How Many People Actually Own Bitcoin Worldwide?

[d5000]

I think the more people and companies adopt Bitcoin, the harder it will be for its price to rise. The price of Bitcoin will continue to rise as market demand increases. But if 10% of the world's population has access to Bitcoin, I think we'll see BTC hovering around $1 million. That sounds fantastic. But people will start to get bored, and Bitcoin will no longer be attractive.

That's approximately what I described as the "boreout problem" in this thread.

However, if Bitcoin manages to transition from a "high risk, high ROI" ultra-speculative asset to a "low risk, low but steady ROI" that would change. Bitcoin today behaves like an overdimensioned penny stock. Treasury bonds issued by governments are very attractive today. If Bitcoin ceases to crash double digits now and then, it could become closer to a treasury bond.

There would be still growth potential: coins are lost every day, but the supply will eventually rise slower than the lost coins (some say that is already the case). So if the percentage of people owning BTC would be static, and thus the demand and supply stays in equilibrium, the price should rise slowly approximately in line with economic growth.

It would not be correlated with per capita figures, as an increase of population, if the percentage is static, would result in new users. If population begins to decline in the late 21th century, then everything would depend on if the economy continues to grow or not. But Bitcoin would then be probably massively deflationary supply-wise, as lost coins would surpass up new mined supply by a lot. This means that even in a slight global recession Bitcoin has still potential to rise.

That would of course also apply if adoption grows to 30, 50 or even 100% of the world population and stays static then.

@crwth: stompix made this exercise with active addresses already on the first page

[Churchillvv]

I believed Bitcoin could reach 1 billion users. I mean, we already see the increase of holders, and the adaptation was just rapidly adapting around the world, so I guess we are already on the way there.

We could have about 1 billion addresses holding bitcoin we’ll notable on the blockchain but the precise if knowing that 1 billion users own it hold bitcoin is something that we can’t determine easily, so I look at it as an expectation that we will have to be very long term in consideration because things don’t happen as quickly as that since even bitcoin reaching this stage took over 15 years plus.

[OdinTools]

That's true, we can't say exactly how many people hold Bitcoin. However, if only 1–2% of the global population holds Bitcoin - which is a realistic estimate - then we are still very early. This means there is a significant opportunity to take advantage of this stage of adoption.

Governments will also need to adapt and integrate Bitcoin more into their economies, highlight its potential, and take the first steps.

We Odin Tools, we believe that crypto has a bright future, although many steps still need to be taken. What do you think guys?

[satscraper]

What will really happen if 10% of the global population adopts Bitcoin?

In my view this might only happen if the price falls to  $1–$10 range. I’m not sure what the macroeconomic consequences would be, but I’m fairly confident about one thing, i.e. the wave of major attacks and scams on bitcoin would almost disappear, and governments would likely become far more supportive of Bitcoin compared to how most of them behave today.

It seems to me that if the price were to drop to such low levels, Bitcoin would become almost dead in the sense that all those apocalyptic predictions would come true, in the sense that it was all one huge Ponzi scheme

This is true, and the likely outcome is that Bitcoin will no longer interest anyone.

I don't see why the authorities would be more favorable towards BTC in that case than they are today

including authoritis. The latter are concerned right now ^{when Bitcoin’s success is evident to everyone} that power could eventually slip out of their hands if Bitcoin manages to crown the financial system.

[Emjay24]

This estimation may probably be from those in custodial services and those whose wallets has been deanonymized, I don't believe this is anywhere close to a reflection of actual number of people who actually own bitcoin in different forms.

What will really happen if 10% of the global population adopts Bitcoin?
Will the limited supply make ownership increasingly difficult for new users?
Could Bitcoin eventually reach 1 billion users?

- 10% would be cool but I don't see it happening anytime soon with the restrictions in most countries and unclear regulations in others, coupled with lack of technological advancement and tech illiteracy in developing countries.

- No, it would only make it more expensive. There's always a lot of bitcoin available to buy in the market since traders and miners are always selling

- Everything is possible in bitcoin which has proved itself to be valuable, but it would really take time to achieve this feat.

[henry_of_skalitz]

I believed Bitcoin could reach 1 billion users. I mean, we already see the increase of holders, and the adaptation was just rapidly adapting around the world, so I guess we are already on the way there.

We could have about 1 billion addresses holding bitcoin we’ll notable on the blockchain but the precise if knowing that 1 billion users own it hold bitcoin is something that we can’t determine easily, so I look at it as an expectation that we will have to be very long term in consideration because things don’t happen as quickly as that since even bitcoin reaching this stage took over 15 years plus.

If BTC will still be supported from the holes that are available.. Maybe. If not - then this target would move into the decades timeframes, not one or two

[As-Soon-As]

What will really happen if 10% of the global population adopts Bitcoin?

Yes, if we compare the adoption of Bitcoin to the population of the whole world, it will definitely be one to two percent, but if 10% of the people in the whole world accept Bitcoin, then the price of Bitcoin will definitely reach its highest price. And some people will be able to accept a small fraction of Bitcoin, and if the price of Bitcoin skyrockets, its price can increase hundreds of times from the current price.

Will the limited supply make ownership increasingly difficult for new users?

Currently, the price of Bitcoin is cheap and it is possible to buy more than one Bitcoin because only one to two percent of people accept it. But when more people accept Bitcoin, it will become difficult to own even a small amount of Bitcoin, because where there is a huge demand, it will also become very difficult to obtain Bitcoin.

Could Bitcoin eventually reach 1 billion users?

At the beginning of Bitcoin's journey in 2009, it was not so popular, as Bitcoin moves towards the future, the demand for it is being created and its price is increasing. As a result, of course, if we move further towards the future, the popularity of Bitcoin will increase even more and it is possible for Bitcoin to reach more than a billion people.

[Die_empty]

What will really happen if 10% of the global population adopts Bitcoin?

Nobody knows what will happen until the adoption gets to that number. Let me predict that the price will increase.

Will the limited supply make ownership increasingly difficult for new users?

Bitcoin can be used in units, so its limited supply will not have much effect. Limited supply makes it a scarce asset, thereby giving it more value.

Could Bitcoin eventually reach 1 billion users?

If adoption increases in the future, Bitcoin users could hit that number. If some powerful nations make it a legal tender, more people will use it.

[348Judah]

There is a definite number of Bitcoin supply, but we can't have a definite number of those that have been holding Bitcoin ever since, it is also important that we notice how bitcoin has been increasing in adoption rate every day, the same way we have been seeing the value increasing over time, what we should be most concerned for now is how the world are more inclined towards the adoption of Bitcoin and the future benefits everyone stand to get from their individual determination to adopt Bitcoin.

[Lucius]

~snip~

I don't see why the authorities would be more favorable towards BTC in that case than they are today

including authoritis. The latter are concerned right now ^{when Bitcoin’s success is evident to everyone} that power could eventually slip out of their hands if Bitcoin manages to crown the financial system.

I am convinced that the levers of power are firmly in their hands, which means that they can make moves at any moment that would seriously harm Bitcoin. In fact, all they need to do is to declare payments with BTC illegal and to prohibit banks from allowing their clients to use bank transactions to trade with cryptocurrencies.

Only those two moves throw BTC underground because most people who own cryptocurrencies today will not do anything that is not legal.

[Zoomic]

Re: How Many People Actually Own Bitcoin Worldwide?

I do, and maybe OgNasty also does.

I do. So there is at least one of us.

What will really happen if 10% of the global population adopts Bitcoin?

Nothing will happen because you will not even know when 10% of the global population has adopted bitcoin

Will the limited supply make ownership increasingly difficult for new users?

No, BTC, mBTC, sats... That is when bitcoin will start using it's unit

Could Bitcoin eventually reach 1 billion users?

If a country of 200 million citizens adopts bitcoin, invariable it means more 200 million people in bitcoin, lol

I brought this three questions out so members can answer and we discuss.
However by advice to everyone accumulate enough bitcoin and hold because the future of bitcoin success is clear.

The future is not certain.
We prayed that institutions should join so that the price will hit $1m, now they have joined and we are no longer comfortable and price is not going above $150k. The future is not certain.

[krishnaverma]

Most popular question that is being asked in the crypto space is, how many people in the world actually own Bitcoin?
Since the creation of Bitcoin in 2009, the adoption is still relatively small when you compare it to the world population.

Recently it is being estimated that around 100 million people worldwide hold Bitcoin in some form. Now considering the world population is about 8 billion people, this means only around 1–2% of the world currently owns Bitcoin.

Note: calculating the real number of Bitcoin holders is not easy because the Bitcoin network does not record identities, it only records addresses.

The interesting part in all of these is that Bitcoin adoption is still in its early stage right now. If only 1–2% of the world owns Bitcoin today, then the question becomes.

What will really happen if 10% of the global population adopts Bitcoin?
Will the limited supply make ownership increasingly difficult for new users?
Could Bitcoin eventually reach 1 billion users?

I brought this three questions out so members can answer and we discuss.
However by advice to everyone accumulate enough bitcoin and hold because the future of bitcoin success is clear.

It is impossible to tell the exact numbers. There are so many exchanges, some own bitcoins not on exchanges as well.

[Asuspawer09]

I believed Bitcoin could reach 1 billion users. I mean, we already see the increase of holders, and the adaptation was just rapidly adapting around the world, so I guess we are already on the way there.

We could have about 1 billion addresses holding bitcoin we’ll notable on the blockchain but the precise if knowing that 1 billion users own it hold bitcoin is something that we can’t determine easily, so I look at it as an expectation that we will have to be very long term in consideration because things don’t happen as quickly as that since even bitcoin reaching this stage took over 15 years plus.

You have a good point there, I mean even if there are already a billion Bitcoin addresses out there we could say that probably 100 of the address is just own by a one person, I mean personally I also owned a lot of Bitcoin addresses on differents wallets, If im going to estimate I think it's more than 10 addresses on different wallets so It's really difficult to say the precise number.

But I guess the good thing here It is already evident that the addresses are increasing, the Bitcoin adoption is rapidly growing around the globe as well. For sure, with the increasing addresses, the users are also increasing rapidly, it's hard to say that addresses are increasing and the users might not. So it's safe to assume that the users are increasing as well. Maybe we could probably safely assume that it is already 1 billion users, when addresses already reach more than 10 billion, and we can just say that each people own atleast 10 addresses each, that might be a safe assumption.

[ZAINmalik75]

I brought this three questions out so members can answer and we discuss.
However by advice to everyone accumulate enough bitcoin and hold because the future of bitcoin success is clear.

The actual figure is much higher than 100 million. I'm not sure where this number comes from, but in Pakistan alone, crypto users exceed 40 million. So, do you think 40% of 100 million is from Pakistan? The actual figure is way higher than 100 million. You need to check your source for this information before sharing something sensitive like this. Here is mine:
Pakistan Ranks High in Crypto Adoption with 30-40 Million Users

The world population is over 8 billion, and I am sure at least 10% are aware of crypto. How many are investing is a second question, but I think at least 6% are using it. In 2024, a study found that crypto owners were more than 560M, which was around 6%, and that was around 2 years ago. So, you can guess how high it could be by now. 1 B is nothing for crypto but it will take some time,

[lionheart78]

It is hard to precisely calculate the number of people holding Bitcoin.  We can easily know the number of wallets that hold BTC but due to the multiple wallet owners, pinpointing the actual number of people who own Bitcoin is somehow very hard if not impossible.

So even if there is a survey done, or a program to analyze Bitcoin holders, it will have a result with huge discrepancy because it is hard to trace those address that never touched the exchanges.

[uchegod-21]

What will really happen if 10% of the global population adopts Bitcoin?
Will the limited supply make ownership increasingly difficult for new users?
Could Bitcoin eventually reach 1 billion users?

If at least 10% of the global population adopt Bitcoin, the impact will be felt on the price of bitcoin. There will be an increased demand for bitcoin than we already have now and when that happens, the price of bitcoin will also increase since supply is fixed.

More demand and adoption will lead to increased scarcity. With bitcoin whose price has gone so high, people can only acquire Satoshis instead of a whole bitcoin. In the past when bitcoin was still very new, people held 1, 2, 3, 10, 20 etc bitcoins and felt it was nothing because it didn't cost much then. Now we can see how difficult it is to own even 1 bitcoin. With increased adoption, bitcoin ownership will become more difficult.

As long as bitcoin continues to prove itself, 1 billion users will be very possible.

[Fiasem20]

I honestly don’t trust these statistics to be accurate and precised because bitcoin happens to operate in a decentralized system,if it were to be a centralized system it would have been easy to get an exact estimation of people that actually own bitcoin worldwide.Then again if analysis should be traced from addresses,a wrong analysis would be the result because an individual can own multiple addresses.Anyways,I’m not against the total estimation of people that own bitcoin,all I know is the fact that the adoption rate of bitcoin is growing rapidly across the globe.

[vanesha]

What will really happen if 10% of the global population adopts Bitcoin?
Will the limited supply make ownership increasingly difficult for new users?
Could Bitcoin eventually reach 1 billion users?

I will answer based on my own research so far.

1. If 10% of the world's population holds Bitcoin, it will have low scarcity. However, this depends on how it is obtained. If it is through pure trading, then I believe this will be good for the price of Bitcoin, as it will certainly experience significant increases if more people want to hold it.

2. Agree. The limitations of Bitcoin due to its scarcity make it difficult for new users to acquire it, unless they are willing to buy Bitcoin at a very high price.

3. This cannot be guaranteed, but everyone will hope that Bitcoin will become more well-known and more people will hold it.

[ejikeme24]

I disagree with you on that, there's no way you can get the total amount of Bitcoin HoDlers  worldwide you didn't even use a country as an example but the world entirely. You seems to have forgotten that the  more days are going that's the more folks are investing into Bitcoin, even right now as I speak some folks are just getting started with their Bitcoin investment and I believe the internet will not get accurate prediction of how many people that is holding Bitcoin in the world, what you provided here is just a mere speculation because the number of Bitcoin HoDlers is more than that.