Total number of bitcoins will DECREASE

[Amph]

ATM, I think at least 2 mill have already been lost. So total number ll not be over 19 million.

i think much more than that, especially from early adopters, those guys were mining a tons, if even few of those lost their coins, a great % will vanish, it was estimated a 30 total loss, i don't remember if it is base don the current amount of coin in circulation or total coins

[MF Doom]

One thing that most people don't seem to understand is that after 21 million Bitcoins have been produced, the TOTAL number of Bitcoins in circulation will decrease in a LINEAR fashion each year.  Why? Because a consistent number of people (maybe 0.05%) will always - ALWAYS - lose their private keys.  This is inevitable.

So with the number of Bitcoins DECLINING (after 21 million) and the demand RISING, classical economics tells us that the price will SURGE.

a lot have already been "lost".  Only thing is there is another 100+ years til 21 mil are in circulation, so this will have no effect on any of us, or maybe not even anyone, hard to say if btc will stick around