When you first ask, “How many people own 2 Bitcoin?” the blockchain seems to give a straightforward answer. You can look at the public ledger and count every single address that holds 2 BTC or more. Right now, that number is somewhere around 985,000.
But here’s the first, and most important, lesson I ever learned about blockchain data: an address is not a person.
Think of it this way: I have a checking account, a savings account, and a small investment account. That’s three different account numbers, but they all belong to one person — me. Bitcoin is very similar. For security and privacy, I don’t keep all my crypto in one place. I have a few different addresses (which are like digital accounts) across different wallets. So, on the blockchain, I might look like three or four different people.
This is a common practice. Anyone who takes their security seriously will likely have multiple addresses. This simple fact means that counting addresses to count people is like trying to count the number of music lovers in the world by counting every pair of headphones. You’ll get a big number, but it won’t be the right one.
Then you have the giants — the cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase or Binance. They hold millions of their customers’ Bitcoin in a handful of massive addresses. So one address might hold the crypto of tens of thousands of people. It’s like the bank’s main vault.
Add in the fact that millions of Bitcoin are considered “lost” — sitting in wallets where the private keys (the password) have been lost forever — and you can see why the initial number starts to get fuzzy.
So, if we can’t just count addresses, how do we find the real number? This is where data analysts and researchers come in, using sophisticated models to estimate the number of individuals.
After accounting for multiple address ownership, institutional accounts, and all the other complexities, the estimate becomes much smaller. The research suggests that the actual number of individuals who own 2 or more Bitcoin is likely somewhere between 600,000 and 800,000 people worldwide.
When I first read that number, I had to pause. The global crypto community has swelled to over 560 million people. To realize that the “Two-Bitcoin Club” has fewer members than the population of a single major city like Seattle or Amsterdam was stunning. It turns out, it’s a far more exclusive group than I ever imagined. It represents less than 0.25% of all Bitcoin owners. It was a humbling moment that put my own journey into a much broader perspective.
This isn’t just a fun piece of trivia; it’s a powerful illustration of Bitcoin’s scarcity and the nature of wealth distribution in a new financial system. We hear about the maximum supply of 21 million coins, but seeing the numbers broken down like this makes that scarcity feel real.
It also serves as a gentle reality check. The vast majority of people in crypto are just starting out, holding small fractions of a coin. And that’s perfectly okay! The goal isn’t to compare your holdings to some anonymous whale. The goal is to participate, to learn, and to be part of a movement that’s bigger than any single one of us.
My journey to that quiet milestone was mine alone. It was filled with moments of fear (oh, those market crashes!), excitement, and constant learning. And that’s the real prize. Being a part of this revolution isn’t about hitting a certain number; it’s about being on the path.
So wherever you are on your own crypto journey, be proud of the steps you’ve taken. Stay curious, keep learning, and don’t worry about the size of anyone else’s bag. We’re all in this together, building a new future, one block at a time.
How many people own 2 Bitcoin? was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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