How Many Bitcoins Are There

?

In the decade since its inception, cryptocurrency and its most popular example, Bitcoin, has come a long way. Invented by an anonymous individual or group, Bitcoin has become a worldwide phenomenon. And with its popularity has come a huge question: How many Bitcoins are there?

To answer this question, it’s important to understand how Bitcoin works and how it is created. Bitcoin is a blockchain-based digital currency system that utilizes a decentralized peer-to-peer payment network. As opposed to traditional currencies, Bitcoin is not printed but rather “mined”. Mining is a process in which computers are used to solve incredibly complex math problems and a reward, in the form of Bitcoin, is given to the successful miners.

To date, there are a total of 18.5 million Bitcoin in circulation. Most of the circulating coins were mined in its early days, making Bitcoin a finite resource. A hard cap of 21 million BItcoin has been established and once those are mined, no further Bitcoin units can be created.

Despite its finite nature, Bitcoin is deflationary and its value increases over time due to a variety of factors. As the demand increases, the Bitcoin price goes up if more people want it than there currently is in circulation.

Despite its popularity, Bitcoin remains largely unregulated and decentralized. As central banks and governments look to regulate more closely, how many Bitcoin is available could soon become a more important question.