Why Is Bitcoin Limited to 21 Million?
21 million Bitcoin. Not one more. Ever.
This is coded into Bitcoin's original design by Satoshi Nakamoto and cannot be changed by any government, company, or majority vote.
Buy Bitcoin in Canada →How the 21 Million Limit Works
Bitcoin is created through a process called "mining" — computers solving mathematical problems. Every time a problem is solved (approximately every 10 minutes), a new block is added to the blockchain and the winning miner receives a Bitcoin reward.
This reward started at 50 Bitcoin per block in 2009. Every 210,000 blocks (approximately 4 years), it cuts in half. This is called the "halving."
| Year | Block Reward |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 50 BTC |
| 2012 | 25 BTC |
| 2016 | 12.5 BTC |
| 2020 | 6.25 BTC |
| 2024 | 3.125 BTC |
| 2028 | 1.5625 BTC |
This continues until all 21 million Bitcoin are mined — estimated around the year 2140.
Why Does the 21 Million Limit Matter?
Gold is valuable because there's a limited amount of it in the earth. Bitcoin is valuable because there's a provably limited amount of it in existence.
Bitcoin cannot be inflated. 21 million is the ceiling. This makes Bitcoin the hardest money ever created.
Every Canadian who owns Bitcoin knows exactly how much exists and how much will ever exist. No surprises.
Unlike gold, Bitcoin's supply limit is mathematically enforced and verifiable by anyone.
The Canadian government and Bank of Canada can create more CAD whenever they want. This is why prices rise over time — more money chasing the same goods.
How Many Bitcoin Are There Right Now?
The remaining ~1.3 million Bitcoin will be mined over the next century.
Additionally, an estimated 3–4 million Bitcoin have been permanently lost through forgotten wallets and lost keys. The effective supply is even scarcer.