How long until Bitcoin runs out?
Bitcoin Supply
Only 21 million bitcoins can ever be mined — but projections say the last won't be mined until around 2140. A major constraint on how many bitcoins there are is the block reward halving process — and a halving event is expected in April 2024.
The scenario of no more bitcoins being left is actually a fundamental aspect of Bitcoin's design. As mining rewards decrease with each halving, the last bitcoin is projected to be mined around the year 2140. At this point, miners will rely solely on transaction fees for validating blocks.
Bitcoin's supply is capped at 21 million. The final halving will be in 2140. From then on, no new BTC will be minted. After the last bitcoin has been mined, miners will no longer receive bitcoin rewards for adding blocks to the blockchain.
Jurrien Timmer, Fidelity's global head of macro, has claimed that Bitcoin could go as high as $1 billion by 2038. The prediction is mostly based on Metcalfe's law, which states that a networked financial asset's value is equal to the square of the number of users in the network.
| Year | Price |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $ 71,063.72 |
| 2026 | $ 74,616.91 |
| 2027 | $ 78,347.75 |
| 2030 | $ 90,697.32 |
“It is conceivable that by 2050, bitcoin could be used to settle 10% of international trade and 5% of global domestic trade,” explains VanEck in its report. This scenario would also see central banks holding 2.5% of their assets in BTC, an undeniable sign of the legitimation of this crypto.
After all bitcoins are mined, miners will no longer receive block rewards for verifying transactions but will instead earn transaction fees. It's estimated that all bitcoins will be mined by the year 2140, at which point the last block reward will be released.
So, who are the top holders of BTC? According to the Bitcoin research and analysis firm River Intelligence, Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator behind Bitcoin, is listed as the top BTC holder as of 2024. The company notes that Satoshi Nakamoto holds about 1.1m BTC tokens in about 22,000 different addresses.
Ark's research suggests the cryptocurrency could soar 2,115% to almost $1.5 million by 2030 -- but Wood herself came out with an even more bullish estimate recently, saying Bitcoin could rocket 5,453% to $3.8 million.
What will Bitcoin be worth in 10 years?
Fidelity Predicts: $1B per 1 BTC by 2038 — 2040
It claims the value of Bitcoin will grow steadily to about $1 million per full Bitcoin by 2030.
We predict that Bitcoin will hold an average price of $60,000 in 2024, thanks to the Halving event, and settle more in 2025 with an average of $65,000. In 2026, we see Bitcoin trading as high as $90,000 by the end of the year. By 2030, we predict that Bitcoin could reach a high of $160,000.
The prediction for bitcoin's price in 2040, as per Coincodex, involves projecting the cryptocurrency's average yearly rate of return over the past five years, roughly 22%, onto future price movements. This projection suggests a potential increase to $1,510,000 by 2040.
Bitcoin breaks $50,000 for the 1st time in over 2 years due to ETFs, Fed cuts, and the upcoming halving. Bitcoin broke $50,000 on Monday for the first time since December 2021.
While this is a lower-bound scenario, we can use it as a baseline to show what it takes for investors to become Bitcoin millionaires. Assuming an annualized return of 30%, one would need to invest roughly $85,500 annually for five years to hit millionaire status. Over 10 years, this number falls to around $18,250.
| Bitcoin Price Prediction | Potential Low ($) | Average Price ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 61,357 | 95,903 |
| 2026 | 82,522 | 115,569 |
| 2027 | 152,837 | 160,942 |
| 2028 | 174,063 | 183,485 |
“Looking into 2024 and beyond, I'm personally very long-term bullish on bitcoin,” Sciberras says, citing the macroeconomic backdrop, April's halving event and the improved development of scalability within the Lightning network as well as BTC spot ETFs. However, bitcoin's future isn't without potential hurdles.
There are several risks associated with investing in cryptocurrency: loss of capital, government regulations, fraud and hacks. Loss of capital. Mark Hastings, partner at Quillon Law, warns that investors must tread carefully in crypto's unique financial environment or risk significant losses.
Buying either crypto requires a high risk tolerance. Looking at past performance, it's difficult to choose a winner between Bitcoin and Ether because their relative returns fluctuate depending on the time frame. In the past year, Bitcoin prices are up 157% compared to a 100% gain for Ether.
Once all 21 million bitcoin are mined by the year 2140, no new bitcoin will be created.
Why does Bitcoin drop every 4 years?
Bitcoin halving is when the reward for bitcoin mining is cut in half. Halving takes place every four years. The next halving is expected to occur sometime in 2028. The halving policy was written into bitcoin's mining algorithm to counteract inflation by maintaining scarcity.
| Year | Price |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $ 473.19 |
| 2026 | $ 496.85 |
| 2027 | $ 521.69 |
| 2030 | $ 603.92 |
The Bitcoin ecosystem is still developing, making it possible that Bitcoin itself will continue to evolve over the coming decades. However Bitcoin evolves, no new bitcoins will be released after the limit of 21 million coins is reached.
Who Owns the Most Bitcoins? Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, is believed to own the most bitcoins, with estimates suggesting over 1 million BTC mined in the early days of the network.
Will Cryptocurrency Replace Fiat Money? It's unlikely that cryptocurrency, in its current form, will replace fiat currency in developed countries. However, it is possible in financially struggling nations.
