How Many Bitcoins Are There?

There will only ever be 21 million bitcoins. As of 2025, over 19.7 million BTC have already been mined and are circulating. The bitcoin supply is hardcoded into the protocol with a maximum cap of 21,000,000 BTC—no more will ever be created.

Less than 1.3 million bitcoins are left to mine before the 21 million cap is reached. Each bitcoin halving event (every ~4 years) reduces the rate of new BTC issuance, so these remaining bitcoins will be mined slowly until approximately 2140.

The bitcoin halving is an event that occurs every 210,000 blocks (~4 years) where the reward for mining new blocks is cut in half. This halving controls how many new bitcoins enter circulation and ensures the total supply approaches the 21 million bitcoin cap gradually over time.

Once the 21 million bitcoin cap is reached around the year 2140, miners will no longer receive block subsidy rewards. Instead, they will be compensated entirely through transaction fees paid by bitcoin users, ensuring the network remains secure even after all BTC have been mined.

Technically yes, but practically no. Changing bitcoin's 21 million supply cap would require consensus from the majority of nodes running the Bitcoin network. Since increasing the total bitcoin supply would devalue everyone's holdings, it's economically irrational for the network to agree—making the 21 million cap effectively permanent.

Estimates suggest 3-4 million bitcoins (about 15-20% of the circulating supply) are lost forever due to lost private keys, discarded hard drives, and Satoshi's unmoved coins. This means the actual usable bitcoin supply is less than what the blockchain shows as mined.