When Will Bitcoin Run Out? Three Different End Dates
New bitcoin issuance is expected to fade to zero around 2140, but bitcoin already held by people will not vanish on that date. The answer to “when will bitcoin run out” depends on what you mean: newly minted coins, coins available to purchase, or incentives for miners to process transactions. Those three ideas run on different clocks. The 21-million-BTC supply limit governs the first one; willing sellers and transaction fees influence the other two. The issuance clock is written in block heights Bitcoin creates new coins as a subsidy for a miner who adds a valid block. It began at 50 BTC per block and halves after every 210,000 blocks. Issuance declines rather than releasing every remaining coin suddenly. Bit.Fan’s explanation of what it means for bitcoin to run out separates the end of new issuance from the continued circulation of existing coins. The Bitcoin.org halving schedule lists the April 2024 change at block 840,000, which reduced the subsidy to 3.125 BTC. It places the next...