This beginner-friendly FAQ answers the question wie viele Bitcoins gibt es (how many Bitcoins are there) and explains the key concepts behind Bitcoin's fixed supply. You'll learn about the 21 million cap, current circulation, mining, halving, and why lost coins matter.

What does the German phrase "wie viele Bitcoins gibt es" mean?

The phrase translates to "how many Bitcoins are there?" and is a common query for people who want to know the total supply of Bitcoin. In this FAQ, we answer that question in simple, beginner-friendly terms.

Understanding Bitcoin's supply is the first step to grasping why it is often described as digital gold. Instead of being printed by a central bank, Bitcoin is created by a transparent code that everyone can verify.

How many Bitcoins exist today?

More than 19 million Bitcoins are in circulation today, but the exact number increases about every 10 minutes as miners add new blocks. The maximum possible supply is 21 million Bitcoins, so the total can never go above that hard-coded limit.

To see the current number, you can check block explorers or market-data websites. For beginners, the key point is that Bitcoin is already mostly mined, with only a small portion of the total supply left to be released.

Why is Bitcoin limited to 21 million?

Bitcoin's inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, set the cap at 21 million in the original code to create scarcity and prevent inflation. This design mirrors commodities like gold and gives Bitcoin a predictable issuance schedule. Because all network nodes enforce the supply rule, no centralized authority can mint extra coins.

The limit also affects Bitcoin's economic model: the reward for mining new blocks gets smaller over time, which means new supply enters the market at a decreasing rate.

When will the last Bitcoin be mined?

The last Bitcoin is projected to be mined around the year 2140, based on Bitcoin's block schedule. The process takes so long because block rewards are cut in half every four years, so the remaining supply is released very slowly.

Specifically, the block reward will eventually fall to less than 1 satoshi (the smallest unit), after which rounding rules will effectively stop new issuance. Until then, miners are rewarded with a combination of block subsidies and transaction fees.

What is Bitcoin halving and how does it affect supply?

A Bitcoin halving is an event that reduces the mining reward by 50%, and it occurs approximately every four years. The most recent halving happened in 2024, lowering the block reward from 6.25 to 3.125 Bitcoins. This intentionally slows the creation of new Bitcoins, which is why the supply curve flattens over time.

  • Halvings make Bitcoin more scarce, which is often linked to price increases.
  • The next halving is expected in 2028, but dates can vary slightly due to block production.

Are all 21 million Bitcoins in circulation?

No, not all 21 million Bitcoins have been mined yet. As of 2026, over 19 million are circulating, and the remaining supply will be emitted gradually over the next century. Circulation also includes institutional holdings, but excludes coins that are lost or locked in inaccessible wallets.

In simple terms, the visible supply is the total number of coins that have been mined and are known to the network. The exact number is always publicly available, but it changes whenever a miner successfully adds a new block.

How many Bitcoins are lost forever?

Nobody knows the exact number of lost Bitcoins, but experts believe it is a significant portion of the total supply. Coins become lost when owners die, lose private keys, or send funds to invalid addresses. On-chain data can show addresses that have been untouched for years, but it cannot prove they are gone forever.

Some estimates suggest that a meaningful number of Bitcoins are permanently inaccessible, though these figures are educated guesses. For beginners, the important thing is that lost coins make the effective available supply even smaller than the official circulation number.

Could the 21 million Bitcoin limit ever be changed?

In theory, the limit could be changed if the entire Bitcoin network agreed to a hard fork and changed the protocol rules. But in practice, this is extremely unlikely because Bitcoin's community strongly values the fixed supply. Any change would require consensus among nodes, miners, and users, and a popular hard fork that alters the cap has never succeeded.

If someone created a "Bitcoin" with a higher cap, it would be a different coin, not the Bitcoin that users and investors trust. That is why the 21 million limit is often called an unbreakable social contract.

Final Thoughts

So, how many Bitcoins are there? The short answer is: over 19 million are in circulation, and no more than 21 million can ever exist. This fixed cap is a core part of Bitcoin's identity and makes it different from traditional fiat money that central banks can print without limit.

For beginners, you don't need to track the exact number every day. Instead, keep in mind that new Bitcoins are created through mining, halving events slow that creation, and some coins are lost forever. Together, these factors make Bitcoin's effective supply even scarcer.