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UK guide · Updated 1 November 2026How many Bitcoin are there?
There will never be more than 21 million bitcoin. About 20.1 million have been created so far, which leaves less than 900,000 still to be mined over the next hundred or so years.
The numbers
- Maximum supply: just under 21,000,000 bitcoin.
- Created so far: about 20.1 million (blockchain.com, 1 Nov 2026).
- New bitcoin per block: 3.125, since the April 2024 halving.
- Next halving: block 1,050,000, expected around 2028. Watch the halving countdown.
- Last new bitcoin: expected around 2140.
Why the limit is 21 million
New bitcoin is only created as a reward to the miner who adds each block. That reward started at 50 bitcoin and halves every 210,000 blocks, roughly every four years. Add up the shrinking rewards and the total approaches 21 million but never reaches it. The full story is in Why 21 million? and What is the halving?
Curious what happens once they are all mined? Read After the last bitcoin, or see how the cap stands up in Bitcoin myths vs data.
Can the limit change?
The cap is a rule in the software, not a law of physics. It holds because the people running Bitcoin nodes all check it. Any node will reject a block that creates more bitcoin than the rules allow. Changing it would need almost everyone to choose new software that makes their own coins worth less, which is why most people treat it as fixed.
How many bitcoin are lost?
Nobody knows exactly, because the blockchain cannot tell a lost coin from one that is simply not being moved. Published estimates range from about 2.3 million to 4 million bitcoin, from analysts such as Chainalysis, River, Ledger and Unchained. Early coins from when bitcoin was nearly worthless, forgotten passwords and thrown away hard drives make up most of it. Lost coins never come back, so the amount anyone can actually spend is lower than the total.
Why this matters to you
The pound has no fixed limit. The Bank of England and the government can create more, which is why prices keep rising over time. Try The Melt to see what a pound from your birth year buys now. Bitcoin's supply is set in advance and anyone can check it with their own node.
Do I need a whole bitcoin?
No. One bitcoin is 100,000,000 sats. Use our sats calculator to convert between BTC and sats, and read Sats explained.
Not financial advice. General education only. Bitcoin prices can swing hard. Never put in more than you can afford to lose, and do your own research.