# How many bitcoins will be mined in total by the year 2140?

Jessica Washington · August 4, 2026

> The total number of bitcoins that can ever be mined is capped at 21 million, which is one of the core principles of the Bitcoin protocol and ensures...

The total number of bitcoins that can ever be mined is capped at 21 million, which is one of the core principles of the Bitcoin protocol and ensures scarcity.

At the current reward of 6.25 bitcoins per block, roughly 900 new bitcoins are mined every day, as new blocks are created approximately every 10 minutes.

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Bitcoin's mining rewards are halved roughly every four years in an event known as "halving," which will be a critical factor for future mining incentives and the total supply dynamics.

The next halving is projected to occur in 2024, and after this event, the reward for mining a block will decrease to 3.125 bitcoins, which will further slow the rate of new bitcoin creation.

As of December 2024, approximately 19,742,637 bitcoins have been mined, representing about 94% of the total supply, leaving around 1,257,363 bitcoins still to be mined.

The last bitcoin is expected to be mined around the year 2140, after which miners will only earn transaction fees, rather than new bitcoins as rewards.

Bitcoin operates on a decentralized blockchain technology that relies on a consensus algorithm called Proof of Work, requiring miners to solve complex mathematical problems to validate transactions.

Each new block added to the blockchain contains a reference to the previous block, creating an immutable chain that secures the transaction history.

The total mining difficulty of Bitcoin adjusts approximately every two weeks to ensure that the average time between blocks remains around 10 minutes, regardless of the total computing power of the network.

Over time, as more bitcoins are mined and the rewards decrease, it is theorized that transaction fees will become a primary source of income for miners due to the finite supply.

As of now, the mining process is highly competitive, with miners requiring specialized hardware known as ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) to effectively compete in solving the cryptographic puzzles.

The energy consumption of Bitcoin mining is significant, with estimates often comparing it to the energy usage of entire countries, raising discussions about environmental impact.

Bitcoin transactions are pseudonymous, meaning they do not directly reveal the identity of the user, but all transactions can be viewed on the blockchain, leading to transparency within anonymity.

The "genesis block," which is the first block mined, contained a reward of 50 bitcoins, and served as the foundation for subsequent transactions and further mining endeavors.

By 2140, due to the mechanisms of halving, miners will have mined approximately 98% of bitcoins, with the remaining bitcoins being distributed over a significantly longer period of time.

As bitcoin mining becomes harder, it is expected that smaller, less efficient miners will exit the market, leading to increasing centralization among larger mining pools.

Many estimates suggest that a substantial portion of mined bitcoins are believed to be lost due to forgotten private keys or lost access to wallets, further reducing the effective supply.

The architecture of Bitcoin's blockchain allows it to be immune to double-spending, which means a bitcoin cannot be spent twice, as every transaction is recorded irreversibly.

The concept of cold storage is common among bitcoin holders, allowing them to keep their bitcoins offline for security purposes, mitigating the risks associated with hacking.

Theoretically, the last bitcoin mined could be different from its predecessors in terms of network conditions and fee structures, as the dynamics of mining will evolve considerably by 2140 based on technological advancements and market conditions.

Bitcoin's deflationary nature due to its capped supply is often compared to precious metals, such as gold, which are also mined and have restrictions on total available supply.

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