Bitcoin is on the verge of a major symbolic milestone, with the issuance of its 20 millionth coin anticipated within days. Currently, nearly 19,997,000 BTC have been mined, leaving a fraction of the fixed 21 million supply. Once this threshold is crossed, over 95% of all Bitcoin that will ever exist will be in circulation. The remaining 1 million coins are scheduled to be mined over the next century, with the final Bitcoin expected around 2140.
This absolute scarcity, hardcoded into Bitcoin's protocol by Satoshi Nakamoto, contrasts sharply with fiat currencies and is a foundational principle for its supporters. Unlike commodities like gold, Bitcoin's issuance rate cannot accelerate, providing a transparent and immutable supply curve. Issuance has steadily slowed through halving events, reducing miner rewards approximately every four years, pushing inflation below 1%. At the current pace, 99% of the supply will be mined by early 2035. Following the mining of the final Bitcoin, miners will rely exclusively on transaction fees, underscoring the network's long-term economic model.