla, Starbucks, AXA, Amazon, Visa, PayPal, Air Baltic, Coca Cola, Expedia, OverStock, Subway, Shopify and many others have started accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as payment methods.
- AIMultipleThe number of crypto-asset owners rose 190% from 5 million in 2016 to 101 million in Q3 2020.
- University of CambridgeTether was the biggest cryptocurrency as of February 22nd, with a $109 billion 24-hour volume.
- StatistaThe value of the global cryptocurrency market in 2019 was approximately $792.53 million. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 30%, reaching about $5,190.62 million by 2026.
- Facts & Factors, 2021According to data collected by CoinMarketCap as of January 2021, the total number of cryptocurrencies worldwide is 7,812. Together, they make up a market capitalization of $324.716 billion.
- CoinMarketCapMore than 5,000 cryptocurrencies in existence have a market capitalization of less than $10 million.
- E-Crypto NewsIn September 2021, all cryptocurrencies combined reached a market capitalization of US$2,082,830,148,356.
- CoinMarketCap55% of 18- to 34-year-olds in the US are more likely to purchase Bitcoin in the next five years.
- FinancesOnline46% of US adults aged 35 to 44 years are willing to invest and 36% of 45 to 54-year-olds have expressed interest in Bitcoin.
- FinancesOnline33% of organizations worldwide use blockchain technology primarily for managing digital currencies.
- DeloitteAs of December 2020, the 10 largest cryptocurrency wallet apps generated a total of 5,634,548 downloads worldwide.
- StatistaWoah! Those are quite staggering numbers to depict the impact cryptocurrencies have on users. We got to know the demographics of users involved and how they interact with the buyers with maximum usability.
This does not get over just yet. Even more staggering numbers are how these users leverage their portfolios and use cryptocurrencies in their day-to-day lives.
Let's have a look at cryptocurrency usage and adaptation statistics to get a more in-depth review of the subject matter.
Cryptocurrency usage and adoption have risen over the years. The understanding of the technology and overall press and brand coverage has impacted how people consider crypto in general.
In fact, they are even considering crypto's perceived risk as the last barrier to accepting crypto.
This means that people are more likely to trust the technology on which Crypto is built. Let's understand cryptocurrency usage and adoption statistics to get more ideas.
13% of crypto users have advanced knowledge of the industry and the rest 87% of users are general crypto users.
- Binance36% of the general public (not-aggressive users) consider Crypto as an additional source of income.
- BinanceChina has the highest percentage of the general population (23%) investing in crypto through borrowed capital.
- BinanceAggressive crypto users' average yearly salary is around US$22,000/year; lesser than their counterparts.
- BinancePeople who love the tech behind crypto are 25% more likely to showcase confidence in the market.
- Binance8 out of 10 people consider online channels as the number one source to learn about crypto.
- BinanceThe first ten cryptocurrencies with the highest market cap make up about 88% of the total cryptocurrency market value.
- FiniviPeople who regretted not buying crypto are 4x to the people who regretted investing in crypto.
- BinanceGlobal crypto adoption has taken off in 2020, up 881%, with Vietnam, India, and Pakistan firmly in the lead, according to new data from Chainalysis.
- CNBCThe global crypto market crosses $2 trillion, bitcoin accounts for over 50% of the market cap equalling to 8th largest economy globally.
- CNBCGlobal DeFi (decentralized finance) volume per 24 hours is $9.24 billion, or 8.52% of the total daily cryptomarket volume.
- CoinMarketCapAt the end of July 2021, the cryptocurrency Ethereum would be processed more than 1.1 million times per day. This was more than six times that of the more commonly known rival Bitcoin, which saw only 250,000 daily transactions that month.
- StatistaThe global market size of digital payments surpassed 700 billion transactions in 2020.
- Consultancy.ukTesla is the leading member of the S&P 500 to announce the acquisition of Bitcoins.
- BusinessInsider30 countries give classification in their jurisdiction on the of crypto-assets while 13 do not.
- OECDPrepaid/gift cards are the leading industry that accepts BitPay payments at 26.3%, the lowest is Consumer Electronics at 1.74%.
- Statista24 countries do not take the view that virtual currencies are equivalent to sovereign (fiat) currencies.
- OECDGlobal accountancy firms recommend classifying virtual currencies as “intangible assets other than goodwill”.
- OECDIn 2013, the Chinese government banned Bitcoin and in 2017, it banned ICOs and domestic exchanges.
- ForbesThe Payment Services Act acknowledges Bitcoin and other digital currencies as legal property in Japan.
- CNBCCanada Revenue Agency considers Bitcoin transactions as barter and bitcoin exchanges as a service.
- Government of CanadaAustralia categorizes cryptocurrencies as property required to follow the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act, and are subject to tax.
- AIMultipleUK cryptocurrency users have increased by 558% since 2018 when just 3% of the population owned cryptocurrency.
- FinderSlovenia has the highest volume of Google search about “Cryptocurrency”, followed by the Netherlands, Cyprus, Nigeria, and Singapore.
- Google TrendsIn June 2021, the El Salvador Congress approved the adoption of Bitcoin as a form of payment within the country.
- ReutersThe East Asia cryptocurrency market is dominated by professional traders, with roughly 90% of all volume transferred by East Asia is attributed to professional-sized (above $10,000 worth of cryptocurrency) transfers.
- ChainalysisThe Middle East accounts for only 15% of the global cryptocurrency market as of June 2020.
- ChainalysisCollectively Blockfi and Bitpay offered decentralized financing worth $232 million in 2020.
- CrunchbaseIn 2020, Peru was the leading country in South America when it came to cryptocurrency adoption with 16%.
- The World Economic ForumAs you can see, major investors in Crypto earn $25,000/year and they are either doing a full-time job or an undergrad, which shows that crypto has a major fan following and involvement from retail investors. The above cryptocurrency statistics bring absolute clarity on what type of audience is inclined and how they believe in when it comes to cryptocurrency adoption.
When you are into crypto, you are either storing your portfolios inside a wallet or in exchange. Both options are great.
But do you know there are 300+ crypto exchanges online? Also, the top 20 crypto exchanges manage 80% of global daily trade volume! Let's have a look at all the fascinating cryptocurrency exchange statistics.
28% of users value security in exchange. 25% value UI/UX and 23% value available trading pairs.
- BinanceThree of the world's largest exchanges handled 76.99% of the global crypto trading volume in 2020, up from 55.51% in 2019.
- Yahoo FinanceThere are a total of 305 crypto exchanges listed on CoinMarketCap, as of 13-Sep-2021.
- CoinMarketCapOn January 11, 2021, Coinbase reached $9.56 billion in exchange volume, 57.9% higher than the previous peak.
- The BlockIn 2020, Binance had $15 billion in 24-hour all-time-high spot trading (up by 5 billion compared to 2019).
- BinanceCoinbase generated over $1,597 million in revenue in Q1 2021, around a 200% increase from Q4 2020.
- CoinbaseOver 8,000 merchants accept Coinbase. It has also launched its Visa debit card in Europe and the US.
- BusinessofappsCoinbase is available in over 100 countries and has over 115,000 ecosystem partners.
- BusinessofappsPeople who took loans to invest in crypto are 10x more likely to store their portfolio on exchanges.
- BinanceCertainly, security is paramount when it comes to using a crypto exchange and that's why it holds the utmost importance when it comes to what users value the most when they go to a cryptocurrency exchange.
My favorite exchanges are Binance. If you're hearing about it for the first time, be sure to read my detailed review of Binance.
There are good cryptocurrency exchanges too.
Cryptocurrency mining is as large and as effective as traditional mining industries like coal and petroleum (it's discussed in the stats below).
The numbers are staggering and unfortunately, crypto mining is also impacting the carbon footprints and emissions to our environment.
Let's check cryptocurrency mining statistics
.As of February 24, 2021, 18.64 million bitcoins have been mined, which leaves 2.36 million yet to be introduced into circulation.
- InvestopediaBitcoin mining is revenued at $13.5 billion exceeding the anticipated 2021 revenues from gold and silver mining by around 5%.
- FortuneSometime in the year 2,140 when the last Bitcoin halving is expected to occur.
- Buy Bitcoin WorldwideMiners also earn transaction fees each time they win a new batch of coins, generally ranging between 5% and 10% of the reward and paid in Bitcoin.
- FortuneThe global cryptocurrency mining hardware market is expected to grow over US$2.80 billion between 2020-2024 at the CAGR of 10%.
- TechnavioIt takes 10 minutes to mine a Bitcoin. Regardless of how huge a mining network is, it will always take at least 10 minutes.
- The BalanceMining cryptocurrency uses more electricity than Argentina or 121.36 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year.
- BBCBitcoin mining results in 35.95 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, which is higher than the CO2 emission of New Zealand.
- InvestopediaCentral processing units cannot mine Bitcoin as quickly as graphic processing units, resulting in greater electricity consumption.
- CellKentucky passed legislation to introduce energy and tax breaks for crypto mining operations.
- CoindeskCarbon emissions from Bitcoin mining are 15x greater than the mining of the same amount of global gold.
- Visual CapitalistOne Bitcoin transaction's carbon footprint is equivalent to 735,121 Visa transactions or 55,280 hours of watching YouTube.
- DigiconomistMore than 60% of the Bitcoin network's hash rate depends on non-renewable energy sources.
- DigitconomistA Bitcoin purchase worth $50,000 has a carbon footprint of 270 tons, or 60 internal combustion cars.
- Financial TimesImagine being a physical entity that is not physical but still can rank in the top 30 energy users in the world! I mean, it can beat many popular countries of the world in energy consumption.
Building a crypto portfolio and wealth for oneself is good. But if it's done at the cost of the environment, then it needs a solid rethinking of ethical checks.
Speaking of ethics, Bitcoin can result in online money laundering and crime.
Let's go through cryptocurrency money laundering and Bitcoin crime statistics to know more.
Bitcoin transactions are publicly observed yet they are very private and discreet. Nobody can track who is getting the payments and for what purposes.
Therefore, governments and leading organizations are still reluctant towards cryptocurrencies. And they are not wrong! If not validated and managed with proper oversight, it can lead to rising cyber-attacks, hacks, and criminal activities.
Therefore, only El Salvador, on June 9, 2021, became the first country to officially classify Bitcoin as a legal currency. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele had proposed to recognize the world's oldest and arguably the most popular cryptocurrency as legal tender.
Let's understand more about Cryptocurrency money laundering and bitcoin crime statistics.
98% of the exchange-to-exchange Bitcoin volume was cross-border, with 49% of the total cross-border volume being sent to VASPs with weaker KYCs.
- CipherTraceOn 13th August 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice seized crypto worth $2 million from terrorist groups.
- Buy Bitcoin WorldwideOn 1st October 2020, the US Department of Justice arrested 4 BitMEX executives for violating Bank Secrecy Act by "willfully failing to establish, implement, and maintain an adequate anti-money laundering program."
- United States Department of JusticePolice arrested BitGrail boss for being a part of the biggest cyber-financial breach in Italy.
- ReutersBitGo settled for $98,830 with the US Treasury over multiple crypto sanctions violations.
- U.S. Department of TreasuryOn 22nd December 2020, the US Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Ripple, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and the co-founder Chris Larsen on the firm's activities.
- SEC.govOn July 15th, 2020, celebrities' social media accounts were hacked, including accounts of Jeff Bezos, Uber, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Elon Musk. Hackers received 12.86204920 BTC which is around $600,000.
- The GuardianUnauthorized use of machines to mine cryptocurrency without the owner's knowledge, is a leading cyber threat.
- MalwarebytesThe value of global cryptocurrency theft in 2020 totaled $513 million, a significant increase from 2019's $371 million.
- ChainalysisGlobally, cybercrimes involving cryptocurrencies racked up $1.9 billion in 2020 alone.
- ChainalysisRelatedly, another report states that 50-80% of initial coin offerings (ICOs) were designed and created as fraudulent activities, but organizers realized their projects wouldn't materialize.
- Bloomberg$281 million of crypto was stolen in 2020, but ~80% has since been claimed and recovered.
- StatistaTo save yourself from a crypto breach, make sure you enhance the security of your assets by:
Keeping your keys private.
Applying two-factor authentication for all your exchanges and wallets.
Using only legitimate platforms for regular investments and trading.
I believe in DeFi and the mindful usage of crypto.
The technology and the solutions that it brings certainly have the potential to change our lives for good.
Let me know what you think about the statistics shared above.
If you want to keep getting updates about the bitcoin and cryptocurrency market, join our Telegram channel, an active community of crypto enthusiasts!
Subscribe to our newsletter and join our Telegram channel to get the latest industry updates.
Join CoinSutra Newsletter & learn about Blockchain & Bitcoin.
Learn Profitable Crypto Trading and receive our free resources to master automated bot 🤖 trading strategies.
(We respect your privacy.)
For Crypto Investors:
Beginners Traders:
Advanced Crypto Trading Techniques:
New User Promotions:
Crypto Exchanges Guide:
Beginners Traders:
Exchanges Comparisons:
Automated Crypto Trading Guides:
Security Guide:
Wallets Resources:
CoinSutra provides general cryptocurrency and blockchain information for educational purposes only. Content on CoinSutra’s website and social media is not financial, investment, trading, or professional advice. Readers should conduct independent research and consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
CoinSutra does not recommend or endorse specific cryptocurrencies, projects, platforms, products, exchanges, wallets, or other offerings. Opinions shared by CoinSutra writers are their personal views only and should not be relied upon for financial choices.
CoinSutra writers are not certified financial advisors or brokers. Cryptocurrency activities like purchasing, trading, holding, and selling have inherent risks. Readers should exercise due diligence before participating. CoinSutra and its writers are not responsible for any investment losses from acting on website or social media content. Visitors participate at their own risk.